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Surpassing Certainty
- What My Twenties Taught Me
- Narrated by: Janet Mock
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Activism
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Publisher's Summary
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. Finally content in her body, she vacillates between flaunting and concealing herself as she navigates dating and disclosure, sex and intimacy, and, most important, letting herself be truly seen.
Under the neon lights of Club Nu, Janet meets Troy, a yeoman stationed at Pearl Harbor naval base, who becomes her first. The pleasures and perils of their union serve as a backdrop for Janet's progression through her early 20s with all the universal growing pains - falling in and out of love, living away from home, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life.
Despite her disadvantages, fueled by her dreams and inimitable drive, Janet makes her way through New York City while holding her truth close. She builds a career in the highly competitive world of magazine publishing - within the unique context of being trans, a woman, and a person of color.
Long before she became one of the world's most respected media figures and lauded leaders for equality and justice, Janet was a girl taking the time she needed to just be - to learn how to advocate for herself before becoming an advocate for others. As you witness Janet's slow-won success and painful failures, Surpassing Certainty will embolden you, shift the way you see others, and affirm your journey in search of self.
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What listeners say about Surpassing Certainty
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- JL
- 11-22-17
A beautiful and hard story continues
Janet Mock introduced us to her growth as a person and public figure in "Redefining Realness". Where that book was an intro into what it meant to be trans, to be in the public eye and the hardships she experienced, "Surpassing Certainty" is a look into the vulnerable parts of her. The fears that were scrubbed from her first book form the basis for a story where you weep, fall in love, feel protective and want to admonish. Her reading and recounting of these private moments being you closer to a woman who has all eyes on her in our current public sphere.
1 person found this helpful
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- April
- 08-01-17
excellent read.
Inspirational vulnerable relatable Janet is a good reader and writer I recommend this to anyone who doesn't know what it means to go through tough times and come out on top
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-13-17
A queen.
Janet is a woman whom I greatly admire. Her writing has and will continue to make a massive impact on the lives of trans people, and I'm very grateful to have such an incredible person to look up to.
3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 11-20-20
Such a soothing voice
I really enjoyed this book by this beautiful Queen. Im getting ready for her next book.
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- John P Colson
- 10-26-20
Janet’s vulnerability is deeply moving
Be sure to read Janet’s first book “Redefining Realness” before this one, for a deeper understanding of this remarkable young life. I am a “haole” who grew up in Hawaii, so the places and events there that Ms. Mock described revived memories I thought I had lost. I love the articulate descriptions of places, senses and feelings that the author lived. The narration, while not overly dramatic, was articulate, well paced, and sincere. I can’t wