“I want to feel like I matter. People pretend to see me, but nobody knows me.”
Carey Parker, talented singer and Mariah Carey enthusiast, has a dream: to be a diva, just like Mariah. To stand on stage and sing and see and be seen.
Sadly, that dream is taking the back seat for now as Carey has to navigate high school as a genderqueer teenager. Between their bully, a queerphobic teacher, and a sick grandma at home, Carey’s struggles take a toll on their mental health. When they meet Cris, who is not only handsome but also a musician, Carey feels seen. Together, they even try out for the spring musical and Carey lands the lead roll: the usually female presented Elphaba in Wicked.
What follows is an onslaught of prejudice, micro-aggressions, and hostility, but Carey is quick to discover that love, support, and respect are on their side as well. Together with their friends, Carey proves once and for all that they deserve to be seen – and moreover – heard.
I absolutely loved this book. Granted, it took me a while to find my way into it because I felt like there were so many small fires burning I didn’t know which to concentrate on, but Carey is an absolute marvel all throughout the story.
Steven Salvatore has built a world with characters who would be able to command a whole room with a single wink in real life. Carey and their friends, as well as their family and teacher, are absolutely extraordinary. Not a single person falls flat or isn’t well rounded, which is quite a feat for one book. The writing is nothing short of lovely. It is so easy to get lost in Carey’s world and complicated events, emotions or actions are described in a way that is easily understandable and so very easy to picture. The whole book is like that one song in a musical where the most important lyrics from the show are mashed up again to create a single masterpiece.
The story itself is beyond inspiring. Carey is in the eye of a hurricane and it is an absolute pleasure to watch them take command of it. Not only do they have to deal with every-day problems, such as first love, illness of a loved one and complicated friendships, they also have to have the courage to be themselves every day. This is the first book with a genderqueer protagonist and as a cis reader, I now feel like I have a much better understanding of what being “genderqueer” means. Carey is not a slide on Instagram with main characteristics, this is a person with so much personality and so much depth that it is impossible that this story will not touch your heart in the most tender way.
If you are genderqueer: I am so excited that this book exists for you. Representation matters so, so much and I am so excited that this particular part of the transgender spectrum has gotten this bright of a spotlight. If you are not genderqueer: I beg of you, read this book. It will be one of the most important books you will read.
The strength and perseverance that is unfortunately demanded from the LGBTQ+ community in this very cis and heteronormative world is a travesty and it is because of books like this, that this reviewer has the hope that circumstances will one day change for everyone.
Can’t Take That Away is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 9th 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.
Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother’s spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.
Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey’s tormentor and others in the school. It’s up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights–and they refuse to be silenced.
Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore’s Can’t Take That Away conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.
