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The Gender Games: The Problem with Men and Women, from Someone Who Has Been Both by Juno Dawson
blurrybug's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars
this is part memoir, part social study and fully educational.
This is written from Juno Dawson about her journey, her growth and her life but it also takes on social aspect of the issue with Gender and Sex.
Though i can never fully comprehend the transformation for a transgender person as I as cis-female has a certain privilege I fully appreciate that these books exist and are so fully available for others out there.
It takes up issues with how we behave upon what society expect of us and questions them in a way that have been up to discussion several times in the past year, yet it is not a discussion that is exhausted, it just seem to stay relevant.
A fine book for anyone not just those questioning gender, it does go into some sexual detail at times as one may expect from a memoir to do. Juno doesn't give all details, but she doesn't hide the aspect she finds relevant to her journey. She did live many years as a gay male and do tell us some stories from that time and builds further on that later in the book.
Throughout the book she references studies, articles, literary work and comes with little side notes to her own stories. the only thing I found myself missing was an index of the cited work or even an index for further reading.
this is part memoir, part social study and fully educational.
This is written from Juno Dawson about her journey, her growth and her life but it also takes on social aspect of the issue with Gender and Sex.
Though i can never fully comprehend the transformation for a transgender person as I as cis-female has a certain privilege I fully appreciate that these books exist and are so fully available for others out there.
It takes up issues with how we behave upon what society expect of us and questions them in a way that have been up to discussion several times in the past year, yet it is not a discussion that is exhausted, it just seem to stay relevant.
A fine book for anyone not just those questioning gender, it does go into some sexual detail at times as one may expect from a memoir to do. Juno doesn't give all details, but she doesn't hide the aspect she finds relevant to her journey. She did live many years as a gay male and do tell us some stories from that time and builds further on that later in the book.
Throughout the book she references studies, articles, literary work and comes with little side notes to her own stories. the only thing I found myself missing was an index of the cited work or even an index for further reading.
francesmthompson's review against another edition
4.0
Opened my eyes to so many multi-faceted issues that we should be really looking closer at, and brilliantly combined humour with information and learning. It made me sad about how hard trans people have to fight to essentially be who they are, but it gave me hope about future generations who are already fighting transphobia and gender bias, and the results of this will liberate and improve life for so many.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: As a white, straight woman I realise I have no clue about what a transgender person has gone through in their lives but guess what? Juno Dawson has written this informative, sassy and incredibly thoughtful piece of non-fiction for EVERYONE, no matter what your sexuality or gender. It's so very accessible and educational but one of my favourite parts about it was the parts of British pop culture that she examined in this frank, raw and hilarious memoir. I was taken back to my own adolescence with tales of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Spice Girls, Strictly Come Dancing, Carrie....I could go on. It was reminiscent for me of more innocent times, before social media became such a "thing" and a troll was just something under a bridge in a fairy story.
The Gender Games is a no holds barred account of Juno's life, from being raised a male called James and believing she was a homosexual man to realising that all the confusion she held from a very young age stemmed from the fact that she was actually born in the wrong body and should have been a woman. Everything started to slot into place and a lot was explained for Juno but of course, this didn't make her journey any easier now the puzzle was complete. In fact, her journey was just beginning because now she made the decision to transition into becoming a woman, tell her friends and family and being a public figure and a well known YA author, face the public. Juno had already come across prejudice and bigotry in her life through being a homosexual man, which although more acceptable in modern society is unfortunately still tantamount to a wave of bad attitudes, misunderstandings, taunts and bullying. The Gender Games is not only her story but a story for all of us about identity, gender stereotyping, sexism, rape culture, feminism, race and how it feels when you finally find out who you are as a person and start to learn to love yourself, as Colin Firth might say in Juno's beloved Bridget Jones' Diary "just as you are."
I think I've already made clear my own personal views on people who are transgender in other reviews in that I'm aware it's a very real, very traumatic and confusing experience especially for young children who don't feel as if they belong in their own body. As I've mentioned, I'm never going to be able to fully realise what this is like but I'm willing and happy to be educated about it. Juno spins an absolutely fascinating account of her life that explores gender and all its foibles and it certainly made me think hard about my own subconscious gender stereotypes and make a concerted effort to be more aware of bias in the future. I was completely delighted to discover that this book also delves into other areas, like feminism across the different races which again, was absorbing to read about and initiated a few moments where I had to simply put the book down and think about things a bit deeper for a little while.
Throughout it all, Juno maintains a dry wit and sarcastic edge to her stories but is completely aware of the moments when she's talking about more controversial or horrific subjects and is fully sensitive and serious about these issues. I feel like out of all the books she's brought out, this must have been the book she was most nervous about because as a reader, it felt like she laid her soul completely bare for everyone else to read about. I found her story courageous and her personality so humble and down to earth that it was an absolute joy to find out more about her and from the bottom of my heart, I wish her the very best in her ongoing journey to discover herself. This is an empowering and important non-fiction read that I wouldn't hesitate to push into the hands of everyone I meet so they might be able to learn a little something just like I did whilst reading this fantastic book.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
The Gender Games is a no holds barred account of Juno's life, from being raised a male called James and believing she was a homosexual man to realising that all the confusion she held from a very young age stemmed from the fact that she was actually born in the wrong body and should have been a woman. Everything started to slot into place and a lot was explained for Juno but of course, this didn't make her journey any easier now the puzzle was complete. In fact, her journey was just beginning because now she made the decision to transition into becoming a woman, tell her friends and family and being a public figure and a well known YA author, face the public. Juno had already come across prejudice and bigotry in her life through being a homosexual man, which although more acceptable in modern society is unfortunately still tantamount to a wave of bad attitudes, misunderstandings, taunts and bullying. The Gender Games is not only her story but a story for all of us about identity, gender stereotyping, sexism, rape culture, feminism, race and how it feels when you finally find out who you are as a person and start to learn to love yourself, as Colin Firth might say in Juno's beloved Bridget Jones' Diary "just as you are."
