A review by skelleycat
Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voices by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
4.0
Transgender people have become more and more plentiful and important in my life over the past handful of years, but I have to admit that while this makes me happy, it also used to scare me. It scared me because I have seen a general lack of understanding, and poor treatment of, trans* people -- both online and offline -- and I was terrified of inadvertently doing something to offend or hurt any one of them.
Naturally, my first inclination would be to ask questions; I'm a curious and inquisitive person, so when I don't understand something (or want to make sure I do something right) -- I ask. But I've seen a large backlash online from various minority groups. They say "stop asking me to teach you about ___________ -- go learn about it yourself," and that not only confused me, but it made me sad. I was terrified of asking any of the trans* people I knew, for fear of either offending them with my ignorance, or annoying them with my questions because apparently I should be Googling it.
When I saw this book, Transgender Lives, come up on NetGalley, I scooped it up as quickly as possible. Here was my chance to get a better education about trans* individuals -- straight from the authorities on the topic! I always enjoy nonfiction memoirs and personal accounts, so this was especially of interest to me. I was so glad to finally hear -- directly from a variety of trans* individuals -- about their lives, their bodies, their relationships, and how they deal with it all.
Each personal account discussed various aspects of their lives that I was curious about, or that I didn't know about, in a comfortable space. The chapters were also broken up with general information about trans* people and living as a trans* person. It detailed specific issues like healthcare, discrimination, public bathrooms, work environments, and more. I even learned about a plethora of transgender historical figures, which I loved! (And it included definitions of different terminologies surrounding the trans* and LGBTQ community, which I found most helpful.)
The most important piece of this book for me -- aside from broadening my understanding -- is that it was a safe place for me to confront and explore my own personal feelings and experiences about gender and sexual orientation. I might not be considered transgender or anything, but I've often felt very similar to a lot of the trans men I read about who always felt uncomfortable being raised as girls, and were stifled when they wanted to express more male characteristics, behaviors, and interests.
I'm really glad I found this book, and I think it's one that everyone could benefit from reading.
Naturally, my first inclination would be to ask questions; I'm a curious and inquisitive person, so when I don't understand something (or want to make sure I do something right) -- I ask. But I've seen a large backlash online from various minority groups. They say "stop asking me to teach you about ___________ -- go learn about it yourself," and that not only confused me, but it made me sad. I was terrified of asking any of the trans* people I knew, for fear of either offending them with my ignorance, or annoying them with my questions because apparently I should be Googling it.
When I saw this book, Transgender Lives, come up on NetGalley, I scooped it up as quickly as possible. Here was my chance to get a better education about trans* individuals -- straight from the authorities on the topic! I always enjoy nonfiction memoirs and personal accounts, so this was especially of interest to me. I was so glad to finally hear -- directly from a variety of trans* individuals -- about their lives, their bodies, their relationships, and how they deal with it all.
THANK THE GOAT GODS -- and everyone involved -- for this book.
Each personal account discussed various aspects of their lives that I was curious about, or that I didn't know about, in a comfortable space. The chapters were also broken up with general information about trans* people and living as a trans* person. It detailed specific issues like healthcare, discrimination, public bathrooms, work environments, and more. I even learned about a plethora of transgender historical figures, which I loved! (And it included definitions of different terminologies surrounding the trans* and LGBTQ community, which I found most helpful.)
The most important piece of this book for me -- aside from broadening my understanding -- is that it was a safe place for me to confront and explore my own personal feelings and experiences about gender and sexual orientation. I might not be considered transgender or anything, but I've often felt very similar to a lot of the trans men I read about who always felt uncomfortable being raised as girls, and were stifled when they wanted to express more male characteristics, behaviors, and interests.
I'm really glad I found this book, and I think it's one that everyone could benefit from reading.