augustar14's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
By far the best book I read on the subject in my research. Even at 20 years old, Sheridan's writing and arguments look forward, not backwards. Instead of spending her time in defensive mode focused on rebuttals to clobber passages and other such hate, she places her attention on trans Christians themselves and all the ways that God, faith, the Bible, and community can and do affirm them and the gifts they bring. Her perspective is so refreshing.
Because of the age of this book, there is language used that isn't the widely accepted language today insofar as how most transgender people refer to themselves. Especially cisgender readers should be aware of this- transgender is the broadly used term, as opposed to transsexual, today.
As a trans person who understands that much of the language my community uses for self identity has evolved in meaning and use and who absolutely validates each individual's right to self identify which language is correct for them, I did not find the term differences to be at all prohibitive in reading this book. Sheridan makes her points very clear. If it weren't for the ways that self identity terms have shifted so rapidly and clearly over recent decades, "Crossing Over" wouldn't even be identifiable as a book that's 20 years old, because her ideas are that relevant, forward thinking, and unapologetic.
Because of the age of this book, there is language used that isn't the widely accepted language today insofar as how most transgender people refer to themselves. Especially cisgender readers should be aware of this- transgender is the broadly used term, as opposed to transsexual, today.
As a trans person who understands that much of the language my community uses for self identity has evolved in meaning and use and who absolutely validates each individual's right to self identify which language is correct for them, I did not find the term differences to be at all prohibitive in reading this book. Sheridan makes her points very clear. If it weren't for the ways that self identity terms have shifted so rapidly and clearly over recent decades, "Crossing Over" wouldn't even be identifiable as a book that's 20 years old, because her ideas are that relevant, forward thinking, and unapologetic.
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