You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
medium-paced
I think this book is a great example of why having a PhD in one field does not make you an expert in all fields. I found the book to use overly emotive and inflammatory language and verges on being transphobic at times. The vast majority of her arguments are cyclical, cite grey literature, or make claims without valid citations. Dr Joyce seems to cherry pick examples to demonstrate her claims and while these scenarios do happen they are very rare and do not represent the “typical” experience or “typical” events. She also cited articles that have flimsy or questionable ethics and/or methodologies.
Many of her claims and opinions lack nuance and do not consider medicine, sociology, anthropology, or psychology. While I do not agree with her points or arguments some ideas are thought provoking, clearly argued, and employ logical sense making.
The author not only makes problematic and reductionist claims about the trans community but also makes such claims about queer people, other cultures, and speaks for groups she does not directly represent.
I am surprised she also has the gall to cite women like Judith Butler or Margaret Mead who would be less than supportive of her views.
Overall I found this book a disappointing academic engagement and would not recommend it.
Many of her claims and opinions lack nuance and do not consider medicine, sociology, anthropology, or psychology. While I do not agree with her points or arguments some ideas are thought provoking, clearly argued, and employ logical sense making.
The author not only makes problematic and reductionist claims about the trans community but also makes such claims about queer people, other cultures, and speaks for groups she does not directly represent.
I am surprised she also has the gall to cite women like Judith Butler or Margaret Mead who would be less than supportive of her views.
Overall I found this book a disappointing academic engagement and would not recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia
Checked this book out from the library without doing my research - if you’re looking for a book that reflects modern gender science and actual respect and compassion for trans folks, put this one back!! Helen Joyce is a TERF and this book is both misleading and problematic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
This book perpetuates harmful misinformation from a trans-exclusionary radical feminist perspective. While claiming to represent compassion for trans lives, the author systematically argues against their rights, all in the name of “women’s rights.” Don’t be fooled!!
dark
emotional
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
A tract of undisguised, deliberately ill-informed rabid hatred.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Despite the author’s many protestations, she and this book are transphobic. She could have easily made her points, some of which are very thought-provoking, without the transphobic undertone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault
This book is full of obsfuscation, misrepresentation, and outright lies about trans people and trans rights. It also is completely without proper sourcing and just expects you to accept the presented "facts" (many of which, upon further research, are either misrepresented or complete lies) at face value.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia
genuinely a screed. buy it if you hate trans people and also think the jewish people run the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Antisemitism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Sexism, Transphobia
the sexism and transphobia are not merely depicted, but rather actively pushed by the author throughout. this is not a book discussing transphobia, it is a transphobic book.
tense
Glad Storygraph gives the option of zero stars as that is what this book deserves.
Helen Joyce ignores all modern research on transgender identity and healthcare, instead citing fringe pseudoscientific theories such as Blanchard’s typology of transsexualism, ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’, and the myth that 80% of trans children ‘desist’. Her brief section of references is largely drawn from anti-trans campaign groups who use exclusionary feminism and ‘think of the children’ as covers for their transphobia. She maliciously misquotes and misrepresents her opponents and their arguments. She repeatedly calls trans women ‘males’ and deadnames and misgenders the individuals she brings up. Her arguments are based on lies, anecdotes and hypotheticals. The gender critical (aka anti trans) movement, in which Joyce is a prominent figure, is linked to alt right conspiracies, antisemitism, anti-abortion and anti-gay political movements.
When she isn’t trying to appear somewhat respectable in print, Joyce can be found online stating that she thinks trans people are all a ‘huge problem to a sane world’, even stating that it doesn’t matter whether transition has been personally beneficial for them or not. She has called for the number of trans people to be ‘reduced’.
This book is poorly argued, reactionary, transphobic screed.
Helen Joyce ignores all modern research on transgender identity and healthcare, instead citing fringe pseudoscientific theories such as Blanchard’s typology of transsexualism, ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’, and the myth that 80% of trans children ‘desist’. Her brief section of references is largely drawn from anti-trans campaign groups who use exclusionary feminism and ‘think of the children’ as covers for their transphobia. She maliciously misquotes and misrepresents her opponents and their arguments. She repeatedly calls trans women ‘males’ and deadnames and misgenders the individuals she brings up. Her arguments are based on lies, anecdotes and hypotheticals. The gender critical (aka anti trans) movement, in which Joyce is a prominent figure, is linked to alt right conspiracies, antisemitism, anti-abortion and anti-gay political movements.
When she isn’t trying to appear somewhat respectable in print, Joyce can be found online stating that she thinks trans people are all a ‘huge problem to a sane world’, even stating that it doesn’t matter whether transition has been personally beneficial for them or not. She has called for the number of trans people to be ‘reduced’.
This book is poorly argued, reactionary, transphobic screed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Complete trash
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia