Transitions: A Mother's Journey

by Élodie Durand, Evan McGorray (Translator)

When Anne learns that her 19-year-old is a transgender man, she struggles to understand her son’s new identity. A new landmark in nonfiction comics, Transitions is a sympathetic, informative, and moving story of a family’s journey to acceptance.

"I thought I was open-minded… The news of my child’s transition hit me like a tidal wave, sweeping away all my preconceived notions. Sweeping away the comfort of my tidy little life."

When university biologist Anne Marbot learns that the 19-year-old she raised as "Lucie" is a transgender man named Alex, she’s overwhelmed by questions. How can this be? Who put these ideas in your head? What if you regret it? Am I overreacting? How will your grandparents react? Why didn’t I see it coming? Why is this so easy for others? Am I a bigot? What does gender really mean, anyway? How can I be the parent my child needs?

It soon becomes clear that Alex is not the only one embarking on a journey of self-discovery. The road is not easy, and sometimes their relationship is bitterly strained. But Alex is sure of himself, and Anne is determined to be strong for his sake. With time, she too will be transformed, rediscovering her identity as a mother in profound new ways.

With grace and sensitivity, award-winning graphic novelist Élodie Durand ( Parenthesis ) captures the unique journey of well-meaning loved ones who struggle to reconcile new gender identities with their old assumptions. Deeply researched and drawn from true experience, Transitions is a must-read companion for allies and families navigating trans issues and a compassionate roadmap to acceptance.

Genres: Graphic Novels, LGBT, Nonfiction, Bande Dessinée, Comics, Queer, Memoir

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2021

About the author

see http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lo...

Reviews

[Juan Naranjo]

«Transiciones» es un cómic que habla sobre la transexualidad, pero cuyo protagonista no es la persona que transiciona sino su madre. Este libro es el diario convertido en cómic de una mujer que se informa sobre la realidad trans, investiga sobre todo lo relativo a esa circunstancia y, finalmente, se involucra activamente en el proceso de transición de su hijo. La transición de la historia es, pues, doble: el hijo transiciona de género y la madre transiciona hacía una postura en la que confiar, creer, valorar, respetar y, por último, celebrar a su hijo.

No es el primer libro sobre identidad de género que leo que tiene una gran capacidad pedagógica, pero sí que es el primero que cuenta una historia de una manera muy humana y realista. Aquí no todo es idílico, ni fácil, ni perfecto. En esta relación, como en todas las de verdad, hay complicaciones, dudas, pasos adelante y atrás, momentos de incertidumbre, discusiones y hasta distancia.

Creo que es un libro poderoso y valioso que llega en un momento muy apropiado. Quien quiera saber lo que es ser trans, aquí tiene un buen documento.

[Lux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer : cette BD contient de nombreux mégenrages et usages du deadname

Alors, OK, c'est ma faute : en ouvrant cette BD, j'étais persuadée que nous allions suivre la transition de cette fameuse Anne Marbot. Pas du tout ! Elle est mère d'un enfant qui, lui, transitionne ! Du coup, je pense que je ne suis pas du tout la cible, et que c'est plutôt destiné aux personnes de l'entourage.

En effet, la mère (blanche, cis, et CSP +++) a du mal à accepter l'annonce de transition de son enfant. Et toute la BD ou presque est centrée là-dessus. Il y a aussi des pages plus "informatives", sur la biologie des animaux ou encore des exemples de pays où le genre est moins figé qu'ici. Elle passe beaucoup de temps à se lamenter sur son désarroi, sans vraiment se demander comment va son enfant. Elle parle même de "coming out" pour comparer le processus lent de l'acceptation... alors : non.

Je peux essayer de comprendre le but de cette BD, qui fera sûrement se dire à certaines personnes "ah, je ne suis pas seul.e à ne pas accepter directement la transition, c'est un parcours". Ok. Mais on a déjà tellement peu de témoignages de personnes trans, que j'aurais vraiment aimé lire beaucoup plus le point de vue d'Alex - heureusement, une lettre écrite à sa mère figure en fin d'ouvrage et nous rappelle qu'il s'est senti bien seul pendant tout ce temps...

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai vu un camarade parlé de ce livre lors de son CO à sa mère. Moi même trans je lis tout les ouvrages sur le sujet pour prendre toutes les représentations ou critiquer si le discours est incorrect.

J'avoue que je n'aime pas beaucoup les livres sur la transidentité écrit par des cis car ce n'est pas leur place de parler de nos transitions, il y a toujours ce côté victimaire et voyeuriste sous jacent. Mais j'ai abordé ce livre avec plus d'enthousiasme comme il a été recommandé par un camarade trans.
L'existence de cet ouvrage est pertinent je pense pour créer du dialogue et du lien avec nos familles face à nos transitions. Anne Marbot parle de son ressenti et des étapes qu'elle a franchi afin de respecter son enfant trans. Je n'ai vu pour l'instant aucun autre livre qui transmet positivement tout en éduquant l'expérience des parents. Je vais faire lire cette bd à toute ma famille de ce pas

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the genre of fictionalized trans memoirs coming out of France is one that should be abandoned. As with Call Me Nathan, I found this book to miss the mark. I understand that we were following the mother’s journey to acceptance of her trans son, but it was really difficult to read all the misgendering and dead-naming and the result wasn’t fulfilling enough to justify that discomfort . The art is very nice, and the version I read of this book was translated from French to English, so it’s possible that the text isn’t as precise as it is in its original version, but those are the only nice things I can say about it.

[The Bibliophile Doctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Norms are impregnated with unconscious stereotypes, they are perceived as givens and unchangeable."

Transitions is one of those books which I will recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to understand more about gender, sex and stigma attached to it and around it. It swiftly teaches you how to overcome that.

I considered myself open minded but no I'm not. Not in real sense anyway. This book made me contemplate my own thoughts and views about many things. It taught me a lot many things. LGBT community in itself is diverse but the complexity of it can be unimaginable. Transitions helped me understand the essence of it, If not whole but in parts atleast.

I myself could not comprehend the gravity of this being grown in a small town , not being exposed to it. It is not that I was taught homophobia or transphobia, it's in what environment I grew up. One where something which is not normal is considered bad or even worse, a crime. We had taboo around so many little things that sex, gender was never discussed but that needs to change. We need to change our views towards the whole ideology of gender and sexuality.

Gender and sex are not the same. But sadly they are considered same. We have grown up with such strict and strong belief that changing the conception will shake our lifelong roots, hell might uproot the whole structure of hierarchy. People are scared of change atleast the orthodox ones are.

The story is about a family, rather from POV of a mother -Anne who's daughter - Lucie is transgender and wants to be recognised as Alex - a man here onwards.

You fear that Alex will be marginalized but first and foremost marginalization is family rejection.

I loved the idea of it even more. I understand how difficult it must be for someone who has grown up with a certain identity but they do not themselves identify same. Their struggle starts from their homes. I have seen and read their struggle in many works and although I appreciate it very much , I appreciated transitions even more coz the struggle of family matters too. And in no way they should be underestimated.

Because in transitions Alex "experienced" the change in his identity and it took him sometime to be firm about it but for a person like your mother or father or anyone from close family who have always seen you in a certain way, they can not really experience what you are experiencing, it would not be easy for them to understand what is happening.

Transitions is a sympathetic, moving and informative story of Anne's struggle to accept her 19 years old's new identity. A road to new realisation and change of perceptive.

With grace and sensitivity, award-winning graphic novelist Élodie Durand captures the unique journey of well-meaning loved ones who struggle to reconcile new gender identities with their old assumptions. What I loved the most is how Deeply researched and drawn from true experience the whole book is. Transitions is a must-read companion for allies and families navigating trans issues and a compassionate roadmap to acceptance.

Thank you Netgalley and top shelf productions for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Fable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced review copy provided by publisher

This is an educational story for the parents and families of transgender individuals. This graphic novel is about a mother who learns her 19 year old is a transgender man; she thinks she is an accepting person but finds that she struggles to accept him for who he is.

What I liked:
- This could be a good resource for families who are finding they aren't as accepting as they should be.
- Has some good history of transness, emphasis that this isn't a new thing.
- The focus on therapy is great.
- The mom's lists of reminders are ones that I've suggested to other people trying to be better about names and pronouns: Use the right name and pronouns even when he isn't around, think of him with the right name and pronouns, using the right name and pronouns as a group at family gatherings helps everybody use the right ones. Do everything you can, in your own time, to make saying the new name feel natural, until it is.
- The younger kids in the book were all on board having a brother and switched names instantly. So real.

