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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
i appreciate what this book was trying to achieve, and giving a voice to those from minorities can never really be a bad thing. but the execution was poor. those interviewed often reinforced gender stereotypes, but i can’t fault them for that because they are all teens and so it is to be expected that they don’t understand everything and make mistakes, but recording these mistakes didn’t seem necessary to me. all the stories blended a bit together, with little information from those more experienced and knowledgeable on trans issues than 15 years olds.
also the fact that the author is cis didn’t help the case
also the fact that the author is cis didn’t help the case
There is nothing quite like seeing pictures of people like you in a real live book, on the shelf in a real live bookstore.
This is a collection of the personal stories of transgendered teens. There are numerous levels at play here. On the one is the usual figuring out who you are with it's accompanying teen angst. On top of this is the struggle to figure out what to do when your body and your head are conflicted about your gender. Throw some issues of uptight parents into the mix, and you might begin to comprehend these coming of age narratives.
6 transgender teens share their stories in this powerful, informative text. A great LGBTQ resource for middle schoolers, high schoolers, parents, teachers, etc. These teens voice the joys and hardships of being transgender. They also are very clear that there is a distinct difference between being transgender and being gay although they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Most of the teens also shared pictures along with their very personal stories. Highly recommended.
I ordered this book for my library. We come from a conservative small town in America, but I work with teens who have asked about transgendered books, lifestyle, and I even have had questions from Adults.
I read this book, as I was curious about the stories. I like to think I knew everything about the topic, but I wasn't expecting the raw, honest, and intimate details these young adults shared.
Yes, most of these stories are in NYC, except for one that is in the Midwest. Sure it's just story telling and not full of scientific and statistical facts and full of definitions. Does it have to be? I think these stories can be relatable whether they come from one population. I do. I think if a teen can relate to one aspect of this book ten it's worth it. I even related to some parts of the boom and I'm not a transgendered or gay person. I related to the loneliness in high school and bullies. I related with feeling like an outsider. Haven't we all felt alone at one time? Maybe for different reasons, but it gives hope to someone who sees that another person has gone through a similar circumstance or emotion.
Young people who are transitioning, have questions, and who are dealing with this moment in some capacity can read about how others have/and are dealing with it on a somewhat personal level. I find this useful for adults, especially parents, who are going through a child's transition who may need to see hope and a reality.
I don't think this book was the most super book out there for this topic, but it's a start. It's a start to the conversation. For the teens at my library who were curious...this book is for them. I hope it starts a positive conversation in their circles, and I'm happy that a book--this book could do that!
I read this book, as I was curious about the stories. I like to think I knew everything about the topic, but I wasn't expecting the raw, honest, and intimate details these young adults shared.
Yes, most of these stories are in NYC, except for one that is in the Midwest. Sure it's just story telling and not full of scientific and statistical facts and full of definitions. Does it have to be? I think these stories can be relatable whether they come from one population. I do. I think if a teen can relate to one aspect of this book ten it's worth it. I even related to some parts of the boom and I'm not a transgendered or gay person. I related to the loneliness in high school and bullies. I related with feeling like an outsider. Haven't we all felt alone at one time? Maybe for different reasons, but it gives hope to someone who sees that another person has gone through a similar circumstance or emotion.
Young people who are transitioning, have questions, and who are dealing with this moment in some capacity can read about how others have/and are dealing with it on a somewhat personal level. I find this useful for adults, especially parents, who are going through a child's transition who may need to see hope and a reality.
I don't think this book was the most super book out there for this topic, but it's a start. It's a start to the conversation. For the teens at my library who were curious...this book is for them. I hope it starts a positive conversation in their circles, and I'm happy that a book--this book could do that!
I really wanted to like this book. I had it on hold at the library even before it came out, when it was still "on order". When it finally came in, I was soo excited. Maybe that's part of my problem- maybe I was too excited and had expectations that were too high. Or maybe the writing is just bad...
The book is basically the teens telling their own stories, with little narration points from the author throughout the stories. Maybe I shouldn't then be blaming the author for the poor writing- maybe the teens were poor story tellers. I have to believe though, that the author would have edited to some degree. (I highly doubt the teens just spoke all of this in one sitting exactly in the way it's written.) So, had I been the author, I probably would not have had these two sentences back to back: "My parents told me that I didn't speak until I was seven. As a kid, I didn't speak at all." I probably would have used just one of those sentences. That is only one example of many points of poor writing and editing. Even the order of the teens is interesting: the last story is the shortest, and probably least climactic. I would have ended with a more powerful one.
