A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

"It started with a tie and a button-down shirt. When my daughter was three, she asked for that ensemble for Christmas." When journalist Lisa Selin Davis's daughter announced she was a tomboy, it caught her by surprise, though Davis grew up with tomboys as heroines on favorite TV shows (Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, Jo Polniaczek on The Facts of Life) and in beloved literature (Jo March in Little Women, Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird). Ubiquitous when Davis was growing up, tomboys were uncommon in her daughter's 2015 crowd.

After recurring instances of people questioning her daughter's gender identity, Davis wrote a "hotly contested" op-ed for the New York Times pondering her daughter's experiences. Partly in response to the criticism, she began to study gender and tomboys. In Tomboy, Davis reports on numerous aspects of gender while acknowledging it's "one of the hardest subjects to talk about." She addresses the judgments embedded in the word "tomboy" that provide only cisgender girls the privilege of "blurring the boundaries," and how overly restrictive categories (the pink/blue divide) have tremendous social and psychological implications.

Davis (Belly) traces the origin of the word tomboy, as well as movements of the pink/blue line in history and the impact of commercialism, homo- and transphobias, the media, racism and privilege. Who gets to draw the line? The single unequivocal truth about gender Davis uncovered is "it's complicated," but the more we know, the sooner we can undo stereotypes.

STREET SENSE: This book was fascinating, especially for a tomboy who grew up around the time Selin Davis did. I had no clue of the changes in the term or the ability to "be" a tomboy and this was a great eye-opener. Anyone interested in gender issues should pick this one up. And that should be everyone.

COVER NERD SAYS: Perfection.

Lisa Selin Davis' book Tomboy explores the complexities of gender experiences, stereotypes and roles through a historical and modern lens. The information is presented in an easily digestible and interesting way. Although none of what's mentioned here is particularly groundbreaking for me, I would still suggest it. Davis' research took her to discuss with experts in many fields about gender and biological sex and I really appreciated that she broached the topic from so many angles.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not a lot of new information or ideas, and a bit of a mishmash. The author will often contradict her self when it comes to gender identity. Nothing really fresh. 2.5 rounded up

Tomboy: the Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different by Lisa Selin Davis is an exploration of gender experience, biological sex, traditional understanding of gender roles, and the surprising histories and multiple understandings of gender-related terms. In this book, Selin Davis, the mother of a biologically female child who identifies as a girl but tends to enjoy clothing that would be traditionally understood as "boy clothing" and activities that would be traditionally understood as "boyish," explores the meaning of the word "tomboy," the history behind it, and the reason why we are so quick to dump everything into binary, gendered boxes. Is your head spinning just from reading that? Mine was too, from beginning to end of this book.
Gender is complicated in the 21st century, so in some ways, this is to be expected. And I could definitely understand the author's frustration with well-meaning people who suggested that her daughter identified as male when her daughter had clearly articulated that she was merely a girl who liked "boy things." I believe that the overall premise of this book is that we should stop trying to put everyone in hyper-gendered boxes to begin with, and to that, I say bravo, hence the 3 stars. I can also appreciate that the author definitely did her homework.
But did I find this book enjoyable? No, I primarily found it confusing. Hence only 3 stars.
I received a free digital galley copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read and review.
Tomboy will be released on May 5th, 2020.

I received a free digital copy of this book through NetGalley. Very interesting. I was intrigued by the use of the word overtime.

I was drawn to this book because my maiden name growing up lead kids to call me this because of the similarity in my last name to the word tomboy. I did in fact grow up to be a girls girl with a twist of tomboy. I love any book that empowers women, especially the younger women. Great topics and advice. Would buy for a friend or relative.