No Strings

by TP Catalano

All behavior is innate or learned. Yet, at birth, with the stroke of a doctor’s pen, an infant’s genitals alone determine whether a newborn is a boy or a girl. That assignment assumes identity, gender and sexuality remain constant throughout life. This powerful and provocative novel finds Terry Romano, the protagonist, born a biological girl in 1931. At seven, Terry discovers s/he is a boy and transmasculine, a complete contradiction of socially accepted concepts assigned at birth. A ballsy style, a kick-ass attitude, street smarts and a jock swagger all validate Terry, nicknamed TomCat, along with his uber prowess, good looks, talents and transmasculine ways. Society dictates how Terry should look, walk and act, what and what not to wear. Above all, Terry is warned: never to have sex with women. In his twenties, over a breakup with a woman, Terry enters individual psychotherapy. His life history in therapy sessions reveals an inner, emotional life so deprived, it is potentially able to destroy him. He is challenged to unravel the strings that have held him back and have threatened to obliterate him. Will Terry achieve professional success as a mature, transmasculine adult? Will he discover personal contentment, with a loving woman and partner in his life? Does he have the strength to overcome the naysayers who have surrounded him and, instead, embrace his identity and life choices with courage and pride? No Strings is the journey of Terry Romano: his early entanglements, his cutting of burdening strings, his tightening of strings that tie and connect him to those he loved and continues to love. This is his story. This is his life.

First published January 1, 2012