I gave the book two stars for the brave teens willing to share their stories, and living their truths. I did learn from them which is what I set out to do. I just wish the writing/editing had been better to help me enjoy it and learn even more.
I might recommend this book to someone specifically wanting to learn more about Trangender people to someone I think could relate and would benefit from that, but I would definitely give a disclaimer in my recommendation.
The book is basically the teens telling their own stories, with little narration points from the author throughout the stories. Maybe I shouldn't then be blaming the author for the poor writing- maybe the teens were poor story tellers. I have to believe though, that the author would have edited to some degree. (I highly doubt the teens just spoke all of this in one sitting exactly in the way it's written.) So, had I been the author, I probably would not have had these two sentences back to back: "My parents told me that I didn't speak until I was seven. As a kid, I didn't speak at all." I probably would have used just one of those sentences. That is only one example of many points of poor writing and editing. Even the order of the teens is interesting: the last story is the shortest, and probably least climactic. I would have ended with a more powerful one.
I gave the book two stars for the brave teens willing to share their stories, and living their truths. I did learn from them which is what I set out to do. I just wish the writing/editing had been better to help me enjoy it and learn even more.
I might recommend this book to someone specifically wanting to learn more about Trangender people to someone I think could relate and would benefit from that, but I would definitely give a disclaimer in my recommendation.
I loved reading these stories and I think that this book could be incredibly educational to people and open their eyes up and explain what being trans really means and how there isn't one concrete definition. The photography was beautiful, probably my favorite part of the book.
The storytelling could have been organized better. Sometimes the way it was written took me away from the actual story.
The storytelling could have been organized better. Sometimes the way it was written took me away from the actual story.
As my first read of 2020, this was disappointing. Yes, it is very powerful to read the stories of those who have experienced something you have not in order to understand that phenomenon (in this case, being transgender). However, it is important to remember the author, who is cis-gender, is the real storyteller here. She is taking her interviews with these teens and paraphrasing their experiences, often using her own biases and gendered stereotypes. This book would have been much more insightful and honest if it was just transcripts of the interviews the author conducted. As I am still curious about this community, I will definitely look for something written by a trans author in the future. Representation matters.
This was...disappointing.
I feel bad about rating this so low because these are honest stories from trans teens and I fully believe that they are speaking from the heart... but there was some concerning stuff in here. First, the writing was awful. I listened to this as an audiobook so I think these might have been interview transcripts, but even so it felt unpolished. There were even instances of incorrect grammar that was infuriating to listen to. Additionally, in the first and second stories, we heard from the individual's girlfriend (who is Thai) and another's mother (who is Latina) and both narrators for these women used borderline offensive accents while reading? It was very odd to listen to.
First of all, this felt like it only reinforced gender stereotypes rather than encourage readers to think about the complexity of gender and how we view it today. The first story from Jessy, a transman, was incredibly problematic with so much misogyny and, frankly, he acted like kind of a douchebag. The next story, Christina, a transwoman, was equally disappointing as she really only talked about her femininity related to liking dresses and shopping?
Overall, this book was very surface level. It was clear that the author had basic questions that she asked all the teens--strangely, a lot of it focused specifically on fashion. Gender expression and identity are so much more than our outward display and I would have liked to hear more beyond just that.
My favorite story was from Cameron, a bisexual genderqueer individual who had the most compelling story. It was told well and wasn't the same themes and topics we heard from the rest of the stories.
I feel bad about rating this so low because these are honest stories from trans teens and I fully believe that they are speaking from the heart... but there was some concerning stuff in here. First, the writing was awful. I listened to this as an audiobook so I think these might have been interview transcripts, but even so it felt unpolished. There were even instances of incorrect grammar that was infuriating to listen to. Additionally, in the first and second stories, we heard from the individual's girlfriend (who is Thai) and another's mother (who is Latina) and both narrators for these women used borderline offensive accents while reading? It was very odd to listen to.
First of all, this felt like it only reinforced gender stereotypes rather than encourage readers to think about the complexity of gender and how we view it today. The first story from Jessy, a transman, was incredibly problematic with so much misogyny and, frankly, he acted like kind of a douchebag. The next story, Christina, a transwoman, was equally disappointing as she really only talked about her femininity related to liking dresses and shopping?
Overall, this book was very surface level. It was clear that the author had basic questions that she asked all the teens--strangely, a lot of it focused specifically on fashion. Gender expression and identity are so much more than our outward display and I would have liked to hear more beyond just that.
My favorite story was from Cameron, a bisexual genderqueer individual who had the most compelling story. It was told well and wasn't the same themes and topics we heard from the rest of the stories.
This isn't quite going to be about the book because I think this book talks about subjects bigger than its 192 pages. So I might go off topic. Sorry.
I've been wanting to read this book for a while but now, when I'm planning to write a trans man in writing thingie, I felt like I needed to know more (it's in an alternative world so I'm not going to deal with transphobia, he's on T but hasn't done any surgery and has a boyfriend. His trans-ness doesn't play that big of a part but I want to make sure I'm doing it right.).
I'm going to be honest. I am not a stranger to gender identity struggles but I still don't understand. I support everyone but I don't get it. Why can't someone like make up and dresses without calling themselves a woman? Why can't we rid ourselves of gender and just live?
This book was scary for me. I've never questioned my gender identity, simply because I think I can be a girl and many other things. Reading this book made me stop and think about how I define myself. Because I'm not the stereotypical woman. And, like most people, I often feel uncomfortable in my body. And yeah, I sometimes hate how my breasts look and their existence and I always hate how I get treated differently in the society because I'm a woman (like today, I was running and a guy stopped his car next to me and started talking to me. That wouldn't have happened if I was a guy, I'm positive).
I'm not trans. I can live happily in this body. My point is that gender is a mess. I think it's a mess for most people. I don't know any man or woman that fits into the mold completely. It makes me sad that people feel the need to put people into molds. What is a girl or a boy even? Why is gender a thing? Can't I be masculine and feminine together and be neither without owing any explanations?
I believe we can be anything. I believe in men with vaginas who love both makeup and sports. I believe in women who are incredibly masculine in every aspect of their lives but still consider themselves women. I believe in everyone that doesn't consider themselves anything or sees themselves in all genders. And I'm so tired of trying to shove myself and other people into molds when dammit, what does being a man or a woman even mean? Can't we free ourselves from this idiocy?
Nat's part was very interesting. I was happy to see more representation of a community that often gets ignored. It's so important.
So do I recommend this book? I think it's interesting and I love that it exists. Of course, more diversity would be good. I want to hear about trans girls who love working out and love the color blue and aren't scared to be complex women. It's a good beginning and definitely highlights the studies of trans folk but I want more.
what I'm taking with me
• before beginning a transition, you need sixteen therapy sessions, if you do it the usual way. I didn't know that.
• I don't quite identify with femininity and see myself in masculinity but this doesn't make me any less of a woman.
• Mens' bodies transform stuff into muscle while girls transform it into fat. How is this fair?
I've been wanting to read this book for a while but now, when I'm planning to write a trans man in writing thingie, I felt like I needed to know more (it's in an alternative world so I'm not going to deal with transphobia, he's on T but hasn't done any surgery and has a boyfriend. His trans-ness doesn't play that big of a part but I want to make sure I'm doing it right.).
I'm going to be honest. I am not a stranger to gender identity struggles but I still don't understand. I support everyone but I don't get it. Why can't someone like make up and dresses without calling themselves a woman? Why can't we rid ourselves of gender and just live?
This book was scary for me. I've never questioned my gender identity, simply because I think I can be a girl and many other things. Reading this book made me stop and think about how I define myself. Because I'm not the stereotypical woman. And, like most people, I often feel uncomfortable in my body. And yeah, I sometimes hate how my breasts look and their existence and I always hate how I get treated differently in the society because I'm a woman (like today, I was running and a guy stopped his car next to me and started talking to me. That wouldn't have happened if I was a guy, I'm positive).
I'm not trans. I can live happily in this body. My point is that gender is a mess. I think it's a mess for most people. I don't know any man or woman that fits into the mold completely. It makes me sad that people feel the need to put people into molds. What is a girl or a boy even? Why is gender a thing? Can't I be masculine and feminine together and be neither without owing any explanations?
I believe we can be anything. I believe in men with vaginas who love both makeup and sports. I believe in women who are incredibly masculine in every aspect of their lives but still consider themselves women. I believe in everyone that doesn't consider themselves anything or sees themselves in all genders. And I'm so tired of trying to shove myself and other people into molds when dammit, what does being a man or a woman even mean? Can't we free ourselves from this idiocy?
Nat's part was very interesting. I was happy to see more representation of a community that often gets ignored. It's so important.
So do I recommend this book? I think it's interesting and I love that it exists. Of course, more diversity would be good. I want to hear about trans girls who love working out and love the color blue and aren't scared to be complex women. It's a good beginning and definitely highlights the studies of trans folk but I want more.
what I'm taking with me
• before beginning a transition, you need sixteen therapy sessions, if you do it the usual way. I didn't know that.
• I don't quite identify with femininity and see myself in masculinity but this doesn't make me any less of a woman.
• Mens' bodies transform stuff into muscle while girls transform it into fat. How is this fair?