THE PRINCE & THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang | A Political Agenda I Do Not Approve Of

I originally shared this review on Goodreads. To see it on GR, click here.

❤, the Book Dragon

★☆☆☆☆

When I first reviewed this, I wrote that I had no plans for a public review, and friends were welcome to PM me for my full thoughts.

...Well, I've changed my mind (although friends are still welcome to PM me 😉).

First off, here's a little background (spoiler alert, I'm a conservative Christian):

I picked up this book because of the synopsis. Because, upon first glance, it looked like a kid's book (?!?!). And, being a reader who might someday marry a fellow reader and possibly find herself the proud mother of several book-loving offspring, I wanted to get a feel for the politics are being slipped into MG/children's books, today (even though motherhood is a loooong ways away).

Surprisingly, The Prince & the Dressmaker was fairly clean. There was some immodest fashion, drinking, a touch of romance -- and nothing I took as really supportive of homosexuality. But there was the issue of transgenderism. (Is "transgenderism" even a word? Idk. But you get what I mean.)

I do not support those who are transgender. This does not mean that I hate them -- this means that I do not approve of what they're doing.

The Prince & the Dressmaker follows a Parisian summer in the lives of Sebastian (a prince) and Frances (a dressmaker). Frances just wants to become a fashion designer, but Sebastian just wants to be a princess... or a guy who wears dresses. Thus, Frances becomes his private seamstress, and Sebastian dances nights away as the mysterious Lady Crystallia.

This is a story of acceptance, of dreams, and of young love. But this is not a story about helping those in need (and by "helping," I mean love, compassion, understanding, and study).

This isn't a Christian book. It's a political agenda. It's a book that says, "Boys, it's okay to dress up like a girl if you want to!"

I don't agree with that.

I don't want to bog down any brave souls who've managed to make it this far through my review, so I'll leave you with a few verses:

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

~Genesis 2:20b-22, 24 (NIV)

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers -- and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

~1 Timothy 1:8-11 (NIV)

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.

~Deuteronomy 22:5 (NIV)

SOME NOTES

• For those who are like me and prefer to skim, a quick recap: I do not support the practices of homosexuality or being transgender.
• I do not hate homosexuals or transgender people -- I simply do not approve of their practices.
• A little digging revealed that The Prince & the Dressmaker by Jen Wang is not MG, but YA; however, it is still marketed as "a fairytale for any age."
• I do not recommend this book. I strongly believe that it fits a political agenda, and while that may appeal to some, such is not the case for me.
• I've done my best with this review. It's probably choppy, wordy, and incomprehensible... but hopefully I'll refine it over time, as I often do.
• I'd really appreciate it if we didn't murder each other in the comments. I don't want to fight -- just like every other Goodreads user, I'm here to express my personal opinion. :)