Middlesex in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Sep 12, 2011 Tara Lynn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: booklist-for-2011, lgbt-selections

Wow. A fascinating read for anyone interested in gender identification, trans-gender biographies, and queer history. An utterly skillful and deeply frank study of Cal, gender biased to be raised as a girl from infancy, and the discovery and self actualization of himself as a male.

“Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I'd like to have a ...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Gini rated it really liked it

Cal was once Callie, a child raised as a girl when in reality he was a boy, his gender characteristics masked by a recessive gene. His story is the tale of that gene, beginning in the Greek village where his grandparents grew up and following them to Detroit as they fled war. The story is Cal's own telling of the tale, and he is filling in all the details of the motivations and thoughts of the different characters as they lived out their lives before his birth. This means that he is, in some way ...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: pulitzer-prize

Middlesex is humorous, well-written, and really opened up my eyes about what people live with who are inter-sexed (born with both male and female hormones, body parts, etc). I found this a compelling book as we so often judge people who are different than us as "not as good" or even "bad." What is "right" when someone is literally born as both a male and a female? Middlesex is a fascinating discussion about nature vs. nurture in how we grow into our gender roles.

The characters Eugenides creates ...more

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Jan 15, 2010 Jill Miller rated it it was amazing

A haunting book that is both heartbreaking and hilarious. This book helped reinforce the notion that you need to relate to others based on what they are on the inside...not how they look.

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