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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: Transphobia, homophobia, homophobic slurs, bullying, suicide mention, suicidal thoughts, anxiety
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt is a nonfiction book chronicalling the very public transition of Nicole Maines. This is a book I've been meaning to read for a while since Nicole and her family are from Maine, and are largely the reason transgender students in Maine gained the right to use the bathroom that best matches their gender identity. I also borrowed it from the Downeast Rainbow Alliance's (the organization I work for) lending library.
This book gives us a deep play by play of Nicole's life before she was Nicole and how her being a transgender girl affected her family and her experiences at school. We see that Nicole was very aware of being a girl and not a boy from a very young age, even when her father, Wayne, didn't want to accept that. We see how her mother Kelly fought endlessly for Nicole's right to be herself, as well as seeing Wayne's eventual acceptance of having a trans daughter.
We also see the family struggle with the harassment and bullying from kids and adults alike just for Nicole being who she was. Although this book came out a decade ago, it serves as an important historical perspective on what trans rights looked like before the information was widely available, known and understood. It shows the battles that had to be fought just to gain the simple right of going to the bathroom, which we are now still fighting under the current Presidential administration. It's so important to see how far we have come with transgender rights, even though we are taking steps backward as we speak. If there is one thing to take away from this book, is that the cat is out of the bag. Trans people are here to stay, and we won't stop fighting for our rights.
I didn't love all the background information we got on every single person talked about in here or the preoccupation with biology and science of transgender individuals, but I think this is a great place to start for those who want to understand what is at stake, especially for trans youth.
Nicole is now a happy, healthy adult, and an actress in Hollywood, and I am so proud that she and her family fought for our rights in the state of Maine.
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt is a nonfiction book chronicalling the very public transition of Nicole Maines. This is a book I've been meaning to read for a while since Nicole and her family are from Maine, and are largely the reason transgender students in Maine gained the right to use the bathroom that best matches their gender identity. I also borrowed it from the Downeast Rainbow Alliance's (the organization I work for) lending library.
This book gives us a deep play by play of Nicole's life before she was Nicole and how her being a transgender girl affected her family and her experiences at school. We see that Nicole was very aware of being a girl and not a boy from a very young age, even when her father, Wayne, didn't want to accept that. We see how her mother Kelly fought endlessly for Nicole's right to be herself, as well as seeing Wayne's eventual acceptance of having a trans daughter.
We also see the family struggle with the harassment and bullying from kids and adults alike just for Nicole being who she was. Although this book came out a decade ago, it serves as an important historical perspective on what trans rights looked like before the information was widely available, known and understood. It shows the battles that had to be fought just to gain the simple right of going to the bathroom, which we are now still fighting under the current Presidential administration. It's so important to see how far we have come with transgender rights, even though we are taking steps backward as we speak. If there is one thing to take away from this book, is that the cat is out of the bag. Trans people are here to stay, and we won't stop fighting for our rights.
I didn't love all the background information we got on every single person talked about in here or the preoccupation with biology and science of transgender individuals, but I think this is a great place to start for those who want to understand what is at stake, especially for trans youth.
Nicole is now a happy, healthy adult, and an actress in Hollywood, and I am so proud that she and her family fought for our rights in the state of Maine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide