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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
She's Not There is Jennifer Finney Boylan's memoir of first being a transgendered person, and then finally going through with the surgery to make her a woman. What makes it especially interesting is that even though James Boylan had always known himself to be a woman, he had felt cured when he met his wife, Grace, and shoved that part of himself aside until well into their marriage. So when he realized he couldn't live as a man anymore, it sort of threw the whole world upside down for everyone.
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3.5 stars. Interesting read to understand an individual's perspective of being born in a body that doesn't match one's mind, and all the more compelling to glimpse into the flexibility of the academic career that she has. I found the chronological jumps around to be disorienting, interrupting the flow of the narrative, but an altogether enriching experience to read Dr. Boylan's history.
This is a powerful book. In this memoir, it discusses a gender transformation and the experience related to that change. The author began life as a male, but went through the process to become a woman. I will be honest, I really don’t know much about this topic. I picked up this book for the book riot read harder challenge. I appreciated the experience of learning about this topic and have a better appreciation for others who may feel this way.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A male-to-female transgender English professor writes well about her experiences.
Thoughtful, touching memoir of Jennifer Finney Boylan's gender transition. Boylan's writing voice is masterful--unsurprising considering the prize-winning novels she published as James prior to her transition. Boylan's tales are authentically and specifically grounded in the details of her own life, exterior and interior, though I think many of the themes would resonate for other members of the trans community.
I listened to the audio book, read by the author whose narration is clear and easy to understand. The afterwards are read by each of the writers and are also easily understood.
I found the book interesting and written with humor. The afterwards by Grace Finney and Rick Russo added a great deal, giving the reactions and thoughts of two people close to Jenny. Grace confirmed my view of her as a saint.
I found the book interesting and written with humor. The afterwards by Grace Finney and Rick Russo added a great deal, giving the reactions and thoughts of two people close to Jenny. Grace confirmed my view of her as a saint.
There is a patch of dialogue between Boylan and friend Richard Russo in which Russo says that Boylan's novels often find that place between making you laugh and making you want to cry. I think Jenny achieves the same with her memoir. It's a touching, albeit very very privileged, look at what it's like to grow up feeling that you're living in the wrong gender, as well as how you try to build a life first avoiding and then correcting that fact.
There's something so fundamentally fascinating about transgendered individuals. While this is a remarkable book and an incredible story, I still felt that there was something missing. Boylan glosses over this childhood- I wanted more! In fact, I want more from Boylan on most topics. I want a tell-all memoir that divulges all of his thoughts and feelings. It's a shame that Richard Russo's afterward was more satisfying that Boylan's entire memoir...