She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Goodreads author!)
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 702)
Read in January, 2006
way back in 1994, when jennifer finney boylan was still james finney boylan, i found myself in freshman english with this amazing, fun, empathetic, creative professor. he was inspiring in his energy even for us, the lowest of the low - the students who were not aspiring english majors, the students who were taking EN115 because we had to. but man, what a great class jim lead. interestingly, the topic in our small (20 students) section was gender roles and archetypes of men and women. we read...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
transgender
A college professor’s memoir of what it’s like to be transgendered. Born a man, Jennifer Boylan felt female since pre-kindergarten, and at age 40 finally decided to make the official transition from male to female. Needless to say, this was difficult for her wife. An excerpt:
As a man, my sex drive frequently resembled a monologue by a comic book hero succumbing to an evil spell. “Must - have! Must! Trying - to - resist! Getting harder to- Must have! Can’t - resist!”
I’...more
As a man, my sex drive frequently resembled a monologue by a comic book hero succumbing to an evil spell. “Must - have! Must! Trying - to - resist! Getting harder to- Must have! Can’t - resist!”
I’...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
This is a fantastic book that not only looks at the life of a transgender, but also the life of her family. It is thought provoking and mindful. I struggled with Jenny from childhood confusion, to marriage, fatherhood, coming out, the sex change, and so much more. One of the best things about this book is that it not only focuses of Jenny and her struggle, but also the struggles of her family. This family shows an undying love for one another and support system that every family in Amarica hopes...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
students and feminists
I did not expect to like this book, I think it had to do with a fear that it would be a shallow treatment of a really complex bunch of issues and the goofy cover image (who IS that supposed to be? Every time I closed the book I questioned the mystery of how these things get decided).
Though regarding mystery, this book ultimately touches on what Russo sums up in his loving afterword - mysteries "which reside at our human center, constitute the deeper truths of our being" whcih &quo...more
Though regarding mystery, this book ultimately touches on what Russo sums up in his loving afterword - mysteries "which reside at our human center, constitute the deeper truths of our being" whcih &quo...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
Ever felt baffled by the opposite sex? Ever thought "you just don't know what it's like to be a girl/guy" when your significant other or friend of the opposite sex says something or acts stupid? Well here is one book about the life of someone who knows what it's like being both... truly. Jennifer has experienced both sides of the gender raibow (and all the colors in between) and tells a cool story about how she got to where she is today. The writing doesn't stand out as life-changing, ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
This is the autobiography of a male-to-female transsexual. She tells a very interesting story, and if I knew somebody who were contemplating the same transition, I would definitely recommend this book. She's also a good writer - a professor of creative writing, with several published novels that I'll have to put at least one of on my to-read list. The most vivid character in her story besides herself is her best friend Richard Russo, fellow writer and teacher, and actually, he wrote Empire Fa...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of comic memoirists like David Sedaris, and people interested in transgender issues
I really enjoyed this memoir, and I think it helped that Boylan approaches it as a literary fiction writer, which means she can actually write. And she writes a very human, idiosyncratic story, not something that feels like a formulaic Lifetime Movie version of what it means to change genders.
But what bothered me about the book is that there were a lot of things she left out, and it seems like if you're going to write such a revealing memoir, you have to take a warts-and-all approach. So the...more
But what bothered me about the book is that there were a lot of things she left out, and it seems like if you're going to write such a revealing memoir, you have to take a warts-and-all approach. So the...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
Much of what Jenny writes in She's Not There of being born feeling like a woman inside but having to consciously decide to get up each morning and live like a man was not new information to me. This, by no means, diminishes the human connection that I felt with Jenny just wanting to be herself; who hasn't, at one time or another, felt like a completely different person inside than what those around you may view you as?
What struck me to be most intriguing about this memoir was ...more
What struck me to be most intriguing about this memoir was ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who likes memoir, is interested in gender, or has a heart in working order
I picked up She's Not There, Jenny Boylan's memoir on her experiences as a transsexual, at the Strand in NYC; I've wanted to read it for years as part of my growing interest in gender studies. What I didn't realize was how much I would love the book for its literary value; amusingly, (given the number of times Boylan mentions the lack of recognition she receives as an author, before or after transitioning) I did not realize she was an English professor or author. Not only an author but ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
people who want to be educated on basic transgender issues
Poorly chosen title, terrible cover concept (why cut a woman in half?!)... but the book is well written and should educate a lot of people about trans issues. I myself was a bit surprised about the author's naivete when she was first transitioning--clearly, while living as a straight man, she had never met trans people or even gay or lesbian or bi people who were out. Quite a sheltered existence, considering she was a sophisticated college prof at Colby. So her story is probably more important, ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
This very readable memoir covers one man's journey to become a woman. James Boylan, a professor at a small East Coast College, decides to go through gender-reassignment surgery after a life of emotional pain and secrets. What makes James/Jenny's story so interesting is that he was happily married, has a kid, and enjoys what seems like a very personally satisfying life. But he goes through the process anyways, knowing full well that things won't be the same afterwards. Jenny is a totally likeable...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone. absolutely everyone.
This book blew me away. I couldn't put it down, and was alternating between laughter and tears the whole time. Boylan presents such a compelling and captivating exploration of what it means to be a woman through beautiful writing and a very open presenatation of her own life. It's been a long time since I read a memoir this good. The book made me think about myself, my thoughts about love, and my celebration of being female. I recommend it for everyone.
I don't think that Boylan's story tries...more
I don't think that Boylan's story tries...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of memoirs, trans people and supporters, English majors
So, never knew anything about James Finney Boylen but I want to research further. Funny, sometimes annoying, frequently trying to be funny (sometimes succeeding, but sometimes just not my kind of joke---perhaps age/generation gap?), but always real and descriptive. What is amazing is thinking about documenting your life through your books while going through a personal and awesome yet crazy and misunderstood transformation. Very very real and true. Opens herself up to the reader---you can te...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2007
The fascinating, well written and poignant memoir of Jennifer Finney Boylan www.colby.edu/personal/j/jfboy..., a male-to-female transsexual. I found it interesting that, although James/Jennifer came out in an almost ideally supportive and loving environment, there aren't easy answers. In the end, for Jennifer and for her wife, it seems people can change how they react but not who they are or how they feel. Jennifer has fin...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
trans folk
this book is about a trans woman who lives mostly as a man until her early forties. in some ways it is a very "light" read, which is unusual considering the pain and isolation she went through. then coming to terms with herself and giving up the husband role she was in. she takes the book's title from that song by the zombies "she's not there," because of all the times she tried to make invisible her female self. i suppose i should give this book four stars just out of sol...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Lizzie by:
Read for Schoolrecommends it for: Anyone who enjoys autobiographys, psychology, gender
I have never talked to an openly transgendered person before. She's Not There describes the hardships that Jennifer Boylan encounters throughout her life as a transgendered individual and especially how her coming out affected her friends and family. Despite the difficulties Jennifer Boylan experiences, she manages to stay grounded through humor which leads to a very interesting and entertaining story. It is definitely worth checking out if you are interested in gender identity or even if you...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Interesting biography of a man who has always felt he should have been born a woman and his journey to becoming who he feels he should be through surgery and life along the way.
Gives good personal insight into transgendered lives. Some of the chapters go a bit slow and over extended in my opinion but still worth the read.
Anyone who has felt very out of place in some reguard growing up will probably relate to this book. I was a bit of an outcast as a kid and teen and I definitely related to ...more
Gives good personal insight into transgendered lives. Some of the chapters go a bit slow and over extended in my opinion but still worth the read.
Anyone who has felt very out of place in some reguard growing up will probably relate to this book. I was a bit of an outcast as a kid and teen and I definitely related to ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
The author chronicles her life as a male and her transition to a female. This book speaks in an authentic voice of the conflicting emotions that everyone involved in her life has - shock, guilt, happiness, doubt, acceptance.
The author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, retains most of her pre-transition life, her friends, her job, her family - an occurrence that is fairly rare among the transitioned transgendered.
This book is a must read for those with transgendered people in their life or anyone...more
The author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, retains most of her pre-transition life, her friends, her job, her family - an occurrence that is fairly rare among the transitioned transgendered.
This book is a must read for those with transgendered people in their life or anyone...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
James Boyland, married, with two kids, decided at the age of forty-one to have a sex change—thereafter becoming Jennifer Boyland. Boyland's decision to have the life altering operation was not without complications; but the desire to become a woman, that he indeed inside was a woman, had always been an essential part of his life, even from a young age. Those thoughts didn't dissipate even after he married the woman of his dreams, began a family, and found his dream job as co-chair of the Engli...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
Boylan gave a GREAT insight into one person's experience of being transgender. She was so honest, while maintaining a great sense of humor. I appreciate her story being out there for others to learn from/experience, although I'm painfully aware of her white, middle class experience of gender transition. A must read - even to understand what a partner might experience when his/her spouse reveals a transgender identity.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
