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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
I picked this up as part of my drive to read books by different female voices. I've read a couple of reviews by people who were disappointed it didn't focus more on Juliet's physical experience, and one or two saying the writing was detached - but I felt she explained exactly why she took that approach. Those very personal confessional narratives about being trapped in the wrong body didn't apply to her, and she's spent a lot of time trying to move discourse away from that narrative, which seems to me to be a laudable task. As a result I found a lot to identify with in Juliet's frustration with mainstream journalism and the divisiveness of feminist discourse of social media. I thought she handled her reluctance to write about her personal experience on the grounds that she can't speak for everyone well - by talking about her own research into the theory and political history of trans issues she highlighted a lot of other writers I can now go and read, and I thought that was a good way of underlining the fact that all experience is different (and that many voices outside the white middle classes still go unheard). Her discomfort at the prospect of having to advocate only for trans issues, when she can't possibly get it right for everyone, reflected a tendency I've noticed quite a lot in recent years where communities will build up a feminist writer and then tear them down when they say something 'wrong' (Caitlin Moran, Tina Fey and Lena Dunham all seem to have had this). Trans: A Memoir gave me a lot to think about, and context to consider rather than being very inward looking as most memoirs are - definitely worth a read.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
This was fabulous! It was, in pretty much every way, not what I was expecting. I love it for that. The narration, was very introspective, when I imagined it would be roar and passionate, because that's how I would've written a memoir, but that says more about me and my hot mess of a mind LOL. Apart from being a story of Jacques's personal journey in transitioning, there is a lot here on transgender portrayals in the media, the fascinating history of how trans people were recognised, and in particular the arguments of radical feminists against trans people. It was brilliant to learn about. Being twenty, I missed the times where even the liberal press were hostile towards transgender individuals, being either unborn, or too young to pick up on the issues. It gave me a greater appreciation for the time that I live in now, as though we have many problems, trans people are adequately respected and given a voice, contrary to as recent as ten years ago. The ending? That was a surprise too, though I'll leave that to be discovered. Let's just say, it doesn't follow the formula of most trans stories you will read. In fact, the whole book intentionally defies it, which I can find an appreciation for. There is always room for knew explorations of well-known topics. So, overall, as a trans person myself, I appreciate this book. I don't give 5 star ratings lightly, but I feel like this one is warranted. In my humble and barely regarded opinion, I think this is required reading for any trans person, or for anyone who wants to better understand the trans community, in any country. Thank you Juliet Jacques, for writing this book.
I really wanted to like this. I kept reading far past the point of getting something out of this. But ultimately, I just did not enjoy reading Julia Jacques' memoir. My theory is that she simply didn't want to write a memoir, as she reveals -- she just doesn't think that trans writers should be confined to confessional autobiographical writing. I agree! And ultimately, I think that her writing about trans history, interspersed throughout her memoir, is far stronger.
That said, the writing in and of itself isn't strong. I found her writing detached and disembodied, the dialogue felt stilted and weird -- why include some of these conversations? Why include them at the expense of a coherent chronology? And the long descriptions of football matches left me totally cold.
The upside of all of this is that we're beginning to reach a point in writing about the trans experience where I don't feel like I need to like this book just because it exists. But I'm glad that it does exist and I hope that she continues to be a voice for trans inclusion.
Read Harder: read a book by or about a person who identifies as transgender
That said, the writing in and of itself isn't strong. I found her writing detached and disembodied, the dialogue felt stilted and weird -- why include some of these conversations? Why include them at the expense of a coherent chronology? And the long descriptions of football matches left me totally cold.
The upside of all of this is that we're beginning to reach a point in writing about the trans experience where I don't feel like I need to like this book just because it exists. But I'm glad that it does exist and I hope that she continues to be a voice for trans inclusion.
Read Harder: read a book by or about a person who identifies as transgender
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I hope my friend who lent me this doesn't see this review...
I found the historical parts of this book fascinating. I am not as well-read in gender theory as I would like to be, and the educational parts of this book really opened my eyes to trans history.
Where this book falls flat is the memoir part. Juliet sounds impersonal throughout it, like she's listing a series of events that just so happened to have happened to her. I found it a little tedious, even in the parts where unquestionably awful things were happening. It almost felt like she didn't want to write the book but felt she should.
I look forward to reading more LGBT+ literature, and I hope Juliet is able to write and publish the book she's meant to write soon.
I found the historical parts of this book fascinating. I am not as well-read in gender theory as I would like to be, and the educational parts of this book really opened my eyes to trans history.
Where this book falls flat is the memoir part. Juliet sounds impersonal throughout it, like she's listing a series of events that just so happened to have happened to her. I found it a little tedious, even in the parts where unquestionably awful things were happening. It almost felt like she didn't want to write the book but felt she should.
I look forward to reading more LGBT+ literature, and I hope Juliet is able to write and publish the book she's meant to write soon.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
I enjoyed this a lot.
I'm conditioned by the contemporary moment to expect virulent transphobia at every turn whenever I read trans narratives — both within the text and externally in coverage of it. And while there is, naturally, moments of transphobic violence in this book (and thus in Jacques' life), I find there are many more moments in which it is demonstrated that acceptance and support do exist and can exist.
Her relationship with her parents is extremely moving, and I found her journey with them in particular to be very poignant.
I'm conditioned by the contemporary moment to expect virulent transphobia at every turn whenever I read trans narratives — both within the text and externally in coverage of it. And while there is, naturally, moments of transphobic violence in this book (and thus in Jacques' life), I find there are many more moments in which it is demonstrated that acceptance and support do exist and can exist.
Her relationship with her parents is extremely moving, and I found her journey with them in particular to be very poignant.
TW: mentions of; transphobia, sexual assault, suicide, suicide ideation, misgendering, misogyny, terfs, depression, anxiety, surgery
A great commentary on trans memoirs, as well as recording Juliet's life journey, not just her trans path, but her many intercrossing traits and experiences.
A great commentary on trans memoirs, as well as recording Juliet's life journey, not just her trans path, but her many intercrossing traits and experiences.