Symptoms of Being Human

In Symptoms of Being Human, Riley’s anxiety and coming-out experience are complicated by their father’s re-election campaign. What do you think of Garvin’s choice to make Riley’s father a Congressperson? Does this add tension to the story and add to the reader’s engagement, or does it distract from the reader’s ability to understand nonbinary people’s experiences? Would Riley’s experiences really have been much different if their parent were a physical therapist, an accountant, a carpenter, or other profession?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt asks students to analyze the effectiveness of one of Garvin’s authorial decisions. They may be tempted to respond in general terms, without offering concrete evidence to back up their reasoning; before any discussion or writing time, students may benefit from a reminder that details of plot and characterization can be used to support their responses. If students are responding in writing, depending on the time available and students’ argumentation skills, students might focus on supporting a single answer to this prompt or they might offer a pro-con style response in which they show the reasons to support both sides, then conclude where the balance of the evidence lies.

Differentiation Suggestion: Questions about tension and reader engagement may present a challenge to students who benefit from support regarding abstractions or theory of mind.