Things I didn't love:
- Deadnaming and using the wrong pronouns for over half the book. It had me questioning if they were even going to accept this poor kid.
- This story had such a huge focus on how terrible this is for the mother. Grieving for the 'son / daughter' you 'lost' and grieving for the super important name you chose is pretty small compared to the grief of your kid thinking you hate them and don't accept them. It's extremely small compared to grieving for your entire kid, which could be a very real consequence.
- I think these things may have been done to make it more relatable for parents who are going through the same thing, but it isn't the best message.

[Liv · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was hard for me—I’m a bit of a black and white thinker, so reading Anne’s thoughts and misgendering was rough. Her slow progression was frustrating; it was clear she was hurting her son, but her journey toward allyship crawled along.

I understand the world is shades of gray. Gender and sex are especially gray. And Alex’s transition was very new to Anne so she took it personally. Change is hard. I appreciate how far Anne came from the first page, and how much research she did—even speaking with colleagues and changing course materials. But I wish change happened faster, especially in cases where one person’s struggle to change is hurting another. (Anne’s struggle hurting Alex fyi).

EDITED TO ADD: I spoke to my therapist recently about allyship, because I've struggled with feeling like the queer-elephant-in-the-room. And they told me, "Not everyone is capable of allyship. Not everyone can be an ally." And basically that we, as queer folks, have to set boundaries around that. We have to cut or minimize access when it isn't enough. I think Anne intends to be an ally, but she needs work harder, and not to blame or harm Alex along the way. It's on her to do the work without taking it out on her (already stressed and marginalized) son.

[Ca_meli_on · Rating 3 out of 5]

On suit le parcours d'une mère concernant l'acceptation de la transidentité de son enfant. Je m'attendais pas à ce récit du point de vu maternel quand j'ai acheté le livre et je pense que ça devrait être précisé car énormément de choses sont violentes envers les personnes trans dans le livre.
Je trouve que ce livre manque du ressenti d'Alex, pour comprendre à quel point, malgré la volonté de sa mère de bien faire c'est extrêmement dur et violent pour lui de se faire mégenrer.
Je sais pas trop finalement si j'ai aimé ou non. Je pense que c'est important de parler de parents acceptant la transidentité mais c'est très dur à lire.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a book for straight people. I strongly disliked Anne for the constant misgendering and hurt she was causing. And at the end it sort of congratulating herself on how far she’d come. But without really acknowledging the harm she’d done to Alex.

[chromAyshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bonne bd. En tant que jeune homme trans je l'ai trouvé très bien, le fait qu'on est le témoignage du parent et de l'enfant est très fort. Même si certains détails sur la biologie me semblaient pas nécessaires, et des définitions un peu dépassées j'ai trouvé ce livre très bien, il fait un bon bilan de ce que beaucoup vivent je pense. Il a aidé mes parents et d'autres membres de ma famille à mieux me comprendre, à avancer.

[Elessar · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé cette BD très bien pour le public auquel elle s’adresse, mais ATTENTION, je ne la conseillerai absolument pas à une personne trans.
Il s'agit de journal intime d'une mère dont l'enfant est en pleine transition et elle est peu renseigné et à du mal a accepter les choses. Elle progresse tout au long du livre vers l'acceptation, la compréhension et devient meilleure, mais son cheminement peut être très violent à lire à cause de la difficulté de cette mère à accepter les choses et à cause du mégenrage constant.
La BD est agrémenté d'article et de sources sur le genre, la biologie, la sociologie et peut ainsi être une mine d'information pour des accompagnant peu renseigné.
Une lettre de l'enfant vient remettre à la fin les points sur le "i" vis à vis de la solitude qu'à été son parcours et de la violence que l'absence de confiance et d'acceptation ont généré.

