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A review by teaandlibri
Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques
2.0
Really terrible memoir. The opening chapter is what hooked me (which can be found in various places). The author describes waking up from her SRS (sex reassignment surgery) and we are then transported back in time as the author describes her journey to how we got the introduction. It sounded very fascinating: I recently read Janet Mock's book and while these were *very* different experiences I thought it might be good to compare and contrast them.
Honestly, this memoir was a terrible read. It seems to be geared much more to people who are from the United Kingdom and are *much* more familiar with the music, movies, media, etc. she writes about. While it was interesting to see how these forms of media were important to her (it also emphasized to me why diverse representation of different backgrounds, genders, etc. need to be seen media) it was quite tedious. Without that familiarity I just didn't understand a lot of the references.
The narrative as a whole was also quite disjointed. She talks about how she feels about music, movies, public figures, etc. She talks about her education and search for a job and "fitting in" (both regarding her gender identity and in general). She talks a bit here and there about theory, history and the background although it's not a 101 textbook-like resource (which is fine, but again this just seemed really confusing overall).
It wasn't something that clicked with me but it might with other people. It was one of those hyped books that really drew me when I heard about it but I certainly wouldn't rush to read it. I bought this as a bargain but would really recommend you borrow it from the library unless you are a big fan of the author.
Honestly, this memoir was a terrible read. It seems to be geared much more to people who are from the United Kingdom and are *much* more familiar with the music, movies, media, etc. she writes about. While it was interesting to see how these forms of media were important to her (it also emphasized to me why diverse representation of different backgrounds, genders, etc. need to be seen media) it was quite tedious. Without that familiarity I just didn't understand a lot of the references.
The narrative as a whole was also quite disjointed. She talks about how she feels about music, movies, public figures, etc. She talks about her education and search for a job and "fitting in" (both regarding her gender identity and in general). She talks a bit here and there about theory, history and the background although it's not a 101 textbook-like resource (which is fine, but again this just seemed really confusing overall).
It wasn't something that clicked with me but it might with other people. It was one of those hyped books that really drew me when I heard about it but I certainly wouldn't rush to read it. I bought this as a bargain but would really recommend you borrow it from the library unless you are a big fan of the author.