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gender/understand
gender/biography
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gender/how to
favorites/fiction
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My earliest reading interests after "see spot run" were in the science-fiction genre, par for the course for a future scientist/engineer. The bookcases lining the walls of my study are stuffed with a lot of sf books, many purchased from the sfbc (since they sold hardbacks), with money I could scrape together from allowances and kid-jobs. I always liked the feel of a hardback better than a paperback, but since my funds were limited, I often had to cheap out.

I drifted more into classic literature as the things my English teachers tried to get through my thick skull slowly penetrated. I was too impatient to think consciously about all those things like allegory, symbolism, irony, thematic development, and such, even though my brain was appreciating them all the time.

And last but not least, for people who love to learn, like me, non-fiction books are the door to the world of human thought. The areas I've been reading in mostly for the past few years have centered on philosophy, psychology, and gender, with all its physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects.

In keeping with the theme of the site, the gender books in my collection are described for those seeking more information. I hope my comments are helpful.

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gender

understanding

True Selves, Mildred Brown - A nicely written, compassionate view of transsexualism, geared toward those who aren't TS but want to understand in a helping way. If you are TS, give this one to your loved ones and friends. It has an easy to read style and makes the strongest case of any book on the market for acceptance of the transsexual condition by others.

The Uninvited Dilemma, Kim Stuart- Until True Selves appeared, this was the recommended book to give to lay people who are trying to find a route to understanding. It is still very good. It is more clinical, with data from interviews used to support the explanations, and the view of transition difficulties is more balanced.

Sexing the Body, Anne Fausto-Sterling - This book questions how we acquire gender in relation to sex, and describes how adaptable we are to changing needs and environments as our bodies and minds develop.  Exceptionally balanced and well written.  Highly recommended to those with a desire to understand sex and gender on a more academic level.

Confessions of a Gender Defender, Randi Ettner- A compilation of personal stories this therapist has run across in her practice, with compassionate commentary about the transgendered condition.

Gender Loving Care, Randi Ettner- Mainly a guide for psychologists unfamiliar with the transgendered condition. Much of the book is spent describing the history of the medical and psychological approaches taken toward the transgendered. Randi, like some other psychologists, considers all transgendered people to be part of the same continuum, with no clear line between cross dressers and transsexuals except the depth of their need.

Gender Blending, Bonnie Bullough (Editor) - This collection of writings has some really fresh and interesting ideas about various aspects of transgendered behavior. The section on transsexual research leans heavily on a non-pathological view. And all those old single-cause theories are discarded.

Transvestites and Transsexuals, Toward a Theory of Cross-Gendered Behavior, Richard Docter- While most writers and therapists are fascinated by early onset transsexuals, this author focuses on transvestites and late onset transsexuals (who are much more common) and presents a model for the progression many make through their lives through stages to complete gender role change. For those interested in psychology, this book presents all the theories objectively and makes more sense than many of the others.

Transvestites & Transsexuals, Deborah Heller Feinbloom - This book from 1976 was a landmark sociological look at trans-people written for ordinary people to understand.

Male Femaling : A Grounded Theory Approach to Cross-Dressing and Sex-Changing, Richard Ekins - This book takes a very different approach to understanding the lives and feelings of transgendered people, seeing all of us as moving through various phases, continuously reconstituting and re-evaluating our personal worlds, with potential outcomes in flux until we find a way to consolidate our feelings into some mode which is satisfying. As a framework for understanding, it models all transgendered persons quite well, whether CD, TS, or in-between. Since many people I correspond with express these sorts of shifting feelings, I think it is a worthwhile book for those still wandering around and searching. The many real-life stories are wide ranging in their perceptions of and solutions to their transgenderism, and it is good to see an author get past the stereotypical early onset transsexual as a point of focus.

Transsexuals : Candid Answers to Private Questions, Gerald Ramsey - A traditional, even conservative view of transsexuals presented in question and answer format. Unfortunately, there is an undercurrent running throughout that the "true transsexual" is someone who fits his description, and all others should just get over it. I wonder how many of his clients have lied to him in "therapy" knowing of his narrow requirements.

Coming of Age in Samoa, Margaret Mead - Mead's first examination of development of sex roles in Samoan girls. This 1928 book led her on a lifetime quest to understand how cultures shape their children as sexual beings.

Male and Female, Margaret Mead - Mead's 1949 study which builds her observations of primitive and western cultures into a logical description of societal expectations and roles. She cites western cultural rigidity as a cause for significant maladjustment in sex/gender roles.

Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, Margaret Mead - Mead studied primitive cultures to learn how sex and gender roles reflect the society and the environment of a people. She notes that every society has deviants, but their treatment varies with each group, from respect to disdain. Writing in 1935, she recognizes that individual temperament which cannot match cultural imperatives causes this gender aberrant behavior. She describes the plight of the transsexual in detail well before the psychologists took on the task in the 1950s.

My Gender Workbook, Kate Bornstein - When I first began reading this, I lost interest for awhile, since the little gender exercises seemed tedious and didn't excite me like they might a non-transgendered person, or someone who is finally discovering their hidden nature. The book gets better though, and the style is quite creative. The margin quotes from other people are great.  If the intended audience is a college class on gender studies, it works very well.

In Search of Eve: Transsexual Rites of Passage, Anne Bolin - This is an account of the author's perceptions of a group of transgendered people she studied in depth for two years. She refutes many of the theories of the psychologists and finds that transsexuals cannot be described in any monolithic terms, they are in fact as diverse as the rest of the population in every way.

Man & Woman, Boy & Girl, John Money and Anke Ehrhardt - An updated edition of the 1973 compilation of clinical studies and interpretations of how gender identity and physical sex differentiation occur. Money's many years at Johns Hopkins allowed for a large base of gender variant people with which to work.  He is the father of the notion that gender can be swayed to girl or boy regardless of physiology, if it begins within the first year.  The products of his theories are beginning to emerge, and they are very certain he was wrong.

Gender Outlaw, Kate Bornstein- Kate describes all that gender means to her, and ultimately decides that she  is beyond gender, since she doesn't fit into man or woman categories very well. This is important reading for those interested in the psychology of transgendered people from an inside source.

Lessons from the Intersexed, Suzanne J. Kessler - I think the existence of physically intersexed people and the difficulties they face is crucial to a general understanding of gender differences.  This book describes the variety of intersex conditions, with vignettes of the lives of IS people.  She comments at length on genital surgery, its limitations, and how it may be an improvement for some, a tragedy for others.

gender

biography

Conundrum, Jan Morris- The autobiography of the writer who spent half a life as a male among men, even climbing Everest, before finally giving in to the lifetime need to be a woman as Jan. She spent 8 years in transition, living in the gray area between man and woman, a difficult thing to do. She kept the love of her spouse and family by taking things slowly.

Wrapped in Blue, Donna Rose- A friend who contacted me by e-mail as she was struggling through her transition. We never met in person until she made it all the way through and moved to Texas. Her bio has vivid details on how she was feeling and how others around her were responding. There are lots of TS bios in print these days; this one conveys the impact transition has on one's life better than any other I've read.

My Story, Caroline Cossey - Amazon.com found a copy of this out of print book for me. Caroline is also known professionally as Tula. Even though she is a beautiful woman, internationally successful model, and had the complete support of her family in transitioning in her late teens, she has suffered greatly from being transsexual, finding long term intimate relationships shattered by her past, even though the partners were told of it and initially said it didn't matter. The stigma laid on by the tabloid press and the disapproval of others was too much. She has fought for transsexual rights in the UK, a true heroine in the cause.

She's Not There, Jennifer Finney Boylan- Jenny is a professor and writer from the English Department of Colby College in Maine. Like Jan Morris before her, she writes her autobiography with more than a touch of literary style, which makes for pleasant reading. Jenny has done some speaking on transsexualism, following publication of the book, including appearances on Oprah. Her approach to working through transition with her spouse and friends was to keep the faith, and never give up hope. Perhaps this is at least partly why her transition turned out well compared to many, so it is a hopeful read for other trans people.

Hidden in Plain Sight, Leslie Townsend- The author describes an early transition which of necessity includes work in the sex business in order to survive. She continues to struggle to achieve success through modeling and standup comedy in spite of having to deal with all the issues that come with being transsexual. Having met through a mutual friend, I also know that she is a delightful, funny woman.

Second Serve, Renee Richards- The autobiography of the male doctor turned woman tennis pro turned woman doctor. A real pioneer for our group, and the first TS I heard of in my childhood, who filled me with awe and hope. She describes the pull between living comfortably in society as a man and answering the inner drive to be Renee, which grew more powerful with age.

Dress Codes - Of Three Girlhoods - My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine, Noelle Howey - Written in delightful style by a daughter who watched her father transition as she was struggling through adolescence and young adulthood. Children of transsexuals are asked to change such fundamental aspects of their view of what it means to be a parent, or a man, or a woman that it is rather amazing that they often come through that process reasonably intact. Noelle's journey to re-script all those mental images of family is a triumph of love.