[Alix]

Je suis ambivalente face à cet ouvrage. Les informations sont intéressantes et pertinentes. Le fait de voir le récit du point de vue de la mère permet de mieux comprendre la réaction de certains parents face à la transition de leur enfant. Toutefois, la narration est faite par la mère et elle mégenre et dead-name constamment son fils, ce que j'ai trouvé difficile à lire, c'était agressant. Ce n'est pas évident de trouver de l'empathie pour un parent qui prend si mal la nouvelle et n'accompagne pas son enfant dans cette étape si importante de sa vie.

[benita · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Transitions we get the perspective of a mother of a transgender son, as she tries to come to terms with her son’s choice and understand him more. Talking about biology, and seeing a doctor, we get to see what a safe space is., and more.

Although, I believe the mother was just trying to understand her son better, she kept misgendering him and talking about him as by his deadname. And yes, it was to show her progress from then and now, it was quite frustrating and not at all pleasant to read. It also overshadowed the story as a whole when the mother could not respect her kid’s chosen gender. As he said,

”I am a serious, thoughtful person. I am an adult. (…) I’m doing fine. I am not going to change my mind.”

I went into this book believing I would find a lot about trans-pride and LGBT+ support, but there was a lot of transphobia in it. E.g.:

”It’s a phase!”

But then the mom goes to a therapy session with Alex’s therapist, and she tells the mom:

”Trans identity is not an illness. (…) You fear that Alex will be marginalized, but the first and foremost marginalization is family rejection. That is in your hands.”

…My thoughts are: it was an okay read, but it will be triggering to LGBT+ people who have experienced transphobia/misgendering/deadnamed. As mentioned, I thought this would be a great book about trans and LGBT+ themes (which we desperately need more of!). I don’t know where I want this review to go. It was okay-ish, I guess.

Happy reading!♥️

I got this book on netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

[hope h. · Rating 2 out of 5]

a solid meh from me. i appreciate that anne came around and like started to really study and understand the theory behind gender identity but it sort of rubbed me the wrong way that the narrative entirely focused on her struggle with her son's transition? like at no point does she really truly acknowledge the harm she's done to her son's self esteem and mental health by rejecting his identity over and over, it's just like "wow this was sooooooo hard for me but i came around so we could have a relationship and now it's fine." like i think, actually, that we don't need any more narratives about parents reconciling with their child's identity?? we have enough?? i don't actually care how hard it is for them?? anyways, 2/5, wasn't really vibing with it.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing. Even though the English translation of this graphic novel doesn't come out until November, I just had to tell you all about it. This is the best graphic novel about gender I have ever read, and I try to read all of them.

First off, many thanks to the fine folks at IDW Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review. As an aside, it's amazing how many of my most treasured graphic novels were originally published in French.

The cover and the title were what drew me to the story. The story opens with the mother, Anne, accompanied by her child, learning complex concepts through a therapist. This session is about the idea that if biological sex is a spectrum, then gender is even more complex, a kind of artistic web of traits uniquely representing each individual, and whose expression can change over time. I really liked the idea of artistic expression, like butterflies with beautifully rendered art on their wings.

This seems like extremely helpful therapy, to allow a person the space to define themselves, rather than holding to a strict binary. There are so many spaces in-between, when we use a three-dimensional definition of self instead of a single line on a piece of paper.

So far, so good, but this is not the beginning or the end of the story. So, how did we get here, and what struggles did the mother and child have both before and after this scene?

The character's child, Lucie, with the guide of a therapist, establishes their gender as male, changes his preferred pronouns and his name to Alex. He tries to help his mother understand that he's basically the same person. The mother doesn't react badly, at first. Anne just wants to understand. Anne's husband Mat is on board from the beginning.

Despite Anne's love for her child, she does take more than a few missteps. She wonders aloud what caused this (seemingly to her) sudden need to transition. Anne sees gender expression as a change, rather than as a discovery. She even wonders if she's done something to cause her child harm, as if there must be trauma involved, a cause and effect that can be traced.

The author gives a very human portrayal of what this experience is like for both Anne and Alex. The depiction of anxiety is spot-on. The illustrations are evocative and deftly reflect the characters' emotional states.

Out of desperation to not stay in a helpless fog, Anne agrees to talk to Lucie's (she has trouble even calling him Alex) therapist, and writes about her feelings and experiences through the process of her child's transition, which is of course, a transitional process for Anne as well. This is the opening scene of the book we saw earlier. What we had not seen at the beginning were all the less helpful medical professionals who either rejected Alex's need to transition or did not take the situation seriously. I'm not sure which is worse.

Anne's husband Mat (Alex's stepfather) is wonderful. He seems energized and excited to help Anne work through the process of accepting Alex. He fully supports the time and energy Anne needs to both process and record her thoughts. Together, the parents do an exemplary job of exploring the gender spectrum, gender identity, and gender expression, including those outside the spectrum (non-binary), the genderqueer and the genderfluid. Their simple explanations were more clear than any of the complex treatises on gender theory I've read. It was refreshing. The scientific approach was surprisingly helpful. I was relieved to see the reminders of how closely related, even biologically, the genitals are of those assigned male or female at birth.

Although commonly understood now, I'm glad that this book makes no assumptions about the reader's knowledge or understanding about the differences between gender identity, gender expression, and sexual preferences, all of which can be completely unrelated to each other.

The author likens a newer understanding of gender as much like wearing a new pair of glasses and seeing the world differently. Honestly, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of biology and gender, but I learned a lot through this story. I didn't expect to learn anything new, but boy was I surprised by the science regarding clownfish!

The exploration of gender and power dynamics was also a very important topic to bring up. Lots of folks are heartily (even violently) invested in keeping everyone to a binary, a system which isn't even reflected by all biological animal groups. And yes, there is a very real element of danger for anyone who challenges power. This book tackles this very real worry honestly.

Alex's suggestion to Anne to read Rilke's writing is a genius way to try to break the impasse between them. This novel presents the emotional turmoil of the mother, not as difficult because she doesn't care enough, but agonizing because she cares so much. Anne is intelligent, scientifically modern, and yet she still finds getting to acceptance about Alex requires a nearly gargantuan effort on her part. Systemic culturally built-in intolerance is a bigger hurdle than we think, even for those of us who consider ourselves open-minded and evolved.

Anne's transformation and Alex's transition are so deeply emotional, intrinsically bound, and heartfelt. Not one part of it has been easy. The author makes it clear that this is a process of continuation, not a moment of arrival. Both Anne and Alex have come so far. And my heart is full.

[Aprill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Profoundly frustrating read told from the point of view of a deeply unlikeable parent who - despite numerous pedantic asides- has a VERY HARD TIME accepting her young adult child’s transness. This difficulty is presented as the mother’s “journey” and even as “her own transition” (ick). The reality is that it takes her A FULL CALENDAR YEAR to start correctly gendering her child and to stop deadnaming him?! And this is presented as meaningful allyship? Parents: you do own your children, and you most certainly do not own their gender expression or identity. I hated this book so much.

[Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hopefully helpful to other parents and people just starting out on understanding. A difficult and frustrating read from the perspective of the trans child. I am glad she grew in understanding, but this book is still very very much about her feelings, not her son.

[Mila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Très violent. Beaucoup de transphobie, mégenrage et usage du deadname. Ils auraient pu faire tellement mieux.

[Danesda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amé este libro y aprendí un montón.

video reseña en:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKb2etNuNth/

[Elaine Ker · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’avais la bande-dessinée Transitions dans le viseur depuis sa sortie, mais, en la feuilletant en librairie, j’ai compris que je n’allais pas l’acheter sans l’avoir lue : il y avait trop de chances qu’elle me déçoive. En effet, ce n’est pas l’autobiographie d’une personne trans, mais celle de la mère d’une personne trans. C’est donc avec beaucoup de circonspection que je l’ai empruntée et lue.

J’ai été très investie dans ma lecture. Les dessins sont jolis et variés, les couleurs me plaisent, et les pages s’enchaînent sans difficulté. Beaucoup de paragraphes me questionnaient en bien, ou me faisaient penser à des réflexions que j’avais eues. J’ai trouvé dans cette bande-dessinée pas mal d’écho, ce qui est toujours agréable !

