foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first piece of Jan Morris's writing that I have read, and based on prose style alone, I will seek out more of her work. Her style reminds me of books of the 20s and 30s -- it is clear, but she is not afraid to use long sentences or paragraphs, or to take her time to express a thought. I would give this book five-stars for prose, but the content at times is troubling. In her 2002 introduction, Jan Morris describes this book as a "period piece", something very much of the 1970s, and in some ways, this is true. A transgender person born in 1990 would not experience the same journey as Jan, who was born in 1926 -- but the descriptions of being trans and the difficulties, conflicts, joy and hope that Jan experiences feel timeless. As an account capturing a particular experience in a particular moment of time, this book is excellent.
I struggle with other aspects of Jan's writing: firstly her tendency to equate her experience with that of all transgender people, and secondly her extremely archaic view of gender roles. She views women as inherently more creative than men, because they can give birth, and also more passive, because women are "built to yield". She sees homosexual relationships as inherently unsatisfying, uncreative and unhappy because gay people cannot have children. These attitudes obvious colour her writing, and what she has to say about women and relationships can feel trite at best and offensive at worst. She is also a product of imperial Britain, and sees the loss of the British empire as a sad thing, and her writing about Africa is profoundly racist. So this book can be hugely offensive -- but as a depiction of her own journey, and as an evocation of a place and a time, and indeed of an state of mind, it is successful. And beyond that, as an account of Morris's emotional and physical transition, it is moving and consistently compelling. Morris is right, it is a "period piece", and it suffers because of this, but that is also part of what makes it so interesting.
I struggle with other aspects of Jan's writing: firstly her tendency to equate her experience with that of all transgender people, and secondly her extremely archaic view of gender roles. She views women as inherently more creative than men, because they can give birth, and also more passive, because women are "built to yield". She sees homosexual relationships as inherently unsatisfying, uncreative and unhappy because gay people cannot have children. These attitudes obvious colour her writing, and what she has to say about women and relationships can feel trite at best and offensive at worst. She is also a product of imperial Britain, and sees the loss of the British empire as a sad thing, and her writing about Africa is profoundly racist. So this book can be hugely offensive -- but as a depiction of her own journey, and as an evocation of a place and a time, and indeed of an state of mind, it is successful. And beyond that, as an account of Morris's emotional and physical transition, it is moving and consistently compelling. Morris is right, it is a "period piece", and it suffers because of this, but that is also part of what makes it so interesting.
athos's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This memoir of Jan Morris' experience as transitioning from man to woman was groundbreaking. Her narrative voice is wonderful to read, and there are so many passages that I'd want to save to remember forever. The two most poignant parts for me was her description of climbing Everest in 1953 as a news reporter following the first expedition to the top of Everest. She describes how running down the mountain to report the successful summit was the most joyous experience she had in her male body at the peak of fitness. She also talks how the expedition as the epitome of masculine uselessness as it was conducted by a group of men with no purpose other than just doing it to say that it was done. The other passage I enjoyed was when she described her operation in Casablanca, and how she felt saying goodbye to her half-male half-female body, and her exuberance at seeing herself post-op.
I think that this book would be perfect to give to people now who think that transgenderism is a new phenomena and has no place in society. Morris describes how she views sex and gender differently (a common view for the modern trans and pro-trans community) and how she believed that people are very rarely just one gender, especially one that is perfectly matched by their biology. She saw it as more of a spectrum, and emphasised that her altered appearance and dress was to match her sex to her gender. Again, a very modern idea.
A lot of the bad reviews of this book come from people addressing Morris' outdated attitudes towards race, gender roles, and homosexuality. I understand this, but I don't think these reviews are fair for a couple reasons.
1. The book is from 1974 and ought to be understood (and criticised) with historical context in mind. Most reviewers do this, except for one who says this was the worst book they ever read because Morris uses the wrong pronouns to described other trans people in the last chapters. Morris wrote about her experience as a man for the first 40 years of her life and referred to herself as a man/he/him, so it's understandable why she may have done that to describe others. Also, her audience was a skeptical public and media, and this might've factored into her writing.
2. She addresses the unjust differences between how men and women are treated through the lens of her experiences of manhood and womanhood. She notes that she cries more as a woman, and feels more subordinate in society, but not because she believes that's what women should behave like, but because that's just her experience post-hormones and post-op.
3. Morris is not racist. She states that she treats all people equally and does not discriminate based on characteristic, but character. The only explicitly racist passage comes from her description of how she used to hate Africa, African cultures and people, but repeated visits changed her outdated attitudes and she articulates a closeness to much of Africa in her heart.
4. I do agree that she says some outdated things about homosexuals and transvestites [sic., AKA drag artists now] - but she also repeatedly says that, while she is different, that she understands why men may dress up as women. She mentions this only to contrast with herself, to explain why she was only jealous that women wore feminine clothes because it was a way for them to outwardly display their inner femininity, something she could not do as James.
This is only a short 150-page memoir and well worth a read for a modern audience across the political spectrum - she provides a very individual but very approachable account to her experience as a woman born male, her personal conundrum, and her journey to fix it.
