They

by Sue Ellen Thompson

The poems in THEY tell the story of a mother, her aging father, and her transgender child. As the mother struggles to understand her adult child's emerging identity, the daughter takes it upon herself to remain close to her grandfather, a World War II veteran and former P.O.W., as he faces his final years alone. She writes him postcards as she travels around the country, and it is this one-sided correspondence that reveals her abiding love for a man who raised five children in the post-war years and must now grapple with issues he has never had to confront. These poems explore the challenges that gender identity poses to three different generations.

Genres: Poetry

102 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2014

Reviews

[Es Everson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the bookshop because I told myself I would read poetry today.
This challenged me to read a perspective of a mother of a trans child. It was hard to feel the reluctance to switch conceptions. Ultimately it’s a well put together story with snapshots of life and transition

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular collection of poems that on the surface tells the story of a mother and her transgender child, but really addresses expectations and particularly a mother's expectations and how, just when one is tempted to mourn what might have been, one realizes that what is is actually pretty great.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating exploration of an intergenerational triangle: narrator as mother, her transgender child, and her aging, POW father. The mother's love and appreciation of the vitality and radical uniqueness of her son shone through (I thought), in spite of her many rejections, incredulity about his transgender status. This is a brave and honest book.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wow" for so many of the powerful images. For the stark honesty and authenticity of the verse. She took me there and it was just...wow.

[Margaret Adams]

I first read Sue Ellen Thompson's work in The Delmarva Review six years ago, and finally got around to picking up one of her books. Most poetry collections are just that, collections, but this volume tells the story of the poet, her aging father, and her transgender child in way that felt more singular and cohesive than any volume of poetry that I've read before. I read this book in one go, shed some tears, emailed my mother, then emailed the author. A really great book.