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A review by batsworthy
The Testosterone Files: My Hormonal and Social Transformation from Female to Male by Max Wolf Valerio
2.0
This book has aged pretty poorly and I would not recommend it as a primer for a guy considering/early in transition, or for non-trans people who want to read about the trans male experience. For a more educational, realistic, politically sensitive resource I would still recommend the first FTM book I read, Becoming A Visible Man by Jamison Green.
I suspect that some of this is exaggerated, even if Max Valerio really believes it himself. There are other things that if I had not experienced them myself I would think he was also making up (like not being able to cry after a few months on Testosterone, or receiving more hostility from strangers in public). A lot of his opinions remind me of the ones I held when I was pre- and early into transition. The misogyny and essentialism he touts is dangerous. He seems to take pride in being as sexist as the typical cis man tends to be. Thus I moreso enjoyed the book for its readability and references to other trans male figures like Lou Sullivan and Pat Califia, both of whom I would also recommend reading rather than The Testosterone Files.
I suspect that some of this is exaggerated, even if Max Valerio really believes it himself. There are other things that if I had not experienced them myself I would think he was also making up (like not being able to cry after a few months on Testosterone, or receiving more hostility from strangers in public). A lot of his opinions remind me of the ones I held when I was pre- and early into transition. The misogyny and essentialism he touts is dangerous. He seems to take pride in being as sexist as the typical cis man tends to be. Thus I moreso enjoyed the book for its readability and references to other trans male figures like Lou Sullivan and Pat Califia, both of whom I would also recommend reading rather than The Testosterone Files.