She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan
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Book Reviews of She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
Book Review: A life in two genders - a poignant and painful rendering....
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years ago, I was perusing a beloved local bookstore when I came across this book. I don't usually gravitate towards non-fiction but I was intrigued when I read the jacket. At the time, I was taking Constitutional Law with a transgendered professor and had developed an interest in transexuality and transgendered rights (as an aside, my professor argued the first transgendered paternity suit in front of the CA Supreme Court!).
Anyway, I can't tell you how glad I am that I took a chance on this book!
The story is about Jennifer Finney Boylan's experience with transsexualism and how her struggle to embrace her true identity affects every aspect of her life and the people around her. Born a male (in a physical sense) and named "James," Jennifer recounts her journey towards becoming the woman she is today. Her story is often a painful one, particularly as Jennifer recounts the emotional turmoil that Grace (her wife) and her two children have had to endure as a result of Jennifer's decisions. However, Jennifer conveys her story with an incredible sense of humor and class and I often found myself reading her words and wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.
Jennifer's story does end in a complete surgical and hormonal transition so I would note that if you're looking for guidance on this subject, her very honest recounting of the experience may be helpful to you. I would like to say, however, that I did NOT get the sense that Jennifer believes that this type of transition is the answer for every transsexual but only that it was the right option for her.
Even if you've had no previous interest in gender studies or you don't think you have a reason to read this book, I implore you to consider doing so anyway. I was pleasantly surprised to note the considerable effect Jennifer's touching story had on me!
Book Review: Not what I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't read much about this book before I ordered it and hoped it would be more about the genderqueer side of the spectrum. It certainly wasn't.
But - it was more fulfilling than I could have hoped for. Her style isn't quite linear, certain phrases referencing something prior come up unexpectedly, but they fit. You root for her all the way, understand her internal conflict, sympathize with Grace, are surprised at how well her children just went with the flow.
She makes the point that gender isn't as black and white as we see it, as we're told it is. Perhaps that's surprising to most people, maybe not. I enjoy that as a transsexual, she says this, as she's trying to go one from end of the spectrum to the other.
This books makes is haunting, which is perhaps appropriate because her latest book is entitled I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir ... it stays with you. You feel so much of her even though it isn't written with as much emotional detail as say a diary would.
It feels like a piece of art, how she put it together, the things she remembered, the things she probably had to embellish a bit, what she chose to omit (we can only imagine), what she chose to say, exactly how she chose to say it.
I would recommend this book to anyone - whether they've ever struggled with gender or not. It's a story not often told, even less frequently understood.
Jenny Boylan should be commended for having the courage to share this part of her with the world - and so honestly.
Book Review: Whoop? Whoop? Whoop?
Summary: 5 Stars
In "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders", Jennifer Boylan writes:
"I'd arrived at early adolescence having inherited my mother's buoyant optimism."
It's this same optimism that buoys the reader along as Jenny recounts the story of her self discovery, self acceptance and eventual pursuit for wholeness.
I have known some transgendered individuals during the course of my life. I've seen others in television specials, talk shows and movies. Although I have understood the condition intellectually, I have always found the issue somewhat alien and unsettling.
In this remarkable book, Jennifer Boylan discusses the extraordinary circumstances of being transgendered and explains them in entirely ordinary terms. There is no mystery, weirdness or perversion - just a human being on an incredibly difficult, confusing, courageous, and personal journey of discovery.
Boylan's prose is seemingly effortless - her voice hopeful and introspective, even when recounting times of deepest despair. She gives readers a real sense of her inner struggle, and makes us root for her all the way. A touching, thoughtful and funny book from a masterful storyteller.
C.A.Wulff
Book Review: Well written and touching
Summary: 5 Stars
I think it's strange that other reviewers choose to pick on Jenny's tendency to write in a positive light and to see the humor in her life situation. She is very eloquent in describing this "optimist" aspect of her own personality which is a part of her beginning at a very young age. With that said, the author accomplishes an amazing feat: putting into words, an experience that one can barely explain to oneself. I'm so happy she wrote this book, shared her heart, experiences, and pain. I think that if readers don't feel this pain she feels, they are simply not paying much attention. I was lead to tears, laughter, and sometimes to an indescrible knot in my throat that I didn't know whether to attribute to sadness or amusement. I applaud Jenny Finney Boylan and am so grateful she decided to take the time to share her story of an impossible transition with the rest of the world.Book Review: Wonderfully Told Story
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a fascinating book--by a great storyteller--about a man's transformation from male to female. The parts I loved best were when s/he did a private study of the different reactions s/he got depending on gender. (For example, as a male in search of new car, he was shown the engine. As a female, she was shown the cupholders and charged a thousand dollars more for the car.) When s/he started taking female hormones, s/he became more sensitive about everything, and at one point said "There were a number of times when I wish I had the male shield (of testosterone) standing between me and the harshness of the world."