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Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable about or accepting of the transgender community.
When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But it wasn't long before they noticed a marked difference between Jonas and his brother, Wyatt. Jonas preferred sports and trucks and many of the things little boys were "supposed" to like; but Wyatt liked princess dolls and dress-up and playing Little Mermaid. By the time the twins were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt's insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart.
Through extensive research and interviews, as well as years of experience working in the field, the authors cover gender variance from birth through college. Is this ever just a phase? How can you explain this to your neighbors and family? How can parents advocate for their children in elementary schools? What do doctors specializing in gender variant children recommend? What issues should your college-bound trans child be thinking about when selecting a school? This book can help.
Is it just a phase, a fad, or a real issue with your teen? This comprehensive guidebook explores the unique challenges that thousands of families face every day raising a teenager who may be transgender, gender-variant, or gender-fluid. Covering extensive research and with many personal interviews, as well as years of experience working in the field, the author covers pressing concerns relating to physical and emotional development, social and school pressures, medical options, and family communications.
The provocative best seller She's Not There is the winning, utterly surprising story of a person changing genders. By turns hilarious and deeply moving, Jennifer Finney Boylan explores the territory that lies between men and women, examines changing friendships, and rejoices in the redeeming power of family. Told in Boylan's fresh voice, She's Not There is about a person bearing and finally revealing a complex secret.
With unflinching honesty and moving prose, Janet Mock relays her experiences of growing up young, multiracial, poor, and trans in America, offering listeners accessible language while imparting vital insight about the unique challenges and vulnerabilities of a marginalized and misunderstood population.
Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable about or accepting of the transgender community.
When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But it wasn't long before they noticed a marked difference between Jonas and his brother, Wyatt. Jonas preferred sports and trucks and many of the things little boys were "supposed" to like; but Wyatt liked princess dolls and dress-up and playing Little Mermaid. By the time the twins were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt's insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart.
Through extensive research and interviews, as well as years of experience working in the field, the authors cover gender variance from birth through college. Is this ever just a phase? How can you explain this to your neighbors and family? How can parents advocate for their children in elementary schools? What do doctors specializing in gender variant children recommend? What issues should your college-bound trans child be thinking about when selecting a school? This book can help.
Is it just a phase, a fad, or a real issue with your teen? This comprehensive guidebook explores the unique challenges that thousands of families face every day raising a teenager who may be transgender, gender-variant, or gender-fluid. Covering extensive research and with many personal interviews, as well as years of experience working in the field, the author covers pressing concerns relating to physical and emotional development, social and school pressures, medical options, and family communications.
The provocative best seller She's Not There is the winning, utterly surprising story of a person changing genders. By turns hilarious and deeply moving, Jennifer Finney Boylan explores the territory that lies between men and women, examines changing friendships, and rejoices in the redeeming power of family. Told in Boylan's fresh voice, She's Not There is about a person bearing and finally revealing a complex secret.
With unflinching honesty and moving prose, Janet Mock relays her experiences of growing up young, multiracial, poor, and trans in America, offering listeners accessible language while imparting vital insight about the unique challenges and vulnerabilities of a marginalized and misunderstood population.
In Beyond Magenta, six teens tell what it is like for them to be members of the transgender community. "I’ve always loved my body, and now I love it even more because it fits how I feel." - Jessy "Learn your pronouns because I don’t want to have to slap somebody tonight." - Christina “Transition? Everyone goes through one kind of transition or another. We go through transitions every day. Except mine is maybe a little more extreme." - Mariah
Transitions of the Heart is the first collection to ever invite mothers of transgender and gender variant children of all ages to tell their own stories about their child’s gender transition. Often transitioning socially and emotionally alongside their child but rarely given a voice in the experience, mothers hold the key to familial and societal understanding of gender difference.
Covering American transgender history from the mid-20th century to today, Transgender History takes a chronological approach to the subject of transgender history, with each chapter covering major movements, writings, and events.
Sarah McBride is on a mission to fight for transgender rights around the world. But before she was a prominent activist, and before she became the first transgender person to speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2016, she was a teenager struggling with her identity. With emotional depth and unparalleled honesty, Sarah shares her personal struggle with gender identity, coming out to her supportive but distraught parents, and finding her way as a woman.
