Homebody

(HarperCollins, n.d.a)

Title: Homebody

Author and Illustrator: Theo Parish

ISBN: 9780063319592

Publisher: Harper Alley of HarperCollins

Genre: LGBTQIA+; Queer; Memoir

Format: Graphic Novel

Awards: Finalist for 2025 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction

Reading Level/Interest Level: 14+ (HarperCollins, n.d.a)

Plot Summary

Homebody is a memoir detailing Theo Parish’s journey of discovering their gender as a nonbinary. From discovering the concept of nonbinary to finding the right haircut to choosing a name, Parish shows their intimate moments and internal struggles through their comforting style filled with deep purples and light pinks. Even as a very reflective story, Homebody is able to break down complex topics and emotions in a comprehensible and sympathetic way.

Author Background

Theo is an illustrator currently living in Norwich, England (HarperCollins, n.d.b). While they have illustrated for other authors before, Homebody is the first work authored and illustrated by them (HarperCollins, n.d.a). This graphic novel, as a memoir, tells of their journey to understanding their gender while also sharing other details of their life within the pages. They are active on social media, their Instagram handle is @theoblue.jpg. Theo is also currently participating in a D&D campaign on Twitch called “Some Other Heroes” (SomeOtherHeroes, n.d.).

Photograph of the author.(HarperCollins, n.d.b)

Critical Evaluation

Theo Parish takes the delicate and complicated concept of gender and breaks it down through the narrative of their life. They alternate beautifully between heady, theoretical concepts and tangible moments in their life within these gorgeous pages. The entire first section of the book begins the extended metaphor of Theo’s journey to discovering their gender and how it is a never-ending path forged on their own. It’s vague and difficult to grasp at first, but the use of images in the graphic novel provides a foundation for the reader to latch onto. If anything, this section works even better on a second read once you know more about Theo and their journey to discovering that they were non-binary. Just as the metaphor implies, what was once a dark and incomprehensible forest becomes familiar and enjoyed at a slower pace.

An early panel from Parish's original concept of the novel. (Parish, 2022)

The use of color in the novel is purposeful, tasteful, and impressive. Even though only two colors are used: a deep indigo-purple and a faded rose pink, Parish is able to express a wide array of emotions: from isolation and introspection to love and acceptance. Where Parish truly shines is in their full-page layouts. Each one is created to show a profound thought, experience, or emotional effect and displays them through metaphorical depictions. My favorite is on page 172 where they discuss how they felt after people started using their dead name more. The page reads “I was left with a feeling I couldn’t express, a seed of discomfort at the back of my neck,” and it depicts their back with an image like a tattoo of a seed rooting around the words “she,” “woman,” and “birth name.” These types of pages that are scattered throughout the book are evocative. They are beautiful pieces of art on their own, and they focus the reader’s attention on important concepts about what it means and feels like to be transgender and nonbinary. The use of their art creates a space to build empathy through the profound work of images. Each page shows the care and thought that pervades Parish’s work.

Creative Use for a Library Program

In Homebody, Theo discovers their gender through creative and embodying pursuits such as cosplay and D&D. Each activity gave them a chance to explore their gender in a safe and fun environment by embodying the clothes, roles, and mannerisms of different genders. It would be fun to host a D&D or cosplay group as a library program. D&D would be easier as there are very few required supplies. In my library system, the main branch has a full makerspace including a sewing section with fabric, sewing machines, 3D printers, and more. From my experience with cosplay and cosplayers, however, sometimes all they need is clothes they already own, some scissors, and a hot glue gun: materials that are more easily accessible to smaller branches with less funding. At the very least, the library could provide a space for these teens to meet outside of conventions to create and build community together!

Book Talk

Walk through a forest, forging your own path without the need for a destination in Theo Parish’s Homebody. Learn what it means to be nonbinary through this story of self-discovery and self-actualization.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

This is a book by and about a transgender person. It’s even specifically about their discovery that they are transgender. It would not be surprising, therefore, for this book to be challenged for its depiction of transgender people, just as other LGBTQIA+ books have been banned across the country (Perfas, 2023). To defend this book, I would mention the importance of providing a wide range of experiences and perspectives for patrons to read. This includes queer perspectives. This graphic novel would be placed with the other teen books as it discusses Theo’s life in their late teens and early twenties. The book is about self-acceptance and building community, themes that teens not only want to read about but also need developmentally.

Interview with Theo Parish explaining the importance of transgender representation.(Pan Macmillan, 2024)

Reason for Inclusion

After seeing my professor suggest this title as an interesting graphic novel to read, I immediately had to check it out from my library. I’ve been on my own journey of gender self-discovery lately, and as someone who believes that they are nonbinary, I was thrilled to find a book about someone who has already trekked that path. I am also very partial to the colors and aesthetics used by Parish. It looked like it belonged perfectly at my table among the purple yarn, phone, pens, and more. These types of stories are critical to include within a library because they offer a perspective that some teens are desperate to gain. Every person deserves to find someone to connect with and maybe have that moment “like you’ve been sitting in a dark room and someone came in and turned on a light” (Parish, 2024, p. 107). For others, it offers an opportunity to learn about a new perspective and gain empathy for someone different. In an ever-divided world where trans people are used as moral scapegoats, stories like these become important touchstones for those within and without the community.

Other Media to Check Out

Another nonbinary creator who discovered their gender through cosplay and D&D is the YouTuber and Cosplayer Lizard Leigh. They create videos about their costuming journeys and making processes. They also happen to have a very purple aesthetic that matches Homebody perfectly.

(Leigh, 2024)

References

HarperCollins. (n.d.a) Homebody. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/homebody-theo-parish?variant=41080330551330

HarperCollins. (n.d.b) Theo Parish. https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/theo-parish-202311272436713

Leigh, L. (2024, September 30). Team Rocket: the Queer Audacity of Villians [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJgrrF1WaiA

Pan Macmillan. (2024). The importance of representative books for trans and non-binary people| Homebody by Theo Parish [Video].Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR9lR9wDsuU

Parish, T. [@Theoblue.jpg]. (n.d.). Theo Parish. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/theoblue.jpg/?hl=en

Parish, T. [@theoblue.jpg]. (2022, April 27). Homebody 🏠- a comic about my relationship with my body as a trans human. Twitter. https://x.com/theoblue_jpg/status/1519385168364154880

Parish, T. (2024). Homebody. Harper Alley.

Perfas, S. L. (2023, June 28). Who’s getting hurt most by soaring LGBTQ book bans? Librarians say kids. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/06/lgbtq-book-challenges-are-on-the-rise-heres-why/

SomeOtherHeroes. (n.d.) About SomeOtherHeroes. Twitch. https://www.twitch.tv/someotherheroes/about

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