Redefining Realness: Section Three.

[Jill]

Final section of the book: what are your last thoughts?

[Amy (folkpants)]

I just blew through section two without even posting. Sorry!

So, this book...This book is wonderful in the fact that Mock is so honest. Even when she is not exactly pictured in the best light, possibly, she remains unwaiveringly honest and unapologetic.

I enjoyed very much how educational this book was, also. I thought Mock took the time to really describe what it means for a person to be trans, the terms used, and all of the variations that occur within the group. It is also fascinating to see how (as with most things in life) varying people can be. Even within such a relatively small trans community. I was also interested in the time Mock spent describing her home life, her abuse, her poverty. And how all of this shaped her in a way but that she always felt she had unconditional support from her family. I am constantly struck by the horror stories of LGBTQ youth being tossed out on the street because families will not accept who they are. Mock herself acknowledges this. So it is was a rare treat to hear of a family who loved and supported Janet as well as Charles.

Mock's writing style did annoy me at times. Which is a complete jerk thing to say. How can I be judgmental about someone's life story? But overall, I thought the book was very well told for such a complicated subject and was also extremely educational. I hope many of you had a chance to read it and would like to discuss some of the specifics. It is a very interesting subject and one that I, to be honest, have been confused and ignorant about. So hopefully we can all do some chatting!

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[Dev]

I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn about trans issues. Despite dealing with complex subjects, this memoir is totally approachable and more politically comprehensive than, say, Chaz Bono's.

I appreciate how clearly Mock is able to personally disapprove of sex work while remaining pro-sex worker and stressing that illegality just further victimizes the workers. I don't know if I fully agree, but it's not a line a lot of people manage to walk.

If I have a criticism, it's that I don't know what purpose the three-part division served. I also wasn't sure about framing the book with Janet's relationship to her boyfriend, but I suppose it makes her immediately relatable to straight cis people who might not know anything about trans lives.