We are all Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen

 A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin. 2016. We are all made of molecules. Andersen Press. ISBN 0553496891. 

B. PLOT SUMMARY

We are all Made of Molecules is a split point-of-view novel that centers around new stepsiblings Stewart and Ashley. Stewart and his father move in with Ashley and her mother after Stewart's mother passes away and Ashley's father comes out as gay to his family, causing a divorce from his wife. 

Ashley is initially very upset with all of the changes, finding Stewart and his father repulsive and feeling betrayed and lied to that her father had been keeping this secret from his family for so long. Ashley is one of the popular girls at her school, and everything seems to be going well in her life until Stewart shows up in her English class one morning. 

Stewart is a gifted child and a good kid, but struggles to fit in socially. He has a hard time adapting to his new school, especially with some jocks in his PE class bullying him about the fact that he is afraid to shower with the other guys. In an attempt to free himself from his new bully, Jared, Stewart reveals that his step-sister is Ashley Anderson, a girl that Jared finds attractive. 

Stewart shares the fact that Jared is interested in Ashley to her, which begins a relationship between the two of them. Things are going smoothly, until Jared begins to pressure Ashley into moving too quickly in the bedroom. Stewart also overhears Jared talking to his friend about how he is going to convince Ashley to have sex with him, which forces Stewart to confront him. 

Eventually, Ashley hosts a party at her house on New Year's Eve, and Jared takes advantage of her while she is passed out drunk. Stewart comes in right before things get too bad, and makes sure that nothing happens to Ashley. The aftermath of the party leads to Jared and Ashley breaking up. Jared begins telling everyone at school that Ashley's dad is gay, and he even paints the word "faggot" across Ashley's dad's house. These events lead Ashley to reconsider what she considers important in life, leading her to create a group at school that protects people who are in danger or need a friend, naming the group We are all Made of Molecules. 

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

So this book belongs in the "International Literature" category, being featured on the 2016 USBBY OIB list. I recognized the title as one that I had seen at my campus library, so I chose it to read for this culture. Knowing next to nothing about the title, I began reading it and discovered that it qualified as international due to the fact that it was originally published in Canada. Not that there is anything wrong with Canadian literature, but had I known this prior to selecting it, I believe I would have made a more concerted effort to have found something from a country that resembled the United States a little less, or possibly even a book that had been translated into English. There were very few cultural markers, in terms of international literature, that really jumped out to me. There were brief mentions throughout the book of Canadian cities and provinces, as well as a few inclusions of Canadian landmarks, but the book felt very American to me. 

There were some other cultural markers here that had little to do with the book being international. The fact that Ashley's father came out as gay, and how the people in his life reacted to his homosexuality, was very interesting to me. Ashley feels lied to and angry with her father since she now feels that her "perfect family" was nothing but a lie. But beneath the anger and resentment, she also struggles with how to accept her father as a gay man. She mentions during the book that she appreciates gay people, and has a lot in common with the fashion choices of gay men, but coming to terms with her father being gay was hard. She has to accept his new boyfriend in her life as well, which causes some issues later on in the book. Ashley's mother, on the other hand, is very supportive of her ex-husband, and comments several times about how she's just so happy that he has found happiness. 

Homophobia is a subject that is brought up often in the book. Ashley's boyfriend Jared was kicked out of his former school for beating up a gay student, and then he continues to harass gay students at his new school. The growth that Ashley shows by eventually standing up for her father and creating a group to protect students in danger was a really huge step. I feel that the gay characters were fairly depicted throughout the story, with very few stereotypes mentioned. I did feel that the fact that the gay characters all seem to be good dressers and into the fashion industry may have been somewhat stereotypical, but I felt that Nielson made the characters realistic. The support that Ashley is shown by the members of the LGBTQ students at her school towards the end of the book was also a nice addition to this novel. 

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Featured on the 2016 USBBY Outstanding International Book List

"A laugh-out-loud story of two teens learning to adjust to unusual family life that neither expected...Everyone from teenagers to adults will enjoy this story of ups and downs, laughter and tears, and the healing power of love."--Voice of Youth Advocates

"Drama, humour, poignancy, and suspense are rarely found in such perfect proportions..some truly funny writing...stellar, top notch stuff."—Quill & Quire, Starred

E. CONNECTIONS

Readers who enjoyed this book may also enjoy: 

Benjamin, Ali. The Thing About Jellyfish. ISBN 0316380849.

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. ISBN 037582233X.

Toten, Teresa. The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. ISBN 0553507893.

Niven, Jennifer. Holding Up the Universe. ISBN 0385755953.