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drlisak's review against another edition
4.0
I want to thank Katie for being open and honest in her memoir. I don't love reviewing memoirs, because the stories are so personal, but I am truly grateful for this one. I've become more and more interested in understanding gender and what it means to be trans recently, and her simple sharing of her story helps a lot. I also appreciate how it really is simply a story of what it means to be a teenager ina complex world and body.
paigewetzel's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible book written by an incredible young woman. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to understand more about gender, transitioning, understanding individual sexuality, and the spectrum that comes with all of these topics. It was wonderful to hear stories shared by someone still so close to the actual lived experiences and knowing that so much more is to come. I hope Hill writes more in the future as she expands knowledge of herself and how sexuality and gender can be acted out in the world. I would certainly love to read more things written by her!
briawnah's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn’t my favorite book about transgender transitions. I appreciate her lived experiences and I learned from them. But it wasn’t the best writing.
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
3.0
Another great and intimate memoir about a transgender teen, this time a girl named Katie Rain Hill. Like Some Assembly Required, we get a look at the relationship drama that happened between the author of that memoir, Arin, and Katie. Katie also goes into informative detail about transitioning and surgery, as well as personal details about the love and support she received from her mom and the bullying in high school. Super interesting to read since during part of her time in HS I was also in HS, and I don’t remember every hearing about her. An interesting and informative read with just enough teen drama that kids will enjoy it.
sde's review against another edition
4.0
YA books, both fiction and non-fiction, on transgender teens have been all the rage lately. I have read several. Many of them are full of passages that make me cringe ("I knew I should be a girl because I like pink and glittery clothes" Really?) I know a couple of people with trans or possibly trans kids, so know that it is not as clear as many of the books make it out to be. In fact, a small majority of kids who identify as trans when they are young, end up identifying as cis (often gay) when they become adults. I worry that these breezy books make kids think that gender identify is a lot more clear cut than it really is.
Although this book didn't go into those questions much, I appreciated the story of how she slowly realized she was trans and what it means. I also liked that she addressed many of the practical questions that kids have but that are rude to ask in person, such as what surgeries she had and what it felt like. I was a bit taken aback at how little time her surgeon in California spent with her, but maybe the discussions prior to coming to California weren't included because they would be boring to teens, though very important to me as an adult.
I was very impressed with Katie returning to the high school she had been to as a boy where she was teased mercilessly even before her transition. I was shocked that teachers continued to call her by her male name even when given directions from the administration to do otherwise. I don't expect all of them to approve of her transition, but I do expect them to follow basic directives. Just like our schools allow Jehovah's Witnesses to quietly sit out the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm sure there are many teachers who disagree with this stance, but they are not supposed to say anything. Maybe I am just naive, but teachers who do not follow those sorts of directive need to be spoken to and/or disciplined.
Although this book didn't go into those questions much, I appreciated the story of how she slowly realized she was trans and what it means. I also liked that she addressed many of the practical questions that kids have but that are rude to ask in person, such as what surgeries she had and what it felt like. I was a bit taken aback at how little time her surgeon in California spent with her, but maybe the discussions prior to coming to California weren't included because they would be boring to teens, though very important to me as an adult.
I was very impressed with Katie returning to the high school she had been to as a boy where she was teased mercilessly even before her transition. I was shocked that teachers continued to call her by her male name even when given directions from the administration to do otherwise. I don't expect all of them to approve of her transition, but I do expect them to follow basic directives. Just like our schools allow Jehovah's Witnesses to quietly sit out the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm sure there are many teachers who disagree with this stance, but they are not supposed to say anything. Maybe I am just naive, but teachers who do not follow those sorts of directive need to be spoken to and/or disciplined.
froydis's review against another edition
3.0
I was a bit disappointing in this story. While much about Katie's life is inspiring, the narrative gets a bit bogged down in personal details that don't add much to the story as a whole.
jsmithborne's review against another edition
4.0
I was impressed with this book--so much so that I handed it to Jaden, who is really enjoying it now. If you have a teenager and you want them to get a sense of what life might be like for a transperson, or if you know a transkid and want them to know they aren't alone, this is a fantastic resource. If you are a grown-up, be prepared for teenage drama and earnestness.
booklover_77's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
flaviaaalouise's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.25
See idk with this book. I am probably very much not the intended audience. Trans and cis teens alike might still really profit from reading it. Even though the language is in part already quite outdated. My rating is based on this assumption that it is helpful to others.