Scan barcode
A review by supernumeraryemily
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This book is beyond compare! I listened to the audiobook, read expertly by the author. I didn't know much about Janet Mock before reading this book, other than loving the TV show Pose which she produced, directed, and wrote for. But I'm coming away feeling changed: let in on the experiences of her childhood, close friendships, crushes, darkest moments, personal choices, and observations of her parents and the world as a young trans person. I loved her weaving in of pop culture influences and literary quotes, and am struck by the strong images she created in telling the story of her girlhood.
I was not sure if I would like this book, since I don't often read memoirs/celebrity autobiographies, but I became deeply immersed quickly because of Mock's skilled writing and storytelling--and did not want to put it down.
Across the book, Mock interludes with statistics about the LGBTQ+ community and to explain how her experience is unique, with similarities and differences from other trans people. While I appreciated her efforts to educate folks who may not have knowledge about the trans community, I found that these asides often took me out of the narrative.
I was not sure if I would like this book, since I don't often read memoirs/celebrity autobiographies, but I became deeply immersed quickly because of Mock's skilled writing and storytelling--and did not want to put it down.
Across the book, Mock interludes with statistics about the LGBTQ+ community and to explain how her experience is unique, with similarities and differences from other trans people. While I appreciated her efforts to educate folks who may not have knowledge about the trans community, I found that these asides often took me out of the narrative.