Riveting, rousing, and utterly real, Surpassing Certainty is a portrait of a young woman searching for her purpose and place in the world - without a road map to guide her. The journey begins a few months before her 20th birthday. Janet Mock is adjusting to her days as a first-generation college student at the University of Hawaii and her nights as a dancer at a strip club.
Raising My Rainbow is Lori Duron’s frank, heartfelt, and brutally funny account of her and her family's adventures of distress and happiness raising a gender-creative son. Whereas her older son, Chase, is a Lego-loving, sports-playing boy's boy, her younger son, C.J., would much rather twirl around in a pink sparkly tutu, with a Disney Princess in each hand while singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi".
On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill 12 students and a teacher and wound 24 others before taking their own lives. For the last 16 years, Sue Klebold, Dylan's mother, has lived with the indescribable grief and shame of that day. How could her child, the promising young man she had loved and raised, be responsible for such horror? And how, as his mother, had she not known something was wrong?
No two children who bend the "rules" of gender do so in quite the same way. Felicia threw away her frilly dresses at age three. Sam hid his interest in dolls and "girl things" until high school - when he finally confided his desire to become Sammi. And seven-year-old Maggie, who sports a boys' basketball uniform and a long blond braid, identifies as "a boy in the front, and a girl in the back". But all gender-nonconforming children have one thing in common - they need support to thrive in a society.
Erika Jayne didn't make it this far by holding back. Now, in her first-ever memoir, the fan favorite star of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills bares her heart, mind, and soul. In Pretty Mess, Erika spills on every aspect of her life: from her rise to fame as a daring and fiery pop/dance performer and singer; to her decision to accept a role on reality television; to the ups and downs of family life (including her marriage to famed lawyer Tom Girardi, 33 years her senior). There's much more to Erika Jayne than fans see on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Amanda Hardy is the new girl in school. Like anyone else, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret, and she's determined not to get too close to anyone. But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can't help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past.
In This Is Me, Chrissy Metz shares her story with a raw honesty that will leave listeners both surprised but also inspired. Infused with the same authenticity she brings to her starring role, Chrissy's This Is Me is so much more than your standard Hollywood memoir or collection of personal essays. She embraces the spirit of Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes and shares how she has applied the lessons she learned from both setbacks and successes. A born entertainer, Chrissy finds light in even her darkest moments and leaves the listener feeling they are spending time with a friend who gets it.
In the updated second edition of Whipping Girl, Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist, shares her powerful experiences and observation - both pre- and post-transition - to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women as well as gender and sexuality as a whole.
This powerful, moving story - which has already touched more than seven million through a viral video created by the Whittington family - is a mother's firsthand account of her emotional choice to embrace her transgender child.
When Hillary and Jeff Whittington posted a YouTube video chronicling their five-year-old son Ryland's transition from girl to boy, they didn't expect it to be greeted with such fervor. Beautiful and moving, the video documenting Hillary and Jeff's love for their child instantly went viral and has been seen by more than seven million viewers since its posting in May 2014.
Now, for the first time, they tell their story in full, offering an emotional and moving account of their journey alongside their exceptional child. After they discovered their daughter, Ryland, was deaf at age one and needed cochlear implants, the Whittingtons spent nearly four years successfully teaching Ryland to speak. But once Ryland gained the power of speech, it was time for them to listen as Ryland insisted, "I am a boy!" And listen they did. After learning that 41 percent of people who identify as transgender attempt to take their own lives, Hillary and her husband, Jeff, made it their mission to support their child - no matter what.
From the earliest stages of deciphering Ryland through clothing choices to examining the difficult conversations that have marked every stage of Ryland's transition, Hillary Whittington shares her experiences as a mother through it all, demonstrating both the resistance and support that their family has encountered as they try to erase the stigma surrounding the word transgender. In telling her family's story, she hopes she can assist the world in accepting that even children as young as five can have profound and impactful things to say and share. What emerges is a powerful story of unconditional love, accepting others for who they are, and doing what's right regardless of whether those around you understand it.
If you are at all like me, maybe you are getting tired of reading newspaper articles on the controversial transgender bathroom issue? Thinking it is a bunch of hooey and needs to just go away? I was tending toward that thinking and realized I needed to have more information, to see what the "hype" was all about. I was really feeling ignorant and along with that, guilty about my ignorance. After all, I have seen a very nice family in my neighborhood for several years with what seems to be a transgender little one growing up.
So when I saw this title, I knew I needed to listen to it. It took me a short while to get used to the mom and author's voice. Hillary Whittington sounds so incredibly young. I also had to get past what I initially interpreted as her preachiness. However, as I listened to her story, I realized in some way she needed to be a bit preachy, as she really wanted to get her message across. One of her purposes in writing this book, exposing her child to the world, was the need to educate the public. That is, people like me, who have never encountered this challenge before, never even contemplated it, who may have unjustified preconceived notions.
The Whittington's story is very moving and touching. I applaud these parents for really taking the time to think about the consequences of their actions and for treating their child in the best way they possibly could, all the while breaking new ground. In reality, they were treading where very few have gone before. And all of this with such a very young child.
I can see why you might be thinking that a very young child could not even fathom what a gender mixup could feel like. If you are thinking that, then this book could be very informative and educational for you. I strongly recommend it. As they say, knowledge is power!
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
I preordered this book and listened to it in one day. There are so many lessons we can all learn and apply to life regardless of our individual situations. I wish this family all the best in life to come. I thank them for their bravery and openness on a topic that society is painfully slow to accept. I feel honored to have heard their story and I strongly recommend every person take this very special opportunity to listen to this incredible book.
To the Whittington family- Thank you. As a SLP student I am so glad you included Ryland's journey from the very beginning. Your family is a wonderful example for the world to follow. Thank you for your honesty and candor about the most difficult, personal challenges as individuals, a couple, parents, and a family.
If you are ever in Cleveland, Ohio, there is a safe place for your family.
-Ella W.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
I loved this story! So incredibly inspirational! Page turner! Finished in one day and the narration was great!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
love it how is he doing today love it love it lots. HOPE all are doing well
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I found my self crying a lot through out this book. Amazing Honest Loving parents. Beautiful Ryland with so much heart! I am thankful to have heard their story...not so much about transgender (which I am in full support of and care about deeply), but of the love and acceptance, stuggles and perseverance of this family. This incredible mothers words will never leave my heart.... Thank you!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This story was so vwry interesting! I can't wait to hear more about Ryland and family as they continue their journey. The only thing I will say as a critique is that Hilary's reading was a tiny bit monotonous. She didn't quite have the voixe inflection I would have like to tell such an emotional (at times) story. My propas out to her for reading it herself though as I can only imagine how hard that is.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Thank you for sharing your story. I watched the video when it started to go viral and I was so moved by Ryland and your family. He is such an amazing boy and we are all truly blessed to have him in this world. Thank you Ryland for embracing who you are and showing others what compassion and tolerance is.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Rarely does an author do well reading their own book...this is the exception! The narration is excellent. And the story of love is not only inspirational but life altering. I'm tempted to purchase a stack of this book to hand out to everyone I know!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
First, the one bad thing about the book, was that getting through the time of Ryland's deafness was a bit slow. But after that, the story was very riveting. I had great sympathy for the parents, after dealing with the hard blow of Ryland's deafness, they then had to deal with Ryland's gender dysphoria.
It seems to me that we could get past this problem of children living with the wrong gender, if we would just have the pediatricians, during their first several interviews with this child to ask them are you a boy? Or are you a girl? That would seem to answer the question early on, before all of the problems happen with puberty. How this family handled it, after it was found out, was pretty good. However, once again, it was the male pride getting in the way of doing the right thing. If the husband had only have been more accepting of the gender difference in his child, then they would have saved Ryland several years of problems, and he could have taught his coworkers, in the firehouse, about the right thing. I think it is a very brave story, and these are obviously very caring parents, to do this for their child, and their care during the treatment for the deafness.
I would highly recommend this book to any parent. The lessons learned go beyond the gender dysphoria, and extend out to learning more of what the child needs. That's the lesson we need to learn from this, that we need to listen to our children better.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about Raising Ryland?
That is was from the mother's view, as I am working on my own book about my child with much different circumstances then Ryland but I felt that I could relate to Hillary and the internal struggles she was feeling in this book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I would have to say Hillary because I can relate to her on many levels. It's hard to be a mother of a "normal" child but when you have a "special" child it makes it even harder and when you make that decision to put your child solely and completely before yourself you are making the ultimate sacrifice that a parent can make and being a mother makes you more aware of exactly what you are doing.
Which character – as performed by Hillary Whittington – was your favorite?
Hillary, because I can relate to her.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I can't say that it was something I wanted to rush home from work to finish listening to but it was something that I looked forward to when I got to work each day.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful