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A review by kstookley
Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein
4.0
I thought this book had one of the most thoughtful discussions I've seen pretty much anywhere of the transmasculine experience, acknowledging the fact that while many trans folks, on some level, believe that the gender binary is bullshit, they still realize they have to live in a mostly binary world and can't be a trans activist 24/7, so they have to work to check off some boxes. As Stein acknowledges, her spread of transmasc people she speaks to are limited, in that they were the ones who have both the desire and the means to see a top surgeon who doesn't accept insurance. Still, I feel like she did a fair job of acknowledging a breadth of transmasculine experiences. I especially liked her discussion of butch identity and how it can really trouble the line between masculinity and womanhood. Stein definitely had biases as a second-wave feminist lesbian, and at times it hurt to read her quote the terf-y rhetoric of others. Still, she acknowledges her biases very openly, which is all one can really do, and I do think she grew in the process of writing this book. I wish she talked more about how capitalism informs trans identity (and lgbtq identity in general) and that she discussed hrt a bit more, considering that most of her subjects were on testosterone. But, honestly, this is the kind of book I would give to someone who wants a comprehensive idea of transmasculinity. I don't think it either overemphasizes the binary or talks too much about how gender is fake and you can identify as a rock if you want to (a la Kate Bornstein), which I appreciate a lot. Seriously, this is the kind of book I would consider making my parents read.
EDIT: read this again during a period where I am thinking way more seriously about top surgery than I ever have before and also have more knowledge of transmasc experience in general. With this context, Stein's second-wave biases become much more frustrating. While I do still think this book might still be good for outsiders, it now feels especially important to have an actually trans person write a book like this. It could dive deeper into the trans experience, without having to spend so much time analyzing personal hang-ups of the author. I am also more aware of the author parroting common myths-- like that no one gets phalloplasty because the results aren't great-- without making any effort to debunk them. I suppose that now I am more certain in what I want from my transition, this book is no longer for me.
EDIT: read this again during a period where I am thinking way more seriously about top surgery than I ever have before and also have more knowledge of transmasc experience in general. With this context, Stein's second-wave biases become much more frustrating. While I do still think this book might still be good for outsiders, it now feels especially important to have an actually trans person write a book like this. It could dive deeper into the trans experience, without having to spend so much time analyzing personal hang-ups of the author. I am also more aware of the author parroting common myths-- like that no one gets phalloplasty because the results aren't great-- without making any effort to debunk them. I suppose that now I am more certain in what I want from my transition, this book is no longer for me.