I think I've already made clear my own personal views on people who are transgender in other reviews in that I'm aware it's a very real, very traumatic and confusing experience especially for young children who don't feel as if they belong in their own body. As I've mentioned, I'm never going to be able to fully realise what this is like but I'm willing and happy to be educated about it. Juno spins an absolutely fascinating account of her life that explores gender and all its foibles and it certainly made me think hard about my own subconscious gender stereotypes and make a concerted effort to be more aware of bias in the future. I was completely delighted to discover that this book also delves into other areas, like feminism across the different races which again, was absorbing to read about and initiated a few moments where I had to simply put the book down and think about things a bit deeper for a little while.
Throughout it all, Juno maintains a dry wit and sarcastic edge to her stories but is completely aware of the moments when she's talking about more controversial or horrific subjects and is fully sensitive and serious about these issues. I feel like out of all the books she's brought out, this must have been the book she was most nervous about because as a reader, it felt like she laid her soul completely bare for everyone else to read about. I found her story courageous and her personality so humble and down to earth that it was an absolute joy to find out more about her and from the bottom of my heart, I wish her the very best in her ongoing journey to discover herself. This is an empowering and important non-fiction read that I wouldn't hesitate to push into the hands of everyone I meet so they might be able to learn a little something just like I did whilst reading this fantastic book.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
naomi_hyde's review against another edition
2.0
The main reason this rating is so low is the chatty, informal style of writing which is entirely a personal preference and doesn't reflect the actual content of the book. However, it did make it a difficult read for me. Furthermore, Juno used a lot of similes and cultural references that, if you understand them are presumably very apt and funny, but I didn't get many of the references at all which then caused me to struggle to feel a connection to her and her voice.
I was also very confused about this book when I first started. I'd only read the blurb, which didn't tell you much, so I went into this book thinking it was going to be a mixture of science and history, with Juno's personal anecdotes adding to the context. The book ended up being more of a memoir, which I've realised isn't my preferred genre anyway, and it also felt quite chaotic. Juno started by telling her story in one chapter, and then the next chapter would be purely delving into a feminist/gender issue, and then other chapter might be a mixture of the two - there didn't seem to be much structure or aim to the book. When I read a non-fiction book, I expect a more formal tone of voice and for the author to outline the aim and direction of the book, but this felt very haphazardly put together.
I was also confused about the audience of the book. Initially I thought the book was aimed to educate others and present a different POV. However, at the end of the book Juno expresses "And if you're a man reading this book, I salute you. I'll be honest, I didn't write it with you in mind" - so if she wasn't intending to educate men on feminism and gender politics then was her intention to preach to the converted? If you weren't writing the book with everyone in mind and were writing it solely for women, non-binary, and minority groups, is it meant to be more of a comforting read rather than educational? After reading the book I then felt very confused why she wrote it and what its intention was.
Nevertheless, despite all the things I disliked about the book, underneath was a very insightful story of Juno's transition and how it affects the way she moves through the world. It definitely helped me to sympathise and to understand her life-long struggles she faced just to be herself and feel accepted. I didn't learn anything revolutionary but it was a good reminder to not judge others and always be kind.
I was also very confused about this book when I first started. I'd only read the blurb, which didn't tell you much, so I went into this book thinking it was going to be a mixture of science and history, with Juno's personal anecdotes adding to the context. The book ended up being more of a memoir, which I've realised isn't my preferred genre anyway, and it also felt quite chaotic. Juno started by telling her story in one chapter, and then the next chapter would be purely delving into a feminist/gender issue, and then other chapter might be a mixture of the two - there didn't seem to be much structure or aim to the book. When I read a non-fiction book, I expect a more formal tone of voice and for the author to outline the aim and direction of the book, but this felt very haphazardly put together.
I was also confused about the audience of the book. Initially I thought the book was aimed to educate others and present a different POV. However, at the end of the book Juno expresses "And if you're a man reading this book, I salute you. I'll be honest, I didn't write it with you in mind" - so if she wasn't intending to educate men on feminism and gender politics then was her intention to preach to the converted? If you weren't writing the book with everyone in mind and were writing it solely for women, non-binary, and minority groups, is it meant to be more of a comforting read rather than educational? After reading the book I then felt very confused why she wrote it and what its intention was.
Nevertheless, despite all the things I disliked about the book, underneath was a very insightful story of Juno's transition and how it affects the way she moves through the world. It definitely helped me to sympathise and to understand her life-long struggles she faced just to be herself and feel accepted. I didn't learn anything revolutionary but it was a good reminder to not judge others and always be kind.
beatrizmallow's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, relatable, real, sad, informative and necessary.
anywiebs's review
5.0
Read it, especially if you are not trans. This helped me understand a lot of concepts I have not had to think about and always struggle to comprehend - as I cannot experience it.
So much general information is given in this book interwoven with her personal experience.
Just read it. The audiobook was very well done and it helped hear her read it as to not read and intonation that was not intended into it.
Loved it!
So much general information is given in this book interwoven with her personal experience.
Just read it. The audiobook was very well done and it helped hear her read it as to not read and intonation that was not intended into it.
Loved it!
jennykeery's review against another edition
5.0
I knew Juno Dawson because of her Dr Who stories first, but she's also an advocate for feminism and trans rights (alongside being really funny, too). This book is a memoir of her experience being brought up as a boy and living as a gay man before realising she was trans, as well as a wider discussion about how gender norms fuck us all over. It's very very good, please read it.
francescaastraea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape