Firstborn: A Novel

Written by Lorie Ann Grover

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie

Where does a firstborn girl fit in a world dominated by men?

When Tiadone was born, her parents had two choices: leave their daughter outside the community to die in the wilds, or raise her as male and force her to suppress all feminine traits. Now, as the first female living as male in her village, Tiadone must prove her father didn't make a mistake by letting her live.

As her male initiation approaches, Tiadone knows every eye on the community is on her, and desperately wishes to belong and finally be accepted. But at every step, traditional feminine gifts and traits emerge, and the bird she's been twined with is seen as a sign of evil.

Worse, as Tiadone completes her rites, she finds she is drawn to her male best friend in ways that are very much in line with the female gender.

Confused and desperate, Tiadone tries to become what she must be while dealing with what she indeed has become: a young woman who may be able to stand up to her despotic rulers and uncover her real purpose in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oasis Audio
• Release date: Jan 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781621883180

Lorie Ann Grover

Lorie Ann Grover is the author of young adult novels including Hit, which Hypable calls “a powerful book about tragedy and recovery which shows you both sides of the story, for better or worse.” She has authored Loose Threads, a Booklist Top 10 Youth First Novel, and On Pointe, a Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year. As a literacy advocate, she is a co-founder of readergirlz, which was awarded the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize.   

Reviews for Firstborn

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have seen this book a couple of times on different websites. I thought the cover was cool and the concept of the story intrigued me. I finally decided to check this book out and see what it really was all about. I have to say this book was way better then I thought it would be. I can not imagine growing up as a declared boy but actually being born a girl. Tiadone was a good "boy". In fact, I thought she was better then some of the real boys. She was tougher. I loved Tiadone's companion, Mirko. The idea that every person has a bird that they share a bond with is cool. The world that Tiadone resides in is not one that I would want to live in, especially being a woman myself. While the back of the book hints at a possible romance between Tiadone and her best friend, Ratho, there was nothing that happened between the two. I am glad. It would have taken away from the story. The ending was a good one. I would like to see Tiadone again some day, if possible.

[loftyislanders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this book from Blink and read it in a day. This is a dystopic fantasy with both biblical and mythological undertones. It is not a light read. It requires concentration and attentiveness. Unique to this novel are a race of conquerors who seem to be at least part avian and the telepathic birds that reject them, but still embrace the oppressed natives. Unfortunately a practice that is not unique, or even rare,is gendercide. The practice was fairly common in parts of the ancient world. It was used to control population. In most cases, girls, were the undesired sex. In the modern world, the practice of gendercide is still being practiced due to extreme poverty and population mandates.Although rare, the instance of females being declared male is also both an ancient and modern practice. In cultures where eliminating an infant is not an option, the alternative is to declare the female child a male. This is a practice used to solve an imbalance in the number of men who serve certain specific roles in the given society. The purpose of this is to allow a woman to inhabit roles and receive training usually reserved for males.This novel does an incredible job of rolling these two concepts into one very "human" girl. She has been raised a boy, and it seems to have been little trouble until adolescence. The changes that happen as a result of coming of age are the catalyst for Tiadone's internal and external questioning. Then as she begins to adjust to these changes, her own body's inevitable changes begin to plague her mind and identity. The voice in which the story was told was a little odd at first, but after a chapter or so I had totally adapted. A first person perspective would have been too cumbersome in this telling. An omnipotent pov would have made the mental and emotional inflection impossible. The stream of consciousness allows us to be closer to the character without the narcissism that often infects first person pov.This book takes a little more mental input than the average teen dystopia, but it is also addresses a pressing social issue that is concrete rather than abstract or impending.Many teens yearn for more meaningful discourse in their lives, including but not limited to the books they read. This novel serves that niche.

[lindz2012 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is okay. Though I do not really get this plot of the book. You get a look of what a girl has to do though and live in this society that was dominated by men. You also get a look at what a boy has to go though. Tiadrone stuggles with herself and her female. Their are trials that Tiadrone goes though. She also finds the truth as well.