I think that this book would be perfect to give to people now who think that transgenderism is a new phenomena and has no place in society. Morris describes how she views sex and gender differently (a common view for the modern trans and pro-trans community) and how she believed that people are very rarely just one gender, especially one that is perfectly matched by their biology. She saw it as more of a spectrum, and emphasised that her altered appearance and dress was to match her sex to her gender. Again, a very modern idea.
A lot of the bad reviews of this book come from people addressing Morris' outdated attitudes towards race, gender roles, and homosexuality. I understand this, but I don't think these reviews are fair for a couple reasons.
1. The book is from 1974 and ought to be understood (and criticised) with historical context in mind. Most reviewers do this, except for one who says this was the worst book they ever read because Morris uses the wrong pronouns to described other trans people in the last chapters. Morris wrote about her experience as a man for the first 40 years of her life and referred to herself as a man/he/him, so it's understandable why she may have done that to describe others. Also, her audience was a skeptical public and media, and this might've factored into her writing.
2. She addresses the unjust differences between how men and women are treated through the lens of her experiences of manhood and womanhood. She notes that she cries more as a woman, and feels more subordinate in society, but not because she believes that's what women should behave like, but because that's just her experience post-hormones and post-op.
3. Morris is not racist. She states that she treats all people equally and does not discriminate based on characteristic, but character. The only explicitly racist passage comes from her description of how she used to hate Africa, African cultures and people, but repeated visits changed her outdated attitudes and she articulates a closeness to much of Africa in her heart.
4. I do agree that she says some outdated things about homosexuals and transvestites [sic., AKA drag artists now] - but she also repeatedly says that, while she is different, that she understands why men may dress up as women. She mentions this only to contrast with herself, to explain why she was only jealous that women wore feminine clothes because it was a way for them to outwardly display their inner femininity, something she could not do as James.
This is only a short 150-page memoir and well worth a read for a modern audience across the political spectrum - she provides a very individual but very approachable account to her experience as a woman born male, her personal conundrum, and her journey to fix it.
i_am_gaystafford's review against another edition
2.0
Ok I get it, this book is old, but there is so many derogatory words/slurs in this book. Plus, when the author was describing another trans person, she would use their wrong pronouns. It was actually one of the worst books I’ve ever read.
wafer's review against another edition
3.0
You should go into this book with the mindset that it should be seen as a historical document first and foremost. It’s outdated, and many of Morris’ phrasings towards trans folk and gay people can be very, very offensive. It does not help that there are many points in the book where she chooses to be wantonly racist.
However! Her introspection on her own lifelong dysphoria is poignant and real. Being also a trans person who transitioned later in life, her attitude and emotions deeply resonated with me.
Her joy in her transition is infectious, even if there are some aspects that I find appalling for her sake -mainly that she had to travel to Casablanca to receive what was described as a VERY DAMN SHADY gender affirmation surgery from someone who may or may not have been licensed.
It’s a short little memoir, though, and it’s the kind of thing where I think older trans people in particular would benefit from knowing of it. Cis folk should read it with the understanding that Morris’ comments regarding drag and gay folk should be taken with a grain of salt for a modern setting.
However! Her introspection on her own lifelong dysphoria is poignant and real. Being also a trans person who transitioned later in life, her attitude and emotions deeply resonated with me.
Her joy in her transition is infectious, even if there are some aspects that I find appalling for her sake -mainly that she had to travel to Casablanca to receive what was described as a VERY DAMN SHADY gender affirmation surgery from someone who may or may not have been licensed.
It’s a short little memoir, though, and it’s the kind of thing where I think older trans people in particular would benefit from knowing of it. Cis folk should read it with the understanding that Morris’ comments regarding drag and gay folk should be taken with a grain of salt for a modern setting.
nanc_282's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Conundrum is a tricky book to review. In lots of ways it is a groundbreaking story of gender transition, wonderfully written, and deeply informative. On the other hand, it is filled with privilege and prejudice that mean reading it involves dealing with racist, classist and gender stereotypes that may have been prevailing views in mid-twentieth century white middle class Britain - but are still offensive. It took me a long time to read this short book as a result. What would usually have been a few hours stretched into a few days as I had to put it down and walk away. Even so, I finished it because as a first hand narrative, Jan’s story is worth reading. She is a brilliant writer. Parts of the book are five star, and other parts not! Hence a 3 star rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Classism and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming
angelica_jardinerica's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting autobiographical story of a well educated upper-class journalist and writer, from a very traditional background, who underwent a sex change in the early 1970s. It's a very tender, intelligently written transmission of feelings, experiences and conclusions, which reach the reader very effectively and make you want to read more of her writing. Her reflections on gender differences and perceptions are extremely interesting, especially taking into account the time and the social setting in which it was written.
claire60's review against another edition
3.0
Like a window into a much earlier age both of thinking about Trans issues but also how life was around the world and in the UK when you were part of the LGBT community in the 40's, 50's, 60's, but very much living within a heteronormative existence. As others have said very much of its time, but with absolutely exquisite writing that shows the care that has been taken with each world on the page. The author is open and honest about the desire for children and how they tried to do the write thing by being honest with their wife from the beginning. Yes the politics aren't what we would expect today and there is a lot of unexplored male privilege but I enjoyed the slow gentle pace of this book especially in these hectic confusing times.