After reading the reviews I thought I would hate the mother in this book but surprisingly I didn't. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. I was sad that I didn't get a happier ending I so wanted for Alex and his family to be a unit. I think I didn't hate the mom because I have a child that was born with an condition it wasn't ad complex as Alex's intersex condition but diagnosis allows me to understand her wanting normalcy for herself and her son. She never understood that the plan her and the doctors thought would be best may not work out when you have a child that's intersex you have to be open-minded and not put them in s box or one category this a hard thing to do when doctor's and society have no in between or grey area when it comes to Gender. The parents in these situations do the best they can. I'm glad the author shows where the parents went wrong and where they went right as well so that maybe this book can help somebody. In those situations you need all the help you can get. Raising a child is hard enough but then you throw intersex in it gets even more challenging I read somewhere that doctors find it easier to inform a parent that their child has a heart problem or physical/mental disability then to announce the child is not male or female....their intersexed. So before you hate the mom put yourself in her shoes....I know you don't even want to imagine going through that...it's ok enjoy the book.