Crossing , Deirdre McCloskey - A novel of gender transition for an economics professor from Iowa from Don to Deirdre at age 53.  Some reviewers have complained that she is too focused on attaining some stereotype of what a "real woman" is. There is a great deal of this, but I think it reflects the need to be accepted, and is a sort of over-correction that is easy to fall into.  The good news is that acceptance is high from most people, professionally and socially, but a few, including former wife and children, are completely rejecting, filled with shame.

Fixed for Life, Irene Preiss - This autobiography appeared in early 2000 through a new medium, publish on demand. It recounts the life story of a transgendered person who vacillates between life as a man and life as a woman, culminating in reassignment surgery at age 61. It is an absorbing tale, capturing poignantly, and as honestly as possible the internal tug of war that occurs in secondary transsexuals who establish a normal life in their birth gender, then have to give it up.

Call me Kate - Richard Nelson- I bought this book from iuniverse.com also. Written by a close friend of the subject of the biography, it chronicles the journey of a flamboyant, effeminate "homosexual" youth who turns to sex work and part time female impersonation after leaving home. Full time living as a woman culminates in surgery after middle age. Kate's life is so different from the one above that it makes a nice contrast to show the diversity of paths to the same ultimate solution.

Mirrors - Portrait of a Lesbian Transsexual, Geri Nettick and Beth Elliot - For those born with male bodies trying to understand how one can have the transsexual drive yet still be attracted to women, this autobiography is important reading. Geri finds a happy place in the west coast lesbian community, only to be a victim of radical separatism which declares her to be a threat since she was not a "born woman". Fortunately she finds that there will always be individuals who can rise above conformist political ideology and form meaningful relationships because they are attracted to the person.

The Bliss of Becoming One, Rachel Miller - Rachel describes the integration of the feminine feelings she always felt and repressed into her male psyche, a path which has (so far) allowed her to live life in a male body successfully. Worked for awhile for me too.

Trans Forming Families,Mary Boenke, ed. - A collection of accounts of family reactions for various transgendered people. Unlike most of the current writings, ftms are the major group featured.

mom, I need to be a girl, Just Evelyn - A biographical account of a mother raising a transsexual child, but rather than the typical reaction of horror and rejection, this mother understands and helps.

Second Skins, the body narratives of transsedxuality, Jay Prosser - reading

As nature Made Him, John Colapinto - This is a nicely written biography of David Reimer, the subject of John Money's infamous experiment to prove the triumph of nurture over nature.  Of course it reveals the experiment to have been a complete failure, and details the lengths to which Money's ego drove him to hide the truth from the world.

gender

social

Transgender Warriors, Leslie Feinberg- Les explores the history of transgender expression. S/he is also a passionate speaker if you have the chance to hear hir sometime.

Transgender Nation, Gordene Mackenzie - Gordene explores the sociological problems with the rigid, bipolar gender system, a system which encourages hostility between the genders, and especially toward those who transgress genders. Her wish to abandon gender is interesting, but is unfortunately a utopian ideal, since sex and gender have driven the world since there have been people. Gordene is a good speaker if you get a chance to hear her somewhere.

Read My Lips, Riki Anne Wilchins - A collection of essays and thoughts from the transgendered community's most active political spokesperson. She captures many of the confusing thoughts and difficult situations we all encounter on our gender wanderings.

Sex Changes : The Politics of Transgenderism, Pat Califia - An exploration of how historical transgendered behaviors have been exploited by others, including the medical establishment. The gay community is called to task for appropriating transgendered figures as a part of their history.

gender

fiction

Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg - A powerful, semi-autobiographical account of a hard life growing up in the gay community in a blue collar town. It is a poignant story of a life which comes full circle, culminating in the discovery of love and self-acceptance. This book is exceptional and stands on its own as a powerful novel even outside the genre of gender books.

The Danish Girl, David Ebershoff - A novel based on the life of Einar Wegener, one of the first recipients of genital reassignment surgery, becoming Lili Elbe in the process. The author is a writer first, with a great deal of imagery and descriptive detail, and warns the reader to not regard the book as a historical account. I thoroughly enjoyed it, since it expresses the human story of the tension of the choice between Einar continuing as a respected painter with his wife, Greta, and  Lili, the girl Greta loves to paint, emerging into the world to claim her rightful life. The author captures the emotional content of the transgendered condition quite well.

gender

how to

Feminizing Hormonal Therapy for the Transgendered, Sheila Kirk - The definitive handbook for lay persons who are contemplating use of steroid hormones to relieve their transsexualism.

Transsexual Workers, Janis Walworth - A comprehensive guide to workplace transition issues, intended for coworkers and managers. Provides classical explanations for transsexualism and advice for handling typical conflicts that arise.

favorites

fiction

favorites

classics

favorites

thinking