Schrag discussed the controversy generated by the story's unusual premise. She explained that the book was intended to be "satirical and nuanced", rather than being a typical story about the experience of being transgender. Speaking to Lambda Literary, she declared that the novel was intended to be provocative, for the purpose of sparking discussions about gender and sexual identity. She felt it was particularly important to write characters who acted realistically "obnoxious, self-involved, self-righteous, or entitled," regardless of their gender or sexuality. Some characters display prejudiced behaviors, even towards groups that they may be a part of, which Schrag included to highlight the hypocrisy of such behavior from people who may themselves be marginalized. Schrag has expressed frustration with people who have criticized the book's premise without first reading it; she feels it is unfair to do so and has asked people to refrain from forming an opinion before reading the book. Bibliography Definition, (1997, Slave Labor Graphics, ) Awkward, (1999, Slave Labor Graphics, magazine format) Potential, (2000, Slave Labor Graphics, ) Likewise (2000, Slave Labor Graphics, magazine format) Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics From an Unpleasant Age (editor), (2007 Viking Press, May, ) Awkward and Definition: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag (2008, Touchstone, ) Potential: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag (2008, Touchstone, ) Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag (2009, Touchstone, ) Adam: A Novel (2014, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ) Part of It: Comics and Confessions (2018, Mariner Books) Anthologies Juicy Mother, edited by Jennifer Camper, (2005, Soft Skull Press ) Juicy Mother 2: How They Met, edited by Jennifer Camper, (2007, Manic D Press, ) "Dyke March", in How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity edited by Michael Cart, (2009, HarperTeen, 2009 ) No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, edited by Justin Hall, (2012, Fantagraphics Books, ) In popular culture Her name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic." See also LGBT culture in New York City List of LGBT people from New York City Alternative comics References External links Interview with Ariel on SequentialTart.com Interview with Ariel Schrag on AfterEllen Interview with Ariel Schrag on The Rumpus Interview with Ariel Schrag on DIVA Magazine Interview with Ariel Schrag on Brooklyn Magazine Interview with Ariel Schrag on Lambda Literary 1979 births Alternative cartoonists American female comics artists American feminists Artists from