karend's review
Given the persecution of trans youth by the GOP, it felt important to read about some of them in their own words in this book.
kmoreads's review
informative
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin is just one of the latest books that a few parents have sought to take off the shelves of high schools in @catawbaschools libraries. Note this book is for ages 14 and up. It is NOT in the elementary school libraries. Is this book bothering their kids? No. Is this book being shoved down their kids throat? No. Is this required reading? No. I have 3 teenagers. Two currently in the school system and one recent graduate. All of which I would have no issues with reading this book if they sought it out in the library.
I purchased the book. It's now on my shelf of banned books. I took the time to read it after seeing some of the insane comments posted on Facebook and I quote, "beyond magenta is about transgender recruiting teens and young children trans queer lifestyles." "It's grooming our children."
All of those quotes are FALSE. This book is written with real accounts from teens of what life was like for them growing up when they were trying to figure themselves out because they felt different from everyone else. They talk about how they felt in school and how they were treated by kids in school, by adults and by teachers. It is also a good introduction to words like trans, intersex and their point of view. All of which is relevant in today's world. Each teen discussed how/when they decided on transitioning and how to tell their parents. There are kids today in school who are struggling with their identity, bullying, depression and suicidal thoughts. They should have a resource such as this book made available to them.
Parents are so up in arms over Mariah's story in this book which to be honest is very tough to read. She grew up in foster care and had a very rough beginning. There was a lot of sexual abuse early on that is briefly described/discussed. This happens. Don't be naïve. It is a widespread problem. 1 in 10 are sexually abused BEFORE their 18th birthday according to d2l.org.
I did check to see if this book was available in the public county library system and it was not. Not every kid has a parent. Not every kid is privileged.
I purchased the book. It's now on my shelf of banned books. I took the time to read it after seeing some of the insane comments posted on Facebook and I quote, "beyond magenta is about transgender recruiting teens and young children trans queer lifestyles." "It's grooming our children."
All of those quotes are FALSE. This book is written with real accounts from teens of what life was like for them growing up when they were trying to figure themselves out because they felt different from everyone else. They talk about how they felt in school and how they were treated by kids in school, by adults and by teachers. It is also a good introduction to words like trans, intersex and their point of view. All of which is relevant in today's world. Each teen discussed how/when they decided on transitioning and how to tell their parents. There are kids today in school who are struggling with their identity, bullying, depression and suicidal thoughts. They should have a resource such as this book made available to them.
Parents are so up in arms over Mariah's story in this book which to be honest is very tough to read. She grew up in foster care and had a very rough beginning. There was a lot of sexual abuse early on that is briefly described/discussed. This happens. Don't be naïve. It is a widespread problem. 1 in 10 are sexually abused BEFORE their 18th birthday according to d2l.org.
I did check to see if this book was available in the public county library system and it was not. Not every kid has a parent. Not every kid is privileged.
faefaesauce's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I thought this book was made infinitly more interesting now that it is 10 years old. I really enjoyed getting to read how the conversations around the trans community have changed in the last decade, but also the ways that they haven't changed. I think these stories still have a lot of merit and show what influences and what doesn't influence being a trans teen and how support systems can help or hinder their transition into becoming their most authentic self, whether that includes transitioning medically or not.
claudiaslibrarycard's review
Realized this was by a white cis author with some troubling perspectives
eyeszekeny's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0