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aloysiuscc's review against another edition
4.0
The time jumps could be a little confusing, but otherwise fabulous. I can relate to him much more than I was expecting (though I admittedly would not claim to have known much about him before reading other than from seeing him in Juno oh so long ago).
juliebites's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so hard to listen to. So many emotions. I appreciate the opportunity to get to see (err hear, I guess) your journey. Thank you Elliot and thank you to all who supported you in this path to living your truth.
solanox's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible and challenging read. Elliot has been through a lot, and his reflections cast a shadow over the struggles young trans people experience when they are asked by society to play the part of a cis person.
marfbody's review against another edition
3.0
Celebrity memoirs are tricky - fans want to know inside info that is not readily known, and admirers sort of want to get their adoration confirmed if that makes sense. I read this not because of either of these reasons; it just sounded like an interesting journey to learn about. Ellen Page's transition to Elliot was pretty public and discussed, and even woven into her role on The Umbrella Academy . Notably, when a celeb has been tagged as a representative of a group, they are expected to speak on behalf of the whole of that group whether it makes sense or not.
This memoir was not linear so was a little hard to follow, and the transition chapters appeared almost as an appendix to a story of abuse, therapy, and gay bashing. It is exceedingly sad that there are people bullied just for existing in their truth. I can't imagine what it is like to feel as though you are wrong in your body or gender and also be harassed and bullied for it? How does this hurt anyone else or even impact anyone else's life?
That said it was exceedingly and almost intrusively intimate about relationships. I sure hope Kate Mara and others gave permission for writing about their very personal details.
This memoir was not linear so was a little hard to follow, and the transition chapters appeared almost as an appendix to a story of abuse, therapy, and gay bashing. It is exceedingly sad that there are people bullied just for existing in their truth. I can't imagine what it is like to feel as though you are wrong in your body or gender and also be harassed and bullied for it? How does this hurt anyone else or even impact anyone else's life?
That said it was exceedingly and almost intrusively intimate about relationships. I sure hope Kate Mara and others gave permission for writing about their very personal details.
levendir1021's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really not sure how to rate a memoir, to be honest because I believe that everyone should be able to tell their story if they want to.
I hadn't heard of Elliot Page until his coming out as trans and then obviously saw the support as well as outrage. What prompted people to make him the target of their hate, I will never understand. What makes people hate trans people so much, I will also never understand. It just makes me sad.
However it did happen and that is why I wanted to read this book. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to undergo everything in the public eye and this book gave me a small insight.
I want to rate this book for its narrative and style choices alone, as said before, I don't really want to rate someone else's life. The book was interesting and eyeopening though.
I did get VERY confused at the timeline though, sometimes I just had no idea where we were in this story and felt as if I needed to see a physical timeline in order to sort everything in my brain. As a result a lot of the story was more jumbled in my head and made less sense because of it.
Also, I like that Elliot Page narrated it himself. However, the narration style made the entire book very much doom and gloom. Even the positive experiences had a depressive feel about them. Maybe that was intentional, I am not sure.
I hadn't heard of Elliot Page until his coming out as trans and then obviously saw the support as well as outrage. What prompted people to make him the target of their hate, I will never understand. What makes people hate trans people so much, I will also never understand. It just makes me sad.
However it did happen and that is why I wanted to read this book. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to undergo everything in the public eye and this book gave me a small insight.
I want to rate this book for its narrative and style choices alone, as said before, I don't really want to rate someone else's life. The book was interesting and eyeopening though.
I did get VERY confused at the timeline though, sometimes I just had no idea where we were in this story and felt as if I needed to see a physical timeline in order to sort everything in my brain. As a result a lot of the story was more jumbled in my head and made less sense because of it.
Also, I like that Elliot Page narrated it himself. However, the narration style made the entire book very much doom and gloom. Even the positive experiences had a depressive feel about them. Maybe that was intentional, I am not sure.
kambam_'s review against another edition
I have always loved all of Elliot page’s work. So this was highly anticipated for me. And I am very glad that I read it as I feel I can understand his experience specifically a lot more. I find it unfair for one persons story or experience to be the voice for many. like many others here I don’t feel it’s right to rate memoirs, so there is no rating for the content. But as a book, the nonlinear way of storytelling was confusing, difficult to follow, and disengaging a lot of the time. But I also understand how in reflection it will not all come back as linear so this is authentic in that way. But as entitled as it’s going to sound I just feel like there could’ve been more but maybe that’s all he was willing to share for now and as a human and fan I’m OK with that.
jennieburger's review against another edition
3.0
An important story/perspective, but not well written or well edited.
felix_minka_mcintyre's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes, you never want a book to end.
I listened to the audiobook version because I wanted to hear Elliot's voice telling his story, and I highly recommend it. I genuinely could have listened to a thousand more stories from his life.
There's so much heartbreak in Elliot's journey. So many painful situations he had to endure through, often not understanding why they were happening to him or why things felt more complicated for him. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this.
The stand-out part for me in this book is when Drew Barrymore gives young Elliot advice about his sense of autonomy and creating a life on his terms, offering wisdom that's something along the lines of "the keys are always in your pocket." This phrase really resonated with me and where I am in my life right now. It makes me quite emotional whenever I think about it.
So, I think that this book may have inspired my next tattoo. How lovely is that?
I listened to the audiobook version because I wanted to hear Elliot's voice telling his story, and I highly recommend it. I genuinely could have listened to a thousand more stories from his life.
There's so much heartbreak in Elliot's journey. So many painful situations he had to endure through, often not understanding why they were happening to him or why things felt more complicated for him. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to this.
The stand-out part for me in this book is when Drew Barrymore gives young Elliot advice about his sense of autonomy and creating a life on his terms, offering wisdom that's something along the lines of "the keys are always in your pocket." This phrase really resonated with me and where I am in my life right now. It makes me quite emotional whenever I think about it.
So, I think that this book may have inspired my next tattoo. How lovely is that?