The heartbreaking portrait of a large, rural southern family’s attempt to grapple with their mother’s desperate decision to make her newborn son into the daughter she will never have When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from … a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon’ be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.” From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.
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So glad I put this on the fast-track of my TBR pile. What a story! “Perfect Peace” is the story of a young man, named Perfect by his mother who decided to raise him as the daughter she had always wanted. The decision would result in a range of consequences that would not only affect Perfect but his entire family.
The title goes far beyond what Perfect endured because of his mother’s conniving. The Peace family was a big one complete with 6 sons (7 counting Perfect). The author did an excellent job of bringing these storylines together. Although his writing style at times seemed a little all over the place, I enjoyed that each character had his or her own full story. I didn’t feel slighted on gaining a complete understanding of the motives and desires of the secondary characters.
This was an audiobook selection for me- which made it even more enjoyable. The narrator was wonderful and brought to life the truly hilarious moments that existed within a heartbreaking story. A wonderful read!
It was a great view of history
This is the story of a woman who felt so unloved by her own mother that she did all she could to raise her baby boy as a girl. She managed to fool all, even her family through extreme-secrecy. Yet when the secret was revealed all had to deal with the consequences of gender stereotypes, expectations, sexuality, relious beliefs, and the fact that the mother of eight deceived them all. The questions explored include how to forgive, how to except one’s being, how to be content with one’s community values that go against the grain of one’s own character and the depths of harm that results from deception and feelings of worthlessness.
Explores the psychology of interesting, deeply flawed characters, including a mother who wanted a girl so badly, that she raised her little boy as a girl till age 8.
Too much going on. Hard to keep track of.
A mother’s need for a daughter takes an unexpected turn when she hides the fact that her son has been born a boy from the rest of her family and the world. When the father finds out Perfect is actually a boy and takes away the dresses and dolls he’s adored, Perfect, now called Paul, must adjust to a life he’s not used to living. This was an excellent dive into ideas about gender. I loved it. It’s one of my favorites.
This book was interesting and thought provoking. An insightful look into what a mother may do do get what she wants with little thought to the future. Hard to believe she could have gotten by with the lies…
great story line.
A mother’s choice changes her son/daughter’s life forever.
Great characters, interesting story. Not completely satisfied with the ending, but I still recommend.
This book was unusual, and I loved it.
I enjoyed the book. It was not what I expected, but I think it portrayed attitudes for that era. Heart breaking in some ways, held my interest.
Compelling but unbelievable.
Loved it
Very sad in the fact that there is quite a few mothers exactly like the characters in the book. It makes you think about life around you and the people in this world trying to live together. Well written, exceptional. I highly recommend it.
This book doesn’t really go through the hard subjects it skims over. The main Protagonist is a whimpy kid who is consistently afraid of things. I read til the end but i wouldn’t read anything else by this Author.
I could not put this book down. The story of a family with twists and inspirational characters.
Not your usual story..a child who is raised as the opposite sex..and the repercussions for the whole family. Very different story.
A tragic story the touches some very human emotions. It definitely makes you realize how your selfish desires impact everyone around you when you chose to act on them.
even knowing the premise of this book it is still a mystery as you watch the story unfold. the characters are well drawn and their pain is real. this is a wonderful exploration of gender and how family relationship depend on the roles we play
This book intrigued me from the beginning, although I was unsure of what I was getting into. I absolutely LOVED this book! It kept me wondering how everything would work out. It spoke to my soul and I could see myself in the characters. I hope Mr. Black writes a sequel. Many things are alluded to and I simply must know more of the story. I want to know how the lives of the brothers continue on. My appetite has only been whetted…now it must be sated. I will be owning more of Mr. Black’s books. Thank you for a wonderful story. Please finish it.