ind this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex
We can all benefit from educating ourselves more about what it means to a Trans person in our society. Janet details her evolution from being a boy who knows she's a girl, to living in her truth and learning what that is. It was really jarring to imagine having to hide facets of your personality, because society doesn't believe you should have them. The violence that is committed against Trans people shows the high intolerance our society has for difference. Janet weaves her life's story with educational statistics, and quotes that help highlight the lived experiences of Trans youth.
"I didn't have the words to define who I was, but I recognized me and often chose to dismiss her with the one question that pushed me to put the mask back on: Who will ever love you if you tell the truth?"
Janet's life was not an easy one, but she was determined to be successful despite the many challenges she faced. Growing up in Hawaii where she was fortunate to have a Trans community that offered her support, she took advantage of the resources that were available. Janet's family reacted to her transition in varied but ultimately supportive ways. In addition to her discovering who she was gender wise, she also had to grapple with the challenges of being a person of color. The use of humor and a very honest description of who Janet is, was refreshing and kept me engaged in the narrative.
"To embody "realness," rather than performing and competing "realness", enables trans women to enter spaces with a lower risk of being rebutted or questioned, policed or attacked."
This book tackles very serious topics including substance abuse, poverty, sexual abuse and domestic violence. Janet was able to use her lived experience to find success, but it was clear that she paid a high cost to exist as herself. The story line did jump around a bit, but overall it worked well. For those of us who aren't marginalized in our society, the story telling of the often ignored, should fuel us to create safer spaces for everyone. This book definitely offered me that inspiration. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading about diverse lived experiences and learning more about Trans community's of color.