illuminating the discussion about why representation matters, Leo Astrum’s essay about how Andrew Joseph White presents the possibilities for trans characters in two of his novels is fierce, heartbreaking, and necessary. Comparing these two novels is particularly fascinating because one is set after today - so various paths used to exist but don’t any more (feels familiar) - while the other is set in the past, when some paths aren’t available yet. Astrum explores three different possibilities for gender transitioning and affirmation, and how each plays out in the two novels.