Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.98 AVERAGE
2.98 AVERAGE
“Now the view from the looking glass is different.
I see who I am.
I am who I know.
I know who I am.
I am Caitlyn.
Caitlyn Marie Jenner.
Forever forward.”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the little juicy details here and there about what life was like living with Kris Kardashian and her clan over the years, as Bruce Jenner. That’s how I came to know who Bruce Jenner was, through the Keeping Up With the Kardashians reality show. I was intrigued by how a person is in such a spotlight can change so late in life and transition to a completely different gender, so I gave this book a go. It was interesting to see where life took Bruce Jenner, but I do still feel bad for Kris and wonder how someone could live a double life as a man and yet still yearn to be a woman during all of those years too. I commend Caitlyn for her bravery though.
I see who I am.
I am who I know.
I know who I am.
I am Caitlyn.
Caitlyn Marie Jenner.
Forever forward.”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the little juicy details here and there about what life was like living with Kris Kardashian and her clan over the years, as Bruce Jenner. That’s how I came to know who Bruce Jenner was, through the Keeping Up With the Kardashians reality show. I was intrigued by how a person is in such a spotlight can change so late in life and transition to a completely different gender, so I gave this book a go. It was interesting to see where life took Bruce Jenner, but I do still feel bad for Kris and wonder how someone could live a double life as a man and yet still yearn to be a woman during all of those years too. I commend Caitlyn for her bravery though.
I was going to give this 2 stars but realized I ended up reading it word for word and figured if I was that interested in Caitlyn's journey to becoming a woman, it deserved one extra star.
This wasn't particularly that well written, which is odd as the co-writer's [b:Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream|85431|Friday Night Lights A Town, a Team, and a Dream|H.G. Bissinger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266468877s/85431.jpg|857093] was well liked by library patrons, but Jenner's story came across as real and heartfelt. The problem is there were times like I felt she protested too much about various incidents in her life and gave too many excuses why children were ignored, marriages crumbled, and more. She also used the word "authentic" a few too many times.
If a reader is truly interested in Jenner's journey, by all means pick this up, but if you feel pretty "meh" about her entire messy life or if reading one more word about the Kardashians will cause you to fall on a sword, don't bother. For a better book on transforming from a man to a woman, read Jan Morris' 1974 memoir, [b:Conundrum|553103|Conundrum|Jan Morris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320522156s/553103.jpg|540336].
This wasn't particularly that well written, which is odd as the co-writer's [b:Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream|85431|Friday Night Lights A Town, a Team, and a Dream|H.G. Bissinger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266468877s/85431.jpg|857093] was well liked by library patrons, but Jenner's story came across as real and heartfelt. The problem is there were times like I felt she protested too much about various incidents in her life and gave too many excuses why children were ignored, marriages crumbled, and more. She also used the word "authentic" a few too many times.
If a reader is truly interested in Jenner's journey, by all means pick this up, but if you feel pretty "meh" about her entire messy life or if reading one more word about the Kardashians will cause you to fall on a sword, don't bother. For a better book on transforming from a man to a woman, read Jan Morris' 1974 memoir, [b:Conundrum|553103|Conundrum|Jan Morris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320522156s/553103.jpg|540336].
At the time this book came out Caitlyn was a very inspirational person to me, and I believe many more. So I quickly ordered the book and read it as soon as it came out, only to realize everything in it she had already said it before in interviews. There were only a couple of new minor details, including whether or not she had done bottom surgery. So I was a little bit disappointed. Still I liked reading about her story now in a slower more contemplative form
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This was illuminating and very inspiring. I found myself thinking "you are so right" at various points. Naturally a lot of the book is about struggles with gender. The only thing I found challenging was knowing when in her life we were - it wasn't a linear timeline and we went all over the place, I guess because of the different themes. But it did mean I wasn't sure at times how far in the journey to Caitlyn we were. Overall though, it felt very honest - I'm glad I listened.
Interesting read that brings home the point that gender dysphoria and sexual orientation are two different concepts!
Buzz Bissinger has written a jumbled and contradicting portrait of Bruce and Caitlyn Jenner. It all feels a little schizophrenic to me, and maybe it is. It rubs me the wrong way how Caitlyn compartmentalizes Bruce and takes no responsibility for the person she was before she transitioned. And still she speaks of being born the wrong gender and having felt this way her whole life. Well, then haven’t you been the same person since birth then and just now daring to show it to the public? I have a hard time understanding it.
“I know it would be great for the cameras for a tear to come to my eye. But there is really no sense of nostalgia for me. Bruce may be stuck here. And that’s fine. Caitlyn never was and never will be.”
Maybe it’s a coping mechanism and I can respect that. The problem surfaces when you start pointing fingers around. Bruce was clearly a miserable man with heavy demons on his back. If Caitlyn can help him carry that burden, then that’s great, but Caitlyn seems to just be pointing fingers at everyone else. Blaming just about anyone that has ever come in contact with Bruce.
“Alan is determined that we own the story, and tell it the way we want to tell it. He doesn’t want a complete circus. The way he sees it, the 20/20 interview is saying goodbye to Bruce and Vanity Fair is saying hello to Caitlyn.”
I find this an interesting statement, since the book has been condemned by the Kardashians and labeled a complete lie. Has Bruce changed the narrative to help Caitlyn out, or has Caitlyn changed Bruces narrative to suit her own needs?
Bruce repeatedly spoke about hiding. “Since Kris screens my purchases, I use someone else’s debit card” he’s said. But Caitlyn claims that Kris knew and said it was no big deal.
Bruce claims that he couldn’t come out since his family would never accept it, he would be labeled a freak and be humiliated. Caitlyn says her transitioning was well received by her family.
Bruce talks about the media labeling him as a freak, but Caitlyn is honored with great articles and front pages of the best magazines in the world!
It seems the obstacles in his life are all created by Bruce, and Caitlyn sits and blames everyone except Bruce for not being able to come out sooner.
There’s even a passage blaming Africa, saying “I would like to go to Africa, although I know that my presence in many places would not be welcome” which feels to me like an attempt at getting sympathy. (Also, Africa is a continent consisting of 54 different countries so let’s not speak of it as if it only has one story! That’s just infuriating!) And it’s hard to feel sympathetic towards someone that seems to get everything handed to them at a silver platter and still complains about life being unfair.
I don’t think Caitlyn and her views serves the LGBTQ+ community with this book, but I don’t think it’s too late to still be a positive influence. She has a large platform where she can do a lot of good, but politically she leans right and she brags about not reading feminist literature. (I don’t even understand what that’s about.)
But the book wasn’t hopeless. There were some parts that might feel comforting or even inspiring for anyone out there going through the same. There’s issues that I’m sure everybody could have related to - like not fitting in, but Caitlyn narrows it so far that those become irrelevant. I think she would have reached out to a wider audience if she wasn’t so narrow minded and self absorbed.
The most interesting and human part of the book for me was when she told the stories about dressing up in secret and going out to starbucks. Hiding in plain sight. Those passages felt the most authentic. When she speaks about using crazy glue for a mini facelift and the wigs. Telling stories about her skin peeling off, but with humor and nostalgia instead of anger and resentment.
In the end I think she explained her own book best with this one simple passage:
"I don’t want to double the length of the book. But maybe it all boils down to this: Please, I am begging you, don’t ever let your life succumb to what others think. Do not give into fear, as I did for so many years."
Contradicting. Contradicting. Contradicting.
“I know it would be great for the cameras for a tear to come to my eye. But there is really no sense of nostalgia for me. Bruce may be stuck here. And that’s fine. Caitlyn never was and never will be.”
Maybe it’s a coping mechanism and I can respect that. The problem surfaces when you start pointing fingers around. Bruce was clearly a miserable man with heavy demons on his back. If Caitlyn can help him carry that burden, then that’s great, but Caitlyn seems to just be pointing fingers at everyone else. Blaming just about anyone that has ever come in contact with Bruce.
“Alan is determined that we own the story, and tell it the way we want to tell it. He doesn’t want a complete circus. The way he sees it, the 20/20 interview is saying goodbye to Bruce and Vanity Fair is saying hello to Caitlyn.”
I find this an interesting statement, since the book has been condemned by the Kardashians and labeled a complete lie. Has Bruce changed the narrative to help Caitlyn out, or has Caitlyn changed Bruces narrative to suit her own needs?
Bruce repeatedly spoke about hiding. “Since Kris screens my purchases, I use someone else’s debit card” he’s said. But Caitlyn claims that Kris knew and said it was no big deal.
Bruce claims that he couldn’t come out since his family would never accept it, he would be labeled a freak and be humiliated. Caitlyn says her transitioning was well received by her family.
Bruce talks about the media labeling him as a freak, but Caitlyn is honored with great articles and front pages of the best magazines in the world!
It seems the obstacles in his life are all created by Bruce, and Caitlyn sits and blames everyone except Bruce for not being able to come out sooner.
There’s even a passage blaming Africa, saying “I would like to go to Africa, although I know that my presence in many places would not be welcome” which feels to me like an attempt at getting sympathy. (Also, Africa is a continent consisting of 54 different countries so let’s not speak of it as if it only has one story! That’s just infuriating!) And it’s hard to feel sympathetic towards someone that seems to get everything handed to them at a silver platter and still complains about life being unfair.
I don’t think Caitlyn and her views serves the LGBTQ+ community with this book, but I don’t think it’s too late to still be a positive influence. She has a large platform where she can do a lot of good, but politically she leans right and she brags about not reading feminist literature. (I don’t even understand what that’s about.)
But the book wasn’t hopeless. There were some parts that might feel comforting or even inspiring for anyone out there going through the same. There’s issues that I’m sure everybody could have related to - like not fitting in, but Caitlyn narrows it so far that those become irrelevant. I think she would have reached out to a wider audience if she wasn’t so narrow minded and self absorbed.
The most interesting and human part of the book for me was when she told the stories about dressing up in secret and going out to starbucks. Hiding in plain sight. Those passages felt the most authentic. When she speaks about using crazy glue for a mini facelift and the wigs. Telling stories about her skin peeling off, but with humor and nostalgia instead of anger and resentment.
In the end I think she explained her own book best with this one simple passage:
"I don’t want to double the length of the book. But maybe it all boils down to this: Please, I am begging you, don’t ever let your life succumb to what others think. Do not give into fear, as I did for so many years."
Contradicting. Contradicting. Contradicting.
informative
slow-paced
I struggle with rating this book. It is well written; as stated in the introduction, I do think that the cowriter, Buzz Bissinger, worked will with Jenner. The problem comes with how vapid the story is. This could be because Jenner admits to having trouble expressing emotion. I also struggled with her perspective and the perceived lack of empathy for those around her. Based on Kris Jenner's reaction in the media, I thought that there would be more about their marriage or Kris, herself, in the book. What was there was not nice or sympathetic to Kris, which also could be a result of lingering feelings from the divorce. There was absolutely no reason why Jenner needed to speculate on Kris' feelings or attitudes towards her first husband, Robert Kardashian. Jenner at the beginning that she wasn't trying to hurt anyone, but it didn't feel like it in that section of the story; it felt petty and unnecessary. I wish there was more talk of current activism or why I Am Cait is no longer produced. Those were missed opportunities to make this book less superficial.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual violence, Transphobia