Too Bright to See

Kyle Lukoff is an American author of children’s fiction. His most famous books are When Aidan Became a Brother and Call Me Max, both of which were published in 2019. He has also published Max and the Talent Show (2019), Different Kinds of Fruit (2022), and If You’re a Kid Like Gavin (2022, with Gavin Grimm), among other works. In addition to working as a writer, Lukoff has also been a school librarian. In the acknowledgments of Too Bright to See, he explains the positive impact that his students had on his writing. 

Lukoff is a transgender man, and many of his books are about young trans people and their experiences. In 2004, Lukoff transitioned while attending Barnard College in New York City. Although his experience was different from Bug’s in Too Bright to See, the text draws on common experiences that many trans people share. The novel was inspired by Lukoff’s father, who provided the opening line, as well as by Lukoff’s desire to write a middle grade coming-of-age story about a transgender character.

Some of Lukoff’s books, including Call Me Max, have been challenged and banned in American schools. Anti-trans sentiments have resulted in many books featuring trans characters being banned from school libraries.