TRUNKY (transgender junky): A Memoir of Institutionalization & Southern Hospitality

by Samuel Peterson

Profoundly philosophical, surprisingly funny and brutally honest, this modern day tragic-comedy pulls no punches delving into the Sisyphean struggle of human addiction and recovery. After a decade of sobriety and relentless devotion to becoming a writer, Trunky finally finds himself on the brink of success and widespread acclaim. But as fate would have it, he spirals down into depression and begins using heroin again. This relapse is different from those that came before, however, as Trunky ends up institutionalized in a recovery center in the south among a diverse group of dopers--thugs, criminals, white supremacists, professional athletes and business men--all of whom are looking for something they're terrified of finding. As Trunky navigates his path from addition to recovery and female to manhood in this cast of characters, he find himself on an unexpected journey into the depths of the human soul where he discovers its fundamental flaws and the redemption we experience from honest vulnerability when we have the courage to take the plunge.

Genres: Memoir, Transgender, Nonfiction, LGBT, Biography Memoir, Addiction, Queer

230 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2016

About the author

Samuel Peterson is an artist and writer who uses forms of memoir as a political and life-saving gesture. The life he saves is his own.

"Readers often ask me how I could write about the extremely intimate and challenging experience that was being a transgender heroin addict on the men's ward in the south. For me, the question is 'how could I not!?'"

He currently lives in Durham, NC.

Reviews

[Eric Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam's my brother, so I cannot review this without bias. :) But it's really interesting and very readable, although he goes for the SAT words a little too enthusiastically. You should all definitely read this book, and buy as many copies of it as you can afford!

[Mike Keren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book a challenge. Having met the author on a social networking site I decided his story sounded interesting and bought the book. His decision to tell hi story in the third person made it a challenging, at time disorienting read for me and I found myself putting it down for periods of time. However, I was constantly drawn back to it to see where his tale went. What brought me back and kept me going till the end was his incredible strength in capturing the atmosphere, the dialogs, the rhythms and the cadences of life on the inside of an institution, especially an all male institution. "Trunky" is the story of Peterson's experience in a month long substance abuse state run treatment center where many of the "inmates" are correctional referred.

Peterson identifies himself as a transman. He provides an insight on this environment that few can because he has been on the other side of the wall, having been the institution on the women's side as well. Daily he is forced to cope with his own withdrawal and struggle to remain sober, the management of his identity as a transman, his crumbling relationship on the outside, his homelessness, and the transphobia of the environment and society at large. Peterson is able to beautifully describe both his internal processes, his thoughts, feelings and at times crazy ramblings, as well as the chaos around him. He ends his book as he is leaving rehab. He is hopeful and tells himself and the reader that it feels different, that he believes he can do it. But the reader also knows that it will not be an easy journey going forward.

I can heartily recommend this book. Peterson is a talented writer. I hope we see more from him in the future.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to overuse the word "fascinating" when describing a book that really captures my attention. "Gripping" feels too much like I am writing a blurb for back cover copy. Let me instead say that TRUNKY is best characterized as "insight overload." Peterson has crafted a book (and a life) that could serve as a case study in courses on queer theory, gender studies, Southern race relations, institutional medicine, addiction, and others.

As a physician struggling to keep in balance my patients' wellness, suffering, inevitable satisfaction scores, and the shameful reality of a healthcare-driven opiate epidemic, I found Peterson's descriptions of the day-to-day (often moment-to-moment) experiences of addiction provoked me to critically think about how I have arrived at certain beliefs concerning addiction and reexamine those beliefs' truths. And, as a gay man, reading an account of a trans man attracted to women--and thereby both insider and outsider--interact with a bunch of primarily cis straight Southern men was similarly valuable and less similarly hilarious.

I unreservedly recommend TRUNKY for anyone looking to get down into the weeds and lived experience of surviving both addiction and modern medicine's attempts to support people with addiction; you will certainly gain some precious from the experience of reading it.

[Trystan Cotten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Read it twice now. Couldn't put it down the first time--finished it in two days, it was THAT good! The author has real literary talent and blows you away w/ prose that floats and slides through the air. He makes words do things on the page I haven't seen in a long time--since I last read Morrison's Paradise. Aside from delving into some serious issues of really and truly facing ourselves, the book is a genuine, unabashed look at the gender, class and racial politics--institutional, ideological and individual--that we use to avoid real self-awareness and living our truths.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely loved an inside look at a facility I have referred people to for treatment. I enjoyed his observations of his peers & the staff, some of which were quite humorous. I did want more of his background story - that was the only disappointment - but the experience he had while there did feel like a full package so maybe another book down the line.... if he feels like it...

[kade · Rating 4 out of 5]

it might have been a little hard to get into but i really loved it yk

[Samira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. There were a lot of characters that I had a hard time with and I was hoping for more in the transgender transition but still very good.

[Gillian Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peterson’s unique perspective on gender makes TRUNKY standout. I underlined many insightful passages along the way. It was also candid and witty. Would highly recommend.

[Jesse Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that I’ve had on my shelf for way too long. A great story of someone during their recovery and the pieces on anxiety really made me have to think about my own journey.

[Lura Frazey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wry, intelligent look at addiction and recovery that, thankfully, doesn't deal in self-pity except to call it out. Peterson's honesty about the thinking that leads to addiction made his descriptions relatable and moving. His account of the underlying difficulties of being trans in an institutional setting, and the lack of transitional housing when it was time to leave, is a disturbing and important addition to our public discourse on addiction treatment. His use of language is refreshing. Honestly thought I'd have to plow through it, since addiction has been somewhat done to death in memoirs, but couldn't put it down.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent