A review by smittonwith
A Year Without a Name: A Memoir by Cyrus Grace Dunham

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

A Year Without A Name, is an important read for anyone seeking to understand a bit more about the gender spectrum. This book is a short read, and follows the narrative of a white, trans, queer person as they journey through life and the understanding of what it all means for them. The foreword and afterword of this book are important and I would suggest reading both to fully round out the main section of this book. If you’ve ever had questions about your gender performance or seek to understand someone else’s expression, this book is a good starting point. There are many good quotes in this book, as well as thoughts to come back to. One of my favorite quotes is, “Conviction comes in bursts, as does fraudulence. Sometimes I say “Cyrus” out loud and there’s a click of alignment. But Cyrus is also tentative, a liberating gesture that I always fear will be taken from me when I’m yanked back to reality by the “truth.” That I’m a girl, and a daughter, and that to claim anything else is to lie. That I’m consigned to being a liar forever.”