Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky

Bibliographic Information:

• Title: Sasha Masha
• Author: Agnes Borinsky
• ISBN: 0374310807
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
• Copyright Date: November 10, 2020

Genre: LGBTQ+, Contemporary Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age

Format: Book

Awards/Honors: Lambda Literary Award – Nominee 2021

Reading Level/Interest Level: Teen Grades 10-12, Ages 15-18. (Baker & Taylor Titlesource 360).

Plot Summary: Seventeen-year-old Alex Shapelsky, a white, Jewish boy from Baltimore, feels like he grew up in the wrong house, was in the wrong body, and was wearing the wrong clothes. When his best friend Mabel moves away, Alex meets a new group of friends and starts dating Tracy. Although Alex enjoys Tracy’s company, something doesn’t feel right and Alex can’t figure out what. When Alex meets Andre, a gay boy, he starts to realize that maybe he is someone else- not Alex, and starts calling himself Sasha Masha. Andre introduces Alex to his world of gay and transgender friends and Alex starts to feel comfortable for the first time. He starts to enjoy trying on dresses, lipstick, and nail polish. As Alex grapples with his identity, he realizes that he does not have to figure everything out at once- he can take it one step at a time.

Author Background: Agnes Borinsky is a transgender author from Baltimore, living in Los Angeles. She mostly writes essays and plays and does live performances. Sasha Masha is her first novel. According to Borinsky, she is interested in how people gather- how they look at each other and listen to each other, and what might be going on in the room (Rustchuk Farm, N.D.). Borinsky works at Skylight Books- an indie bookstore in Los Angeles.

In an interview with Kelsey Norris for Libro.fm, Borinsky said she wanted to write a book that she wish she had in high school. she wanted it to be a “queer coming of age story about the period before you know what you feel. Before you know who you are” (Norris, 2020).

Critical Evaluation: Sasha Masha is a short, well-written story told in the first person voice of Alex, a seventeen-year-old boy. It is a queer coming of age story that focuses on gender identity. The main characters are well developed but some of the secondary characters could use more detail. The plot is straight forward- most of it takes place in Alex’s head but it is easy to follow, interesting, and believable. I also found it powerful and moving. Alex is a likeable character who I fell in love with from the beginning. The story has a message of trusting ourselves and being who we are.

Creative Use for a Library Program: A book club featuring YA books with transgender protagonists such as Sasha Masha, The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, and Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas would be a fun library program. For a snack, we could order pizza and the teens could make a “pizza pact” like Sasha Masha and his friends did in the book.

Speed-Round Book Talk: Do you ever wonder who you are? Alex doesn’t feel like he is a “real boy,” even after kissing his girlfriend, Tracy. But Alex doesn’t know who he is. When he meets Andre, a gay boy, Alex is introduced to a whole new world where he starts on his journey of self-discovery.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: Challenges to this book can arise due to the protagonist being transgender and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters. The defense to this is that YA collections need to represent the entire community, including LGBTQ+ teens. There is some kissing in the book but no sex or underage drinking or drugs. There is some romance but it is presented in a wholesome manner.

Reason for Inclusion: I included Sasha Masha because there are not many books about what it is like for LGBTQ+ teens before they come out. There are many about them coming out, but this story takes place in Alex’s head before he figures out who it is. I think teens will like the fast pace and the openness of Alex’s thoughts. His relationships with his friends and parents are believable and warm. The book has a positive message and I feel that teens will find this story heart-warming.

References:

Libro.fm. (2020, December 1). Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky (audiobook excerpt). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6CtSkijv1k&t=24s&ab_channel=Libro.fm

Norris, K. (2020, December 16). Author interview: Agnes Borinsky. Libro.fm. Retrieved from https://blog.libro.fm/author-interview-agnes-borinsky/

Rustchuk Farm. (N.D.). Rustchuk Farm/Agnes Borinsky. Retrieved from https://www.rustchukfarm.org/