Cependant, si j’ai un avis assez tranché sur des passages individuels de Transitions, je n’arrive pas à m’en faire une opinion globale. Je ne suis pas vraiment le public cible…
L’objectif de Transitions semble être d’aider les parents de personnes trans à être moins transphobes, et j’ai l’impression qu’il s’y prend bien. Il dénonce finalement assez peu la transphobie, et se place dans une posture de compréhension envers les parents. ça aide sûrement à ce qu’ils écoutent Anne Marbot et aient envie de l’imiter. Un texte accusateur serait moins efficace, toutefois, j’ai trouvé dommage qu’on n’ait que peu le point de vue de l’enfant, Alex. A la fin, il écrit un mail expliquant à quel point c’était dur pour lui d’être traité comme ça par sa mère, mais son point de vue m’a manqué tout au long de l’histoire. ça aurait pu être une page par-ci par-là, qui aurait permis de voir directement l’impact des actions de la mère sur son fils. J’avoue que j’ai éprouvé peu de compassion envers son incapacité à changer, alors que je savais à quel point ses actions étaient blessantes.
En fait, même si le message global est bien, et qu’il est nécessaire de le transmettre avec bienveillance pour être entendu, je trouve dommage qu’il n’incite pas les lecteurices à faire mieux qu’Anne Marbot. Deux ans à maltraiter son fils, au point qu’il menace de couper tout contact, c’est beaucoup quand même ! Je comprends qu’offrir de la compréhension était nécessaire pour ne pas braquer le lectorat, mais je pense qu’il aurait quand même été possible d’inciter à agir mieux qu’elle.

Quelque chose qui m’a dérangée tout du long état que Transitions contourne la question de l’intersexuation. Herculine est citée comme un exemple historique de personne queer, et la narration la présente implicitement comme une femme trans, alors qu’elle était, à ma connaissance, plutôt intersexe. On a des dizaines d’exemples de variations sexuées animales - poissons rouges, escargots, d’autres encore - on a les diagrammes de représentations du genre - pas seulement la ligne du spectre, mais aussi la sphère. ça me faisait bizarre que la bande-dessinée s’avance autant dans les théories de variation de genre sans évoquer l’intersexuation. Il aurait certes été maladroit de n’en parler que pour s’en servir d’argument, mais faire l’impasse et se réapproprier une figure historique me semble tout aussi déplacé. Dans son mail, Alex évoque des luttes anti-intersexophobie - décidément, ce mail était un vrai plus pour la BD - mais je ne pense pas que ça soit suffisant.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an enby I found this book to be really problematic and very triggering. I had a hard time getting through it. My mother has actually said some of the very upseting phrases that Alex's mother says in this book. The constant misgendering was a lot.

I do think there is room for books about the experiences of parents of trans kids. Books that empathize with the struggle to come to terms with something that can be so surprising, especially when one lacks the information and knowledge about LGBTQ+ life and identities that one's children may have more exposure to. When one is scared for the difficulties they know their child can experience due to their marginalization.

However, any such book really does still need to include significant accountability and a strong statement of reproach for the harmful behaviors that a parent of a trans child can engage in unintentionally.

This book includes almost no accountability for the harm that Anne's words and actions did to her son. It does nothing to illuminate a more informed and intelligent path towards navigating a child's transition and seems to want us to congratulate Anne for eventually seemingly getting some things right. Learning your child's new name and pronouns and not misgendering or deadnaming them are BASIC KINDNESS, not some kind of incredible, stellar accomplishment. Taking 6 months to do this is not a crowning acheivement, it's something you should be embarrassed to be so slow at figuring out.

Very disappointed to see how highly rated this is.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mom wrestles with, and finally embraces, the idea when her young adult child comes out as transgender. Interesting asides on the way gender is viewed in other cultures, as well as its expression in other species!

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translated from the French by Evan McGorray.

This fictionalized graphic memoir (based on true events) explores challenges faced by trans people's families - in this case the mother. I appreciated the honesty on the page. Seismic shifts in your world take time to absorb and come to terms with.

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful fictionalized graphic memoir!

I loved how this portrayed a mother's journey into understanding her trans son. Maybe it helped that the mother, Anne, is a biologist and was open-minded when it came to changing her views on sex and gender (and sex vs. gender).

I also loved how both Anne (and the immediate family to a greater degree) and her trans son, Alex, were open to understanding each other's experiences. It was definitely understandable that Anne was in a state of confusion and denial in the beginning, making Alex angry towards his mother. That entire situation felt extremely realistic.

