Tomboy Survival Guide

By: Ivan Coyote

Narrated by: Ivan Coyote

Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Stonewall Book Award Honor Book winner

Ivan Coyote is a celebrated storyteller and the author of 10 previous books, including Gender Failure (with Rae Spoon) and One in Every Crowd, a collection for LGBT youth. Tomboy Survival Guide is a funny and moving memoir told in stories, in which Ivan recounts the pleasures and difficulties of growing up a tomboy in Canada's Yukon, and how they learned to embrace their tomboy past while carving out a space for those of us who don't fit neatly into boxes or identities or labels.

Ivan writes movingly about many firsts: the first time they were mistaken for a boy; the first time they purposely discarded their bikini top so they could join the boys at the local swimming pool; and the first time they were chastised for using the women's washroom. Ivan also explores their years as a young butch, dealing with new infatuations and old baggage, and life as a gender-box-defying adult, in which they offer advice to young people while seeking guidance from others. (And for tomboys in training, there are even directions on building your very own unicorn trap.)

Tomboy Survival Guide warmly recounts Ivan's adventures and mishaps as a diffident yet free-spirited tomboy, and maps their journey through treacherous gender landscapes and a maze of labels that don't quite stick, to a place of self-acceptance and an authentic and personal strength. These heartfelt, funny, and moving stories are about the culture of difference - a "guide" to being true to one's self.

©2016 Ivan Coyote (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

fantastic!

I wish I had this book 10 years ago! thank you for all that you wrote, I'm inspired beyond words ❤️❤️❤️

Incredible

I could write paragraphs on this book. Unfortunately I’m too wrapped up in thought, emotional response, drive, and admiration from reading this book to do so. Must read.

Relatable, tender, sad, sweet

Thank you Ivan Coyote for telling so many of my own stories thru your stories. For all the butches, trans-masc, and gender variant folks of the masculine flavor, for those of us in the trades who lived through certain times, books like these are far and few between. A real gift.

To trans* people: gift this to your family

My sis and I listened to this book recently on a road trip coming back to Michigan from Montreal. As someone who doesn't have the same exposure to topics covered in classes in queer and gender studies programs, Ivan's stories were the first of their kind flowing into my sis' ears. There are a lot of people in our lives who identify somewhere on the trans spectrum and we were able to use Ivan's perspectives as a gateway for valuable conversations. Here are some major takeaways regarding trans* people's possible experiences: navigating public restrooms can be scary and dangerous, so-called 'gender' reveal parties are a way of announcing your child's genitalia publicly, thinking and doing gender in a binary can have very harmful consequences for non-cis-gendered people, appreciate the family members and friends who see and hear you and try their hardest, love yourself.

I 100% recommend this book to anyone, especially to my little 15-year-old self who didn't know they needed to read a book like this and who was 15 way before this book and others like it came into existence.

Truth, Hope & Love

As a non-binary, transmasculine person, it is always so heartening to hear that someone shares the truths I hold in my heart. Ivan's raw and emotional storytelling had me crying, smiling, laughing, and hoping. Hope. That's something that comes in short supply for trans people. Every time I hear of another trans person's success, it becomes my own in some small way. It becomes my hope that I can be understood, accepted, and loved just the way I am. Thank you, Ivan Coyote.

Thank you for all you do

I really enjoyed listening to this book!The voice reminds me of a friend we met who is from Whitehorse. I swear I checked the name and had to see a photo to make sure it wasn't him. I am so grateful for this and will continue to look for more. What a big heart and kind soul! ❤️

Just Beautiful!!

This book is such an eye opener. My daughter is married to a transgender and when she came out, I supported her no matter what. I knew it had to be hard for them, but I never really knew if that makes sense. The public bathroom situation makes me so sad. Your right, we do have a gender neutral bathroom in our homes. Why can't we have them in public? I guess I'm one of the exceptions, because I always ask what pronoun do they want to use. I ask because I want to make sure I'm calling them what they want, not what I want to call them. I am a member of the Mamma Bear group in my community, because everyone needs to feel like they belong and are loved!!

relatable

This book touches my soul, unlike any other book I've ever read or listened too. I bought a copy so I can re-read and listen to it anytime I need too.

Listen to the kindness

I get a bit cynical. The world swims in a soup of complicated ideas, thoughts and actions. Sometimes, I just crave simplicity even though I know that this is not possible. Coyote’s book touches on some of the complications of the world but in a way that pares things down. There are also pretty basic things in our world: love, compassion, family and community. This books celebrated these basics within the complications of being human. This book brought me to tears multiple times for the intense displays of kindness. Coyote’s words are beautiful. Their reading is beautiful. It is simply beautiful.

A gift

Affirming, deeply personal, gentling touching parts of myself I am growing into, parts I’ve thrown away, and parts that are quiet and here and always will be. A gift for tomboy blood