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A review by alissanelson
Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques
2.0
I really wanted to like this. I kept reading far past the point of getting something out of this. But ultimately, I just did not enjoy reading Julia Jacques' memoir. My theory is that she simply didn't want to write a memoir, as she reveals -- she just doesn't think that trans writers should be confined to confessional autobiographical writing. I agree! And ultimately, I think that her writing about trans history, interspersed throughout her memoir, is far stronger.
That said, the writing in and of itself isn't strong. I found her writing detached and disembodied, the dialogue felt stilted and weird -- why include some of these conversations? Why include them at the expense of a coherent chronology? And the long descriptions of football matches left me totally cold.
The upside of all of this is that we're beginning to reach a point in writing about the trans experience where I don't feel like I need to like this book just because it exists. But I'm glad that it does exist and I hope that she continues to be a voice for trans inclusion.
Read Harder: read a book by or about a person who identifies as transgender
That said, the writing in and of itself isn't strong. I found her writing detached and disembodied, the dialogue felt stilted and weird -- why include some of these conversations? Why include them at the expense of a coherent chronology? And the long descriptions of football matches left me totally cold.
The upside of all of this is that we're beginning to reach a point in writing about the trans experience where I don't feel like I need to like this book just because it exists. But I'm glad that it does exist and I hope that she continues to be a voice for trans inclusion.
Read Harder: read a book by or about a person who identifies as transgender