Almost Perfect - Brian Katcher [114]
One final note: Sage’s decision to take illegally obtained hormones—which can be extremely dangerous if used improperly—was ill-advised, and under no circumstances should anyone attempt this. To quote one of my sources, “Hormones are not womanhood in a bottle. They are medication and should only be prescribed by a physician.” Misuse of synthetic hormones can lead to stroke and permanent liver damage. Never take medication that your doctor hasn’t prescribed.
Thank you for reading this book.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the many people who helped with this project: Thanks to Barri, Heidi, Margo, and Elaine, who helped me turn my incoherent scribblings into a readable book. Big thanks to my editor, Claudia Gabel, who took a risk on this unusual YA book. I’d like to thank the many real-life Sages who were willing to share their stories with me via the Internet. Big hugs to Andrew Schlafly; every time I had doubts about this project, your blog convinced me I was doing the right thing. Finally, I’d really like to thank my wife, Sandra, and my daughter, Sophie, whose love and support made all this possible.
BRIAN KATCHER the author of Playing with Matches. He is a school librarian and lives in Missouri with his wife and daughter. You can visit him at www.briankatcher.com.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Brian Katcher
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/teens
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Katcher, Brian.
Almost perfect / Brian Katcher—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: With his mother working long hours and in pain from a romantic break-up, eighteen-year-old Logan feels alone and unloved until a zany new student arrives at his small-town Missouri high school, keeping a big secret.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89379-7
[1. Dating (Social customs)—Fiction. 2. High schools—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction. 4. Friendship—Fiction. 5. Identity—Fiction. 6. Transgender people—Fiction. 7. Single-parent families—Fiction. 8. Missouri—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.K1565Alm 2009
[Fic]—dc22 2008037659
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright