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finnthehuman217's review
5.0
It is important to take your fame and social capital to tell the stories of marginalized communities. This is exactly what Selenis Leyva did and it is so touching that she took her sister’s story and talked about how Marizol’s Transition helped her grow as a person. Dropping a family member off at a homeless shelter is never easy and I think this book can help other trans youth find solace in the Ali Forney center.
lookinabook's review
5.0
This book was so inspiring and eye opening. As a cisgender heterosexual white woman, I have zero experience and very little understanding of the challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community throughout their lives. This book was educational in many ways, but rather than just being a collection of facts and statistics it was a very personal, raw story of one trans woman’s experiences and a cis woman’s experiences with her sisters transition.
I feel like this is the perfect book to read if you are like me and have little to no knowledge of what life is like for trans people, but want to do better and be an ally.
Honestly, it’s a great book to read however you identify and no matter how much first hand or second or third hand knowledge you may or may not have. It’s so powerful to have someone share their truth with you and I recommend reading this no matter where you are in your own journey.
In many ways I saw myself in Marizol and related to so much of her pain, self-doubt and fear. Not in the same ways or for the same reasons necessarily (and to clarify I would never compare my own journey with someone who is trans or BIPOC as I know I can never experience certain things as a white cishet), but the way she talks about her experiences and what she wanted as a woman, it spoke to me deeply.
I love Marizol and Selenis and I am so happy they chose to write this book and share their journeys with the world!
I feel like this is the perfect book to read if you are like me and have little to no knowledge of what life is like for trans people, but want to do better and be an ally.
Honestly, it’s a great book to read however you identify and no matter how much first hand or second or third hand knowledge you may or may not have. It’s so powerful to have someone share their truth with you and I recommend reading this no matter where you are in your own journey.
In many ways I saw myself in Marizol and related to so much of her pain, self-doubt and fear. Not in the same ways or for the same reasons necessarily (and to clarify I would never compare my own journey with someone who is trans or BIPOC as I know I can never experience certain things as a white cishet), but the way she talks about her experiences and what she wanted as a woman, it spoke to me deeply.
I love Marizol and Selenis and I am so happy they chose to write this book and share their journeys with the world!
marie_gg's review
5.0
I received this in my book group holiday swap, and I really enjoyed it. Selenis Leyva was on "Orange Is the New Black." She and her adopted sister write about their childhoods, how Marizol slowly transitioned, and how their family reacted. It's a sister love story.
mljb's review
5.0
I personally found the dual perspective of this book stunning, honest and so very reflective of my thoughts, feelings and emotions while navigating the transition of a sibling. Having others put into words their experience is invaluable.
I recommend this book for any non-trans person who wants to learn more, and should learn more. It is a fantastic resource to start/continue learning and understanding.
Thank you.
I recommend this book for any non-trans person who wants to learn more, and should learn more. It is a fantastic resource to start/continue learning and understanding.
Thank you.
shellybelly's review
4.0
I wanted to like this more than I did. I love that more trans voices are being heard, but found the narratives hard to follow, at times.
kellableeping's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
thefreckledbookworm's review
5.0
I feel like anything I will write will not do this book justice. This is an absolutely amazing #ownvoices memoir. I really appreciated the dual perspective, and both sisters admitted that some of their memories/perceptions might differ, and they decided to embrace those differences. Which makes this book all the more authentic.
The book is separated in three parts : before Marizol, during the transition, and after. At first I was a bit reluctant to read Selenis' part, as I've often read absolutely inaccurate works on this matter, always by cis people. But it was very well done.
They are telling this story, with all of its horrible truths, so that no one feels alone and so that the world can understand the importance of support. And to STOP stigmatizing trans people. Selenis writes that they feel cheated, because their initial lack of knowledge resulted in so much pain for Marizol. Had they known all of this before, she could've grown into her true-self before. So this is why they wrote this book.
Always, ALWAYS REMEMBER :
"I want to be clear that it is never okay to call out or refer to a trans individual by their birth name [...] to do so is an act of violence, one that demeans and insults and harms."
"Though she was assigned male at birth [...] Marizol has always been a woman."
So thank you. For writing this book. It takes a lot of courage to open up in such an intimate way.
P. S. This subject is SO close to my heart, especially as my sibling identifies as trans.
The book is separated in three parts : before Marizol, during the transition, and after. At first I was a bit reluctant to read Selenis' part, as I've often read absolutely inaccurate works on this matter, always by cis people. But it was very well done.
They are telling this story, with all of its horrible truths, so that no one feels alone and so that the world can understand the importance of support. And to STOP stigmatizing trans people. Selenis writes that they feel cheated, because their initial lack of knowledge resulted in so much pain for Marizol. Had they known all of this before, she could've grown into her true-self before. So this is why they wrote this book.
Always, ALWAYS REMEMBER :
"I want to be clear that it is never okay to call out or refer to a trans individual by their birth name [...] to do so is an act of violence, one that demeans and insults and harms."
"Though she was assigned male at birth [...] Marizol has always been a woman."
So thank you. For writing this book. It takes a lot of courage to open up in such an intimate way.
P. S. This subject is SO close to my heart, especially as my sibling identifies as trans.
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