Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age
by Richard J. Novic
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard J. NovicEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04-01
ISBN: 0595315623
Number of pages: 294
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Book Reviews of Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age
Book Review: A clear-eyed, heartfelt and honest look at the world of all TG People
Summary: 5 Stars
By its very nature, the transgender world is not black and white. There is a constant search for definition by those in the community and those outside it, and all too often, that search falls flat. To many outsiders, we are gay men in denial or perverts with some kind of mother complex. They see TG women as football players in dresses, much in the same way they see all gay men as swishy Nellies. The rainbow flag of GLBT pride is closer to the truth; trans experience is a spectrum, just as gay, lesbian and bi experience is. One way or another, all of us t-people have struggled to put our blended lives into words that let others know who we really are. Alice in Genderland does just that. It is no whitewash; it's the richly textured, multi-hued story of a crossdresser and represents a refreshing change in trans literature.
Before I review the book, I have to make a few of things clear from a journalistic standpoint. Alice (Dr. Novic's femme persona) is my friend, and she kindly recognizes me in her acknowledgements section. Second, I was going through much the same experiences, in much the same high heels, at much the same time Alice was. I was there on some of those nights she describes at our late, beloved Queen Mary Show Lounge in Studio City, California-a mere fifty feet from where I work today.
I first met Alice back in the nineties, as we giddily tested the limits of our newfound womanhood and flirted up a storm in the nightclubs of Los Angeles. I was the redhead in fishnets and platforms towering above the crowd looking regal and being bitchy. She was this impeccably groomed, well schooled, not necessarily well behaved girly-girl. Perhaps I'm lucky not to have become a character in her book, but recognizing many of the people she simply but splendidly describes made Alice in Genderland especially fun for me.
Not every trans person is a woman trapped in a male body, and Alice knows she's more than that. Alice/Richard describes how the secret desires of his youth evolved into the full-blown female identity, which he now adopts for a night every week. He is proudly both Richard, husband, dad and successful psychiatrist, and Alice, a sweet, elegant woman frequenting restaurants and clubs-and dating a man for five years. Crossdressers like Alice, who only occasionally venture into their femininity, are often ignored or unfairly portrayed in books about the TG lifestyle. Alice's example stands out in stark contrast to the popular misconception of CDs as selfish and strange and lacking the commitment of true transsexuals.
She is honest and evocative in the way she presents her sex life and emotions, serving up scenes that show her initial terror and shame over her female desires, her fascination and confusion, and ultimately her exhilaration and pride. I don't know if I'll ever forget the disaster that ensues as Richard confesses his urges to his unsuspecting, young fiancée. Sex and conflict can be such vital forces in our womanly awakenings, and Alice owns up to it in a way that's refreshing and rarely found in TG autobiographies. Her depictions of tranny nightlife, especially the Queen Mary, are fabulous and spot on. I feel like I can hear La Bouche's "Be My lover" pounding out on the back patio of the QM in a glorious blur of summer nights in the late nineties.
Though Alice is a very knowledgeable psychiatrist, she tells her story without it degenerating into a clinical treatise or a how-to book for the novice CD. She meets an impressive array of people on her journey and renders them warmly without glossing over the grittier aspects of their lives. This is not a book for prudes or those with a judgmental streak. In fact, one of the most remarkable things about Alice's life is the open relationship she develops with her wife and the way it allows her to explore her sexuality far beyond the boundaries of most married (or even single) crossdressers.
In well researched appendices at the end of the book, Alice opines on the many puzzles of tranny life, based on her own personal and professional experience. She strives to describe and explain things as clearly as possible, even if that occasionally puts her at odds with current political correctness. Some of her ideas may generate heat for the way they dovetail with the notions of Michael Bailey, author of the controversial Man Who Would Be Queen.I'm personally not a fan of Bailey, at all, but since Alice is actually one of us, I respect her perspective. Alice expresses herself sensitively and encourages us all to keep an open mind.
I think Alice in Genderland is an extremely good read for crossdressers, transsexuals, those who admire us, and anyone fascinated by the mystery and intersection of human identity and sexuality. Although her profession is to analyze others, she gives us a raw and riveting look at herself without resorting to facile explanations or cheap dramatics. Alice challenges us to think anew on what a loving relationship looks like and what gender roles really mean. But more than anything else, she tells a wonderful tale.
Darya Kristina Teasewell
(...)
Summary of Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age
Alice in Genderland tells the story of Dr. Richard Novic, Harvard-educated psychiatrist and crossdresser. No memoir like it has ever been published. Most of the time, he is a man at the office or a husband and father at home. But one evening a week, she is a woman about town, shopping, dining, dancing, and dating a man for over six years. And it?s all out in the open.Although he now leads a richly expressive life, Dr. Novic suffered since childhood with a secret, a desire he was in no way equipped to handle, but one that eventually burst through his denial, a few months before his wedding day. Just once, he felt, while he still could, he had to know how it felt like to be a woman.
Like Alice in Wonderland, his curiosity led him to fall headlong down a rabbit hole, through desperate straits, mind-opening surprises, heart-rending changes, and boundless love. By the time he was back on his feet, he was a different person, living a lifestyle he hadn't known existed. Anyone who has struggled to figure out who they are and how they want to live will see themselves in this powerful life story.
?Few know the transgender scene like GIRL TALK magazine?s Alice Novic. This exciting new memoir by her male alter ego takes us along with him and the people he loves, as he encounters and explores each twist and turn around him and within him. As much Lewis and Clark as it is Lewis Carroll, Alice in Genderland blazes a new trail in the world of crossdressing.?
?Linda Jensen, contributing writer, Transgender Forum
?Alice bravely explores the limits of gender, sexuality, and relationships?a sexy, poignant, and often hilarious memoir of transgenderism.?
?Vernon A. Rosario, M.D., author of The Erotic Imagination, clinical faculty, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute
?Alice in Genderland is a fascinating story, well worth reading.?
?Vern L. Bullough, Ph.D., author of Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender, past president of the Society of the Scientific Study of Sex
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