And the ending, after both sides made a conscious effort to still keep in touch, it was great to see Anne actually taking suggestions from her son when he emails her resources on the trans community, while also finding resources on her own.

Maybe it's because this topic is personal to me (so I'm biased), but this graphic novel shows one of the better outcomes for when a child comes out as trans.

Thank you to Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley for this arc.

[Charlotte L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A la croisée entre la BD et l'essai, Transitions est une oeuvre très belle et sensible, pleine d'honnêteté sur le parcours d'une mère démunie face à la transition de son enfant. Avec elle, on va passer de la stupeur au désespoir, puis petit à petit cheminer vers l'acceptation. Guidée par l'amour et par l'envie de soutenir son garçon, elle va engloutir livres et podcasts et se passionner pour le sujet. On alterne donc entre récit de vie et inserts documentaires sur la question du genre du point de vue tant biologique et sociologique que littéraire.
Cette BD est à offrir absolument aux proches de personnes en transition, ou juste à tous ceux qui veulent en apprendre plus sur le genre hors des modèles absolus du "masculin" et du "féminin".

[Maite Maital · Rating 4 out of 5]

El camino de una madre hacia la comprensión y aceptación. Me ha gustado mucho el ejercicio de sinceridad, hay que ser muy valiente para aceptar que no somos tan abiertos de mente como pensábamos cuando nos toca directamente, y más valiente todavía para intentar modificar eso.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for sharing this ARC with me for an honest review.

First, wow. Just wow. This book is incredible. An extremely thoughtful and poignant story of a mother and her journey to acceptance for her son’s transition. This book could easily be a resource for teachers, therapists, doctors, and anyone in the business of working with individuals and their families during times of transition. It was full not only of scientific research on gender, but a multicultural view of transgender practices throughout history. It had amazing research and explanations for the ways of pursuing a transition, definitions of spectrum, gender identity, and gender expression, and what I think most important of all- humility and pain. While we all need to learn to be more open-minded and tolerant, what made this book incredibly successful to me was that interlaid with the research was a mother’s journey to acceptance. The questions, the doubt she grappled with, the ways she hurt her son in her journey to acceptance, the grief as well as the fear that comes from this process. That portion was what compelled me most- it is not easy to accept transitions immediately, and this book can be read by anyone who is in that place and they will not feel judged but understood. I am not saying this book condones bigotry, the opposite, but it highlights that because of conditioned norms in our society, discussions of gender are difficult, especially for parents- even the most open-minded and progressive.
This book is invaluable, with understandable science as well as citations for further reading, deep consideration of gender and Hetero-norms, and most important of all, a deep dive into acceptance and the work that goes into it.

[William Watts · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what to rate this. I can't relate to this since I'm the trans kid and not the mom. I'm on a search for materials I can recommend my own mum to read, and so parent perspectives are something I'm seeking out, but the way this is written doesn't seem like it would be all that accessible to a parent early on in the journey of accepting this process. I'm not sure if it's the word choice in the translation process or the structure of the memoir in general, but I think if I did hand this over to my mum to read, we'd both agree that it's a bit too convoluted for her to really get anything out of it. The negative parts are almost the most accessible parts of this book. It's the acceptance parts where it gets complicated and wordy. I don't want the parts that are easiest and stick out in the memory most to be the parts where the mom is misgendering her son. That's not the example I want to hand over. So overall, the way this book is structured and written just does not lend itself to my needs from it.

[Sharon]

CW: deadnaming, misgendering, transphobia, gaslighting, emotional abuse, grief, medical trauma, suicide attempt, mental illness

This is a really tough one. Because, while it was translated by a non-binary person, I cannot imagine a time or a place where this book was written with queer/trans people in mind as the audience.
The first half of the book is rampant with misgendering and deadnaming and the "woe is me" attitude of someone prioritizing their internalized ideals about their child's future life over the actual child. I will not give Anne a pat on the back for finally reaching the baseline.

The absolute anxiety and anger this book caused in me is truly indescribable. I literally frightened my cats because every time Anne deadnamed Alex, I would shout aloud, "Alex!"

No rating because it's a memoir, but, boy, did this leave me seething.

[p4tt · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gusta que no se sentencien las acciones y el daño que provoca la madre de manera más rotunda y explícita.

Qué bonitas ilustraciones.