The title of the book says enough -- Middlesex.

When a friend recommended the book to me, I admit I was a little skeptical of reading a book where the main character, Callie Stephanides, who is later known as Cal, is a hermaphrodite. However, the author of Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides, captures the angst and confusion that his main character experiences while growing up with such passion that it's hard not to overlook the unique viewpoint and become sympathetic toward such an undesirable life.

The book is written from Cal's point of view as an adult male looking back into his family's secret past, which explains how his fate was sealed. Cal narrates through nine generations of the Stephanides family. However, most of the plot begins with Cal's grandparents and their immigration from Greece to the United States during war.

Cal also captures how hard it was for his grandparents, parents, his brother and himself growing up in Detroit as Greek immigrants.

Eugenides weaves the narrative through Cal's parents growing up in Detroit, through the boom of the Motor City to the birth of Calliope (or Callie) to Callie's adolescence.

At first Callie is raised as a girl, and it isn't until his teenage years that he learns he's a hermaphrodite and becomes Cal. Cal grows up with mixed emotions and feelings toward girls and boys, causing him to be confused about his identity.

It isn't until the end of the book that Cal discovers his family's dark, secret past and realizes its that very past that helps Cal understand who he is as a person today.

Despite being a little thrown off by the theme of the book, I was able to past the stereotypes that surround Cal and read the book for the well-written prose and story line. Middlesex exposes the reader to the complicated life of a hermaphrodite, not just The Maury Show portrayal. Grade: B+

-- Reviewed by Emma Straley