bradley's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.75
Jennie June (the preferred name of the author, who used both he/him and she/her in reference to herself) was one of the very first trans people who was able to publish their own extensive history. Published in 1918, the sale of this book was prohinited to doctors, lawyers, and scientists so as to study a trans person in their own words.
As a stand alone piece of literature, this isn't enthralling, interesting, or well written, which is why I rated it so low. But I didn't read this under the pretense that Jennie was an excellent author, I read it for its value as a piece of historical transgender literature, which it is obviously excellent at. It gives a view of not only what a trans person went through in Victorian and Edwardian Era America, but the language they used for themselves. I wouldn't call this a must-read for anyone other than a queer history enthusiast.
There are also a lot of trigger/content warnings for this book, part of why I wrote this review at all when I have so little to actually say about it. Please be cautious if you choose to pick up Autobiography of an Androgyne.
As a stand alone piece of literature, this isn't enthralling, interesting, or well written, which is why I rated it so low. But I didn't read this under the pretense that Jennie was an excellent author, I read it for its value as a piece of historical transgender literature, which it is obviously excellent at. It gives a view of not only what a trans person went through in Victorian and Edwardian Era America, but the language they used for themselves. I wouldn't call this a must-read for anyone other than a queer history enthusiast.
There are also a lot of trigger/content warnings for this book, part of why I wrote this review at all when I have so little to actually say about it. Please be cautious if you choose to pick up Autobiography of an Androgyne.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism and Racism
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