Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender and Force of Will

by Calpernia Sarah Addams

Mark 947 chronicles one woman’s progress from spirit to flesh, a literal transubstantiation by force of will. Born a boy to loving but religious parents in the rural heartland of Tennessee, Calpernia Addams found her way on an unlighted path from forbidden dreams to fulfillment as a scholar, showgirl and eventually, as a woman.

Sultry stage siren by night, intellectual chameleon by day, she worked her way to the top of Nashville’s underground entertainment scene without ever succumbing to drugs, alcohol or bitterness, and through it all never lost her heart. When love walked into her new life in the form of a handsome young Army private, it seemed everything had at last come together. Then at the pinnacle of her career, as she was crowned Tennessee Entertainer of the Year in front of hundreds of adoring fans, her love was murdered in his sleep sixty miles away by bigoted fellow soldiers, sparking a national controversy that resonates still.

Whether ablaze in the dazzle of the spotlight or haunting the woods of Tennessee in flannel and pigtails, Calpernia lives her life with the humor and spirit of a woman who can face anything and still move forward with hope intact.

Genres: Memoir, LGBT, Nonfiction, Queer, Biography, Transgender

258 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2002

Reviews

[Em Chainey (Bookowski) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wathced the movie, "Soldier's Girl". Haven't read the book.
(Brilliant acting, Lee Pace)



But I still don't understand how people think that they have right to judge people, and mostly kill innocent people.
Calpernia Addams, I read her life on Wikipedia, is a brave woman. And her lover died because of homophobia, transphobia whatever... I say again like the hundred times, love is the most important thing in this world. Because you love someone most people think that she/he is queer, you got killed! What a world, ha? We should be open minded, this shouldn't be heterosexist world. We are proud of our democratic government etc. But under the skin, there lies hypocrisy...

Bravo for all those fights for their lives.

[Holly Maholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back in 2013 or so, shortly after I transitioned to living as a transgender woman. So this was a huge landmark in my own personal journey. I feel silly reviewing it now (so long after it came out), but there is one aspect of the book that has not yet been noted by the other reviewers (who did an excellent job of describing the book).

This book was written at a time before the founding of that dense forest of social media which has been blamed for transmitting the "social contagion" of multiple genders. Accordingly, it captures the thinking, emotions and approach to living-the-transgender-life PRIOR to the development of modern gender ideology, radical feminism, cancel culture and all the other aspects of a toxic environment that now surround the simple status of being a transgender woman. This is important as it allows the reader to hear Calpurnia's story free from the heavy layers of politics, ideology and pronoun-worship that we have to contend with in material written recently. It's just so much more "human" and the emotions she writes about are so much familiar to us, that this book deserves to be recognized as one of the Foundational Documents of our sisterhood of transgender women.

So actually, I believe this wonderful book captures the innocence of the time in which Calpernia lived and suffered the tragedy that befell her. There is nothing more powerful than the innocence of a woman with a pure heart.

[Sarah Calise · Rating 5 out of 5]

😭😭😭😭 nobody talk to me for WEEKS!!!!

Beautifully written. Highly engaging and personal. I related it to it a heck of a lot. I cried a lot. I need Taco Bell now.

Trigger warnings for thoughts of suicide, body dysmorphia, murder, and transphobia.

[Alyx Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the biggest Calpernia Addams booster, but now I respect how hard she's worked to transcend her circumstances. Mark 947 chronicles her hellish childhood and eventual blossoming into a woman, but it features a somewhat novel approach to its storytelling. Her surprisingly evocative, deeply intimate style drew me into her inner world such that I recognized a lot of her demons in myself. It's a pretty affecting portrait of a person learning to love themselves, and the detail and clarity with which she chronicles a lifetime of emotions speaks well for how much she's grown.

Don't bother with this book if you're looking for a conventional bio. Lots of time is unaccounted for and there's surprisingly little info on the nitty-gritty of her life, the trial of her lover's killers, the physical aspects of her transition, etc. But it works pretty well as a story of awakening, of a person struggling to identify the contours of her soul and figuring out how to be true to her nature. Any rebel, gender or otherwise, should be able to appreciate that.

The title, by the way, is a reference to a bible verse: http://bible.cc/mark/9-47.htm

[Thirstyicon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of transgender people and issues. If you are looking for details of the murder/trial, this is NOT the book. Calpernia is humble and private and that is made clear in this book.

I saw A Soldier’s Girl and read the Vanity Fair article about the murder, many years ago. So, I was familiar with the story.

I finally got a copy after hearing her on Jonny McGovern’s podcast (and on Lunatic Fringe too). She is more open these days, which makes sense as the book was written 12+ years ago. However, her life has led her to L.A. and London, these days. So, she mainly talks about her live burlesque/performance/ drag show (as in she features drag queens).

I think I would enjoy either another autobiography or a book about her, written by someone else. Calpernia has lived a VERY interesting life and she is (or at least comes across) as a very smart woman. I felt like she held back, but again, that is understandable considering the time period, from which this was written.

I certainly hope another book will happen someday.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it's like to grow up as a transsexual, especially in a very religious family, and how challenging life as a transsexual is. The language in the second half of the book might be a bit strong for some, but it's worth reading through. I felt such empathy for the author. It's difficult enough to be a woman born with a man's body, but the fact that LGBT people--and often their allies and friends--are treated cruelly by others, makes this story heartbreaking.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely difficult read - it's a story full of sorrow and pain, not a lot of hope, and only a few fleeting moments of happiness. Yet it's also an amazingly courageous story that absolutely commands your attention and respect. It's never self-pitying, and never asks the reader to do anything more than witness the events (even if it does leave you wanting to hold her hand).

Almost too sad to be a true story, this a powerful work by a wonderful writer who effortlessly connects with the reader by laying bare those emotions we all share, yet find so difficult to talk about.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read by an excellent writer. What a wrenching story. The prose gets all five senses going at once -- I almost feel as if I'd been there myself. Primarily about the author's self-loathing, not to mention crushing loneliness, Fate delivers the coup de grace when the first person to really love her for herself gets murdered. Some people are dealt some absolutely brutal cards, and this is a really good example of that. Read it if you think you can take it.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so beautiful!!! Calpernia is such an inspiration and having the courage to be who she is, is so wonderful. It was hard not to want to cry as she gives us intimate details of her relationship with Barry. Well written and nothing but good hope for her in the future to come

[Rose 'I Have Too Many Books To Read And No More Room' Barrientos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sitting on my shelf for YEARS and I just never picked it up. I'm glad I did, it was really good.