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A review by nelldrik
Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
(Rating explanation: Very good; not likely to reread; would recommend only to certain people.)
*Of note, I am a white cis woman.
I purchased this book from Audible on somewhat of a whim, doing only a cursory google of the author to try and ensure I wasn't about to read something horrifically TERF-y. After the first chapter, I ended up reading some other reviews and began to worry about what I had gotten myself into. I continued to read it with caution, and having completed it, I think this book is excellent if, and only if, it is read as an encapsulation of one person's relatable experience of an evolving topic during one moment in time. It does feel quite dated in parts, and I suspect may have felt so from the day of publication, because ideas around/understanding of the subject matter are shifting relatively rapidly on a cultural/societal level.
I do think that Stein's intent was merely to tell a story, about herself and about the people she encountered as she set out to learn more about transmasculinity, and I think that she makes this clear at several places in the book. However, I also think she vastly underestimated the impact of her credentials and her earlier oeuvre, which (to my understanding; I have not read them) are actual sociological case studies. It is thus extremely uncomfortable (at best) when she records offensive/dangerous/TERFy statements without argument or contradiction. I would not recommend this to someone without warning them of this, nor would I necessarily recommend it to someone who has absolutely no knowledge of trans issues, someone who may already be inclined toward bias against trans people, and/or someone who may not be able to discern the danger of these statements/beliefs.
But ultimately, this is not a book of answers and it is not trying to be. It's a narrative relaying the evolution of Stein's own personal views on a subject she was admittedly ignorant of prior to beginning this book and still doesn't have a complete understanding of (which I think she would be the first to admit). It's the story of a few people making their way through a world that wants firm answers where there are none. It's a story of grappling with a world that is leaving behind the structures that made you, that maybe even fundamentally changed you, and of letting go of ideas you never imagined you could, even when it is uncomfortable, even when it hurts. And it's a story of finding a way to respect and love someone else's story and experience of the world even when you don't understand it.
*Of note, I am a white cis woman.
I purchased this book from Audible on somewhat of a whim, doing only a cursory google of the author to try and ensure I wasn't about to read something horrifically TERF-y. After the first chapter, I ended up reading some other reviews and began to worry about what I had gotten myself into. I continued to read it with caution, and having completed it, I think this book is excellent if, and only if, it is read as an encapsulation of one person's relatable experience of an evolving topic during one moment in time. It does feel quite dated in parts, and I suspect may have felt so from the day of publication, because ideas around/understanding of the subject matter are shifting relatively rapidly on a cultural/societal level.
I do think that Stein's intent was merely to tell a story, about herself and about the people she encountered as she set out to learn more about transmasculinity, and I think that she makes this clear at several places in the book. However, I also think she vastly underestimated the impact of her credentials and her earlier oeuvre, which (to my understanding; I have not read them) are actual sociological case studies. It is thus extremely uncomfortable (at best) when she records offensive/dangerous/TERFy statements without argument or contradiction. I would not recommend this to someone without warning them of this, nor would I necessarily recommend it to someone who has absolutely no knowledge of trans issues, someone who may already be inclined toward bias against trans people, and/or someone who may not be able to discern the danger of these statements/beliefs.
But ultimately, this is not a book of answers and it is not trying to be. It's a narrative relaying the evolution of Stein's own personal views on a subject she was admittedly ignorant of prior to beginning this book and still doesn't have a complete understanding of (which I think she would be the first to admit). It's the story of a few people making their way through a world that wants firm answers where there are none. It's a story of grappling with a world that is leaving behind the structures that made you, that maybe even fundamentally changed you, and of letting go of ideas you never imagined you could, even when it is uncomfortable, even when it hurts. And it's a story of finding a way to respect and love someone else's story and experience of the world even when you don't understand it.