TOP HEAVY

DeChambeau’s debut centers on 15-year-old dancer Esme as she wrestles with the unwanted attention and physical obstacles that come with having large breasts.

After Esme and her best friend, Mia, achieve their dream of making the Elite team, the highest level at their dance studio, everything should be perfect. But the girls soon realize being the youngest on the squad of 12 comes with isolation from the older dancers, most of them seniors, who make them feel like they don’t belong. Esme also faces bullying about her body, and the cutting remarks negatively affect her performance. Besides being unsure about how to feel about her breasts, Esme must manage her fears surrounding the accident her dad, an exterminator, suffered, leaving him unemployed and in need of surgery they can’t afford. When Mia suddenly starts to pull away, Esme wonders if anything will ever feel normal again. The verse, which includes concrete poetry, moves across each page like a dance, using the space to stretch, “soaring” as Esme does, “energy pulsing / adrenaline pouring— / … / the music roaring.” Through it all, Esme receives lots of support, including from dynamic Grammy Jean, who empowers her to trust and love herself regardless of what others think. Esme is implied to be white, and Mia, who’s middle class and attends private school, is biracial (cued Black and white).

A thoughtful look at body positivity and the mixed messages girls are forced to reckon with.