Five transgender teens share their journeys in their own words, with intimate revelations about their inner struggles, their loves, and challenges with family and peers. It is a testament to Susan Kuklin's (No Choirboy) gifts as a listener and interviewer that her subjects describe their lives with such candor.
The first chapter, "Jessy," may be the most accessible for readers ("At first I thought maybe there is something psychologically wrong with me because I was thinking this way, because I was feeling this way. Am I abnormal?"). Christina's voice is brasher, and 19-year-old Mariah describes her violent leanings. Their accounts reveal the teens' feelings of being out of place in their bodies, as well as the considerations for those contemplating hormone therapy--including guidance from a therapist at New York's Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.
The teens identify subtle negotiations with society attached to gender; two of the teens' parents discuss coming to grips with their children's journeys. Whether readers are contemplating hormone therapy or wish to support those who are, copious resources provide information to help sort out such questions. Kuklin's book provides both reassurance and answers to questions that teens may not even realize they have. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness