American Teenager

How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era

De: Nico Lang

Narrado por: Nico Lang

From an award-winning journalist comes a vivid and moving portrait of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers across the country, following their daily triumphs, struggles, and all that encompasses growing up trans in America today.

Media coverage tends to sensationalize the fight over how trans kids should be allowed to live, but what is incredibly rare are the voices of the people at the heart of this debate: transgender and gender nonconforming kids themselves. For their groundbreaking new book, journalist Nico Lang spent a year traveling the country to document the lives of transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid teens and their families.

From the tip of Florida’s conservative panhandle to vibrant queer communities in California, and from Texas churches to mosques in Illinois, American Teenager gives listeners a window into the lives of Wyatt, Rhydian, Mykah, Clint, Ruby, Augie, Jack, and Kylie, eight teens who, despite what some lawmakers might want us to believe, are truly just kids looking for a brighter future. Drawing on hundreds of hours of on-the-ground interviews with them and the people in their communities, American Teenager paints a vivid portrait of what it’s actually like to grow up trans today.

©2024 Nico Lang (P)2024 Recorded Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

“With humor and compassion, Lang shows trans teenagers as they really are: kids trying their best, day by day, to grow into their truest selves and fullest potential.”—Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir

Absolutely incredible and engaging

I never read a book so engaging about Trans teens. It’s written with unflinching honesty and it has beautiful prose.

phenomenal

So I finished this book a few nights ago and it's phenomenal. This book follows 8 trans teens from all walks of life and all across the United States from 2022-2023. It gives you a look at how the transphobic laws being passed effect these teenagers life on a deep level. It also showed how their families and in a lot of cases their communities support and show up for them. Seeing their experiences through this book hearing what weighs on their hearts gave me hope in humans again. It also made me understand that these are kids fighting to exist and just wanting to be kids and be who they are not what the world wishes they would be. This world others them so severely when all they want to do is go on dates, hang out with friends and find peace being in their skin. They face body issues, depression and having to fight every time an election makes the rounds. Some want to go into law and activism, some just want to live and be able to lay down the fight. So I cried at the end of this book because I wish all of the things these teens wanted for themselves for them. I also wish more cis people would stand up and fight so that they could rest and get to be young. It's criminal the way this society steals their childhood by regulating their existence, healthcare and lives through abusing the law. I can't recommend this book enough it's definitely a fave book for me this year. In the conversation surrounding the trans existence and the way society treats them It's a bright light in all the darkness. It made me believe in some hope for a future. We still have to fight, there's still battles to be won but it's so very important to keep going. The writing is phenomenal and the message is beautiful and empowering I highly recommend this for everyone to read. 10 out of 10 and an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars.

A LOOK INTO THE LIVES OF TRANS TEENS AND THEIR PARENTS

I was reluctant to read this but since my friend who gave me the book praised it and knew the author, I finally decided to dive in. What a treasure this book is.

The way Nico explores each teen's life makes you feel like you're walking with them. In some way, I picture it like a documentary. What I also appreciate is that it also explores the lives of the child's parents and their journey as well. It's fascinating to hear each story so different from the other. But they all are the same in one way: all the teens want is to exist and live their life in their own terms.

Some stories are heartbreaking and others are uplifting. Nico leaves each story with hope that these teens will find their path and their happiness.

I'm so excited to share this book with others and hearing it from Nico themself makes this audiobook more special. This is probably one of the most important books to listen to right now with all the anti-trans bills and restrictions happening in our country. We need to hear more voices like these and educate others.

Essential

Great read/listen, the young people really come alive. Absolutely essential in this moment at which trans young people and their families have become the right’s favorite target

Heartbreaking, Powerful and Joyful

I think this book should be required reading, thank you for sharing each of these stories with the world.

a must read

as a parent if a nonbianary child in 2016 and being transgender myself, the book gives a candid view of how children and parents thrive in a world filled with hate. Nico found a way to keep the beauty of the story while explaining why the struggles happen. this is a book filled with stories of people who are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel not realizing they were the light in the tunnel the whole time.

opportunistic pandering

still trying to figure out who this book was written for. complete lack of critical analysis and ends with a final message of “have kids”. in this era of human history? seems not only shortsighted but also a privileged position to take.

the story telling is pretty good, but is just set dressing for the author’s voyeuristic incursions into the lives of a handful of trans teens and their families.

again, not sure who the audience is supposed to be. feels like this was written for nico lang and only nico lang