Feeling Wrong in Your Own Body: Understanding What It Means to Be Transgender

by Jaime A. Seba

Discusses normative gender roles in society and identifies what it means to be transgendered, using personal accounts from transgender youths and examples of transgenderism throughout history.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of an odd book for me.

On the positive side of things, it covered the basics of gender identity and transgender well and concisely, first going through exactly what gender is and then going through some important terminology. I also liked that it covered both transgender in children and transgender in adult.

Another good thing about this book was that it covered a few case studies of transgender, including the famous, tragic case of Brandon Teena/Teena Brandon. It is important that young people know about their history and how legislation and awareness came into being.

However, on the flip side, I found it a bit confusing. Not that anything was wrong with its message, just its target audience. On the surface, it seems that the book is aimed at children, with its large text, cute cartoons and bright colours - and the fact it helpfully defines words like 'traditional'. But then the way the text words things seems as though it's aimed at a much older audience - and words such as 'masculine' and 'effeminate' aren't defined (which is odd, because it would seem more appropriate to define those words when talking about gender!). I'm pretty sure this book is aimed at young teenagers (it's a bit like a book you would look at in PSHE), but it really doesn't seem to be written that way.

As I said, however, it is a good book for learning the basics abour transgender and gender identity. There are probably better books out there, but this one is short and straightforward and (importantly) it's very recent. This means it has all the up to date legislation and cultural attitudes, which is important for people growing up with these issues.

All in all, if you want a quick overview of gender identity and transgender issues, this is quite a good place to begin.

[Lisa Pineo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a few gender books aimed at teenagers and so far I've liked this one the least. While it's a great topic to cover I didn't like the way it was presented. The introduction reads like a thesis and is in no way written for a teen audience. The main text has boxes everywhere to explain word use which sometimes is helpful but the other times a different, more widely understood word could have been used in it's place, or the description of the word isn't any more clear that the original word choice. There are chapters but I don't find the material really follows those headings and what is presented rambles all over the place, with many different ideas and topics all together. I gave it 3 stars because the book is still mostly up-to-date and presents important information.

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the books I've read in this series so far, I think this is one of the best. It discussed many issues for transgendered people, including health and discrimination, but also terminology, some history - though very little - and even other gender-variant topics. I thought it was well done and a great starting point for someone interested in learning more about or understanding transgendered people. It is very accessible, so I feel this book could be a great start for reluctant friends and family who have someone that know identifying as transgender or gender-variant.

The one thing I was a little disappointed in was, even thoug they discussed drag queens and drag kinds, no reference to RuPaul was made. Granted this is a book for a younger set, but I feel RuPaul was - and still is - such a high profile in the drag community that he and his persona deserve a mention. Though RuPaul has done drag for many years and seemed to not be in the spotlight for some time, with the show RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag U, she has stepped back into the community's light.

[Megan Eickhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad there is a series like this out there. It is so helpful and easy to read. It might feel a little too simple for high school age and older. The book is well put together with definitions highlighted/bolded and then explained on the side of the page. There are also great historical pictures as well as what I like to call "everyday pictures". It helps show someone who might not understand the LGBTQ community is full of people who do the same things as everyone else but also explains how some of those things are different.

[alexander shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright introduction to people who have no clue what transgender is at all. But it reads like a kid's nonfiction book. Large color photos, easy words, word definition boxes, 'extra info' sections, and very large print. My library has it under our teen section probably just because of the subject matter, but just like the quote I shared, it's more a societal reluctance than any kind of this-is-too-old-for-you-to-know-about that keeps this book out of the kid's section. It may have some big words in it but it provides the basis some confused children need; not everyone just suddenly realizes when they turn 18/21 that they are the opposite gender. Some know as soon as their born, just like cisgender children do, and we have no right to dictate someone else's gender.
That said, it shared nothing I don't already know. Experience trumps a lot of the information you can read about this subject of course, since it's still so 'new' and just starting to get the emphasis behind it for research. Published back in 2011, it does need a revision if only to update to the new DSM-V definition of gender dysphoria, and also a more in depth discussion of some indicators of transgenderism! For a book that's about understanding what it means, it did not go into any detail of 'symptoms', making people need to hunt down the DSM which is all just clinical jargon. There are no personal stories about how people found out they knew or what they felt like before they knew. It's really not even a toe in the water, a toenail maybe. It would be nice to have more information as well as more in depth expansions on what has already been included. Most of what's in here you can easily find on the internet.