Who we are is inseparable not only from who we think we are, but from who others think we are.
-- Nutt/Narrator (Prologue)

Importance: Nutt is writing about the human condition of being seen, which, at its base, is dignity and respect for who one is. It is the importance of being treated as an equal despite differences in sex, color, race, age, and all the other attributes that humans tend to categorize each other within. This idea frames the story of Nicole Maines, a young boy who knows he is a girl and consistently strives to be seen that way.

[Kelly] had no threshold for disappointment, no picture in her mind or her heart that Wyatt wasn’t living up to. But Wayne did. . .[and] every time Wyatt dressed up in girls’ clothes he made a mockery of it.
-- Kally/Nutt (chapter 4)

Importance: This quote outlines how each parent viewed Wyatt’s non-conforming gender behavior. Kelly, born...