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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Transphobia, Medical content, Alcohol
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
I don’t always like the memoir format of “adult-me narrates the confusions and mistakes of teen-me,” but it actually works pretty well in this graphic novel, I think because of Hancox’s tender humor. This book felt fresh and interesting, which seems increasingly hard to do with coming-out memoirs. Real events aren’t cloaked in weird yet heavy-handed metaphors; instead, there’s a lot of honesty, which I appreciate. I really don’t understand the memoirs that gloss over the tough parts of coming into oneself, coming out to one’s family, and seeking support to medically transition—like, why write a memoir if you’re not willing to be publicly honest about your experiences?—but I never felt that with this one.
I think another part of why I liked this book so much was how much many of Hancox’s experiences mirror my own. I’m nonbinary and transmasc, not a trans man like Hancox, but woof there were some parts that hit me hard because of similar experiences (feeling so out of place in the girls’ changing rooms in school, trying to fake my way into being femme as a teen but feeling so icky and fake inside, even the disordered eating).
I also think that this is a good intro or primer for cis readers who want to understand the trans experience a bit more. While not every trans person has the same experiences or knows from a young age that they’re trans, I think the humor and candor of this memoir still provide a lot of insight into the types of struggles and confusions many trans folks experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
A well written, funny, heartfelt graphic memoir on the author's younger years. I have followed the author online for a while, so it was nice to read their work. I even cried a bit at the end, not from sadness, but from hope.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Adding this is my list of favorite graphic memoirs 🥹 I sort of adored the quirky style of having two narrators: one being the present adult self and one the teenage self. It seems like a bad idea to pause the storytelling for a “check in” with one’s older self, but it worked so naturally. Especially for anyone who went through a lot of uncertainty in their teen years or is going through it now, I think having a future self to talk to makes sense because you have to love and encourage yourself as much as you do others. At the end, Hancox says writing the graphic novel was therapeutic and I can see how with how the novel is structured and maintained true to its nostalgia, honesty about gender dysphoria, and just how funny the narrator and the illustrations are. I will be reading the follow up toute suite!
P.s. As an American English speaker, the vernacular wasn’t that hard to get into but I enjoyed being immersed in all the slang we don’t use here. Just another added bright spot for US readers 🤭
P.s. As an American English speaker, the vernacular wasn’t that hard to get into but I enjoyed being immersed in all the slang we don’t use here. Just another added bright spot for US readers 🤭
I really enjoyed the format in which adult Lewis narrates his high school years and transition afterwards- it allows for the reassurance of knowing it's going to be okay while chronicling the bumps in the road. While some relationships shifted and a few people took a while to come around, Lewis had a smoother time than a lot of people- which helps illustrate what trans people deserve and how their friends and family should ideally react. A good read and also thought-provoking (and an excellent choice for anyone who's interested in the topic but not in a mental/emotional place to process a lot of secondhand trauma).
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
medium-paced
Super cute and lovely concept, I just struggled with the tone of the whole thing.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I love a good comic/graphic novel! This was a great YA memoir that takes place mostly in the early 2000s (my era!!!). Lewis Hancox takes the reader throughout his younger life before he came out as trans. He also talks directly to the past versions of himself, his parents, and his friends, which you can tell was probably a very cathartic writing for him. The comic medium really allows a lot of the feelings he felt being closeted to come out in illustration and metaphor that resonated with me, a cis person. I also really appreciate that while Hancox shows how much he personally suffered in his body growing up, he acknowledged he did have relatively supportive friends and family, which not nearly enough trans people do. I can only imagine how helpful this comic memoir is to trans youth!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Transphobia, Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Outing, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Lewis tells his story in an engaging and authentic way through both his words and his art. Getting past the 80s/90s British slang was the only hard part for me, but it was absolutely worth the read!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced