A Literary Journey: May The Best Man Win

May the Best Man Win is a young adult debut novel by Z.R. Ellor. It follows Jeremy Harkiss, a transgender boy and cheer captain who is determined to make his senior year memorable. After coming out, Jeremy decides to run for Homecoming King, challenging his ex-boyfriend, Lukas Rivers, for the title. Lukas, a football star, is still reeling from the loss of his long-term girlfriend, who turned out to be a boy, and is trying to find stability in his life. When Jeremy threatens to steal his crown, Lukas plots to sabotage Jeremy's campaign. As their rivalry intensifies, the dance is put at risk of being canceled, forcing the boys to confront their true feelings for each other.

Homecoming King Competition

Homecoming King is a title that Jeremy Harkiss, a trans boy, is determined to win. Jeremy is the captain of the cheerleading team and the president of the student body. He is not going to let his coming out as a trans boy ruin his senior year. He decides to challenge his ex-boyfriend, Lukas Rivers, for the Homecoming King title. Lukas is a football star and the head of the Homecoming Committee. Jeremy's decision to run for Homecoming King is also fuelled by his desire to be accepted as a man.

Lukas is also facing challenges of his own. He is grieving the death of his older brother and dealing with his parents' failing marriage. Additionally, he has recently discovered that his long-term girlfriend is a boy. Lukas wants to prove himself to his ableist family and get accepted into a prestigious college.

Both boys see winning the Homecoming King crown as the key to achieving their dreams. However, their rivalry gets in the way of their other friendships and forces them to confront their true feelings for each other.

Trans Boy's Transition

Trans Boys Transition

In Z.R. Ellor's debut novel, 'May the Best Man Win', the protagonist Jeremy Harkiss is a trans boy who refuses to let his transition ruin his senior year. Jeremy is the cheer captain and student body president at Cresswell Academy, a private school with a history of outdated policies. Jeremy's transition is legal, and he has access to the boys' bathroom and locker rooms. He also has the support of the school counsellor and principal, who have instructed his teachers to gender him correctly. However, he still faces bigotry and transphobia from his peers and an unsupportive mother, who fails to see him as her son.

Jeremy's transition is a central theme of the novel, and Ellor explores the challenges of transitioning and the importance of representation through Jeremy's experiences. The narrative highlights the emotional turmoil of transitioning, as Jeremy struggles with his gender identity and the need to conform to societal expectations of masculinity. The novel also delves into the physical aspects of transitioning, such as the effects of testosterone and the challenge of finding clothing that fits and affirms his gender.

The novel sensitively portrays the complex emotions and experiences of transitioning, including the trauma and anger that can arise from existing as a minority and facing constant misgendering and deadnaming. Ellor also explores the impact of family dynamics on the transition process, as Jeremy's mother struggles to accept his new identity, and the role of the school environment, with its mix of supportive and unsupportive administrators and peers.

Through Jeremy's story, Ellor provides valuable insight into the trans experience, offering a powerful message of self-discovery, pain, and forgiveness.

School Politics

Cresswell Academy is a progressive school that allows students to eat lunch wherever they choose and has a history of only admitting white, cisgender boys. The administration has allowed Jeremy Harkiss, a trans boy, to transition at school, but relics of the school's past remain. Jeremy, the cheer captain and student body president, is running for Homecoming King against his ex-boyfriend, Lukas Rivers, the football star and head of the Homecoming Committee. Jeremy is determined to make noise and not let his transition ruin his senior year. Lukas, meanwhile, is trying to find order in his life after the death of his older brother and the end of his relationship with Jeremy, who came out as trans.

As Homecoming approaches, the two boys engage in a battle for the crown, with both taking their rivalry too far and putting the dance at risk of being canceled. Jeremy and Lukas must face their hurt and lingering feelings for each other if they want to save Homecoming.

Relationships

May the Best Man Win is a young adult novel by Z.R. Ellor, which follows the story of Jeremy Harkiss, a transgender boy who enters a battle for the title of Homecoming King with his ex-boyfriend, Lukas Rivers. The novel explores the complexities of their relationship as they navigate their identities and personal struggles.

Jeremy and Lukas

Jeremy and Lukas were previously in a relationship, but they broke up after Jeremy came out as transgender. The novel begins with Jeremy, the cheer captain and student body president, deciding to challenge Lukas, the football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, for the title of Homecoming King. Their rivalry intensifies as they both try to sabotage each other's campaigns, leading to the dance being almost cancelled. However, in order to save Homecoming, they must confront their true feelings for each other and address the hurt they have been hiding.

Throughout the novel, Jeremy and Lukas struggle with their identities and personal issues. Jeremy, who is transitioning and facing transphobia, wants to be seen and accepted as a man. He deals with the pressure of being a role model for the transgender community and the challenges of transitioning while navigating his senior year of high school. On the other hand, Lukas, who is autistic, is grieving the loss of his older brother and dealing with the breakdown of his parents' marriage. He is also struggling to come to terms with his autism diagnosis and trying to hide it from his peers.

As the story unfolds, Jeremy and Lukas confront their feelings for each other and the reasons behind their break-up. They realise that their rivalry has caused them to hurt not only each other but also their friends. In the end, they are forced to address their true feelings and decide whether they can forgive each other and rekindle their relationship.

Jeremy and his mother

Jeremy has a close relationship with his mother, who has supported him through his transition. However, their relationship becomes strained as Jeremy struggles with his mother's inability to truly see and accept him as her son. He feels that she still views him as her daughter and fails to understand the importance of his gender identity. This causes tension and emotional distress for Jeremy, who yearns for his mother's acceptance and validation.

Lukas and his family

Lukas has a complicated relationship with his family. He feels pressured to live up to the expectations set by his older brother, who has recently passed away. Lukas wants to make his family proud and tries to hold them together as they grieve. However, his parents' marriage is falling apart, and he feels that he needs to be the perfect son to make them happy. Lukas also struggles with his autism diagnosis, which he has kept hidden from his family and the rest of the school. He fears that revealing his autism will only add to their problems and further disappoint his parents.

Friendships

Jeremy and Lukas's rivalry affects their friendships with other characters, particularly Naomi and Sol. Naomi, an Asian girl, is Lukas's friend and runs for Homecoming Queen with Jeremy. However, their friendship is tested when she realises that Lukas is using her to make Jeremy jealous. Sol, a non-binary Latinx person, is a mutual friend of Jeremy and Lukas and tries to support them both. They confide in Sol about their issues and rely on them for advice. Sol provides a source of comfort and stability for both Jeremy and Lukas as they navigate their complicated relationship.

Grief

Both boys channel their grief into their rivalry for the title of Homecoming King. They take their competition too far, and their actions have consequences not only for themselves but also for those around them. Their friends and classmates are caught in the crossfire, and the dance is even threatened with cancellation.

Throughout the novel, Jeremy and Lukas must confront their grief and learn to process it in healthier ways. They must also learn to support each other and work together to repair the damage they have caused. In the end, they are able to move forward and find some measure of peace and closure.

The novel explores the complex emotions associated with grief, including anger, sadness, confusion, and guilt. It also highlights the ways in which grief can manifest and the impact it can have on relationships and overall well-being. The characters' journeys demonstrate the importance of facing grief head-on and finding healthy coping mechanisms.

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