Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen

by Arin Andrews | Biographies & Memoirs |
ISBN: 1481416758 Global Overview for this book
Registered by winghyphen8wing of Honolulu, Hawaii USA on 8/16/2015
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This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!
3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by winghyphen8wing from Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Sunday, August 16, 2015
Hardcover with dust jacket. I like the cover art!

First sentence: "Getting dumped at prom sucks."

Well, that's true for everyone..but possibly even more if you're a transgender teen in the Bible Belt.

Arin Andrews tells his story with the help of Joshua Lyon.

Here's another copy on my BookCrossing shelf.

Journal Entry 2 by winghyphen8wing at Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Saturday, September 26, 2015

Released 8 yrs ago (9/26/2015 UTC) at Honolulu, Hawaii USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Headed out on a new adventure: who knows? It might catch up with Katie's story.

Released for Secretariat's 2015 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover Challenge (3rd quarter redo: red, white, & blue + color in title).

Journal Entry 3 by emmejo at Trumansburg, New York USA on Thursday, October 1, 2015
This was an unexpected gift! Thank you so much!

Journal Entry 4 by emmejo at Trumansburg, New York USA on Thursday, December 10, 2015
I finished this book in a couple hours. It is written in a very approachable, easy to follow, and quick to read voice, which is a nice change from some dense books on the complicated subject of gender. I could see this being a great read for a teen looking for a better understanding of what being trans is about. It does feel very much like an intro piece, and I didn't encounter much that was new or unusual. I think Arin's transition fits closely along the usual storyline about young people realizing they are trans and so it didn't stand out very much for me.

The one thing that really struck me was the section on his top surgery, where recovery times were discussed. The costs of SRS (sex reassignment surgery) are discussed pretty frequently and are well-recognized as a substantial barrier for those who can't afford elaborate "cosmetic" surgery. However, this was the first time I had really heard much about the lengthly recovery time and its impact on your ability to do much of anything, even for Arin's surgery, which is one of the least invasive, and it seems like a much more substantial barrier for many people. You might be able to save, beg and borrow the several thousand dollars, but not being able to work (unless you have a flexible white-collar job you can mostly do from home and the tech to help you work around your body's recovery) for several months after an "elective" surgery would be impossible for many people.

Overall, I think this would be a great book for someone still trying to understand the basics of gender identity, and I enjoyed reading Arin's entertaining account of his life.

Journal Entry 5 by emmejo at Trumansburg, New York USA on Thursday, March 10, 2016

Released 8 yrs ago (3/10/2016 UTC) at Trumansburg, New York USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent out as part of my Too Many Books RABCK

Journal Entry 6 by HI77 at Fort Myers, Florida USA on Thursday, March 31, 2016
The line dance seems

pretty straight forward,
till you trip.

Journal Entry 7 by HI77 at Fort Myers, Florida USA on Wednesday, July 11, 2018
The book cover attracted me on this one. Plus I really haven't read much of anything on this subject before, so it was all fresh for me.

However, while I realize it was probably written more for teens, I thought the writing was very childish and fragmented. He really needed an editor that could help him shape this story into something more cohesive.

It was very mundane in the details most times. The perspective was incredibly narrow and limited. The structure of the subjects for each chapter were loose and sometimes nearly pointless. Or worse, just a kind of repeat.

Plus, not to be offensive, but if this writer was truly being truthful, the 'suicide' scene was nothing but a clear cry for help. There was no real determination to die. Just a feeling of heavy frustration and sadness but not the kind of emotions of the level that drive one to really mean it.

And what I'm saying here, is that since this story is being told in hindsight (obviously) the writer should have acknowledged that fact of their real drive to be 'stopped' to be 'saved'. That there was no real desire to die just heavy angst, frustration and confusion. Which is pretty normal teenage feelings with all the hormones at that stage of life.

And I harp on this, because I hate to see a truly serious subject of suicide being treated as a device to drive a point. It dilutes the seriousness in the public conscious when it gets played over and over, in false context. I've lost people to suicide over the years. So it rubs me the wrong way.

Not to say this is a bad story. Just childish and weakly written. That with a good editor to put this through the wringer, could have made something great. The potential was there.

Journal Entry 8 by HI77 at Fort Myers, Florida USA on Sunday, February 7, 2021

Released 3 yrs ago (2/6/2021 UTC) at Fort Myers, Florida USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

There was someone that really wanted to read this book! :)

So off it goes to make new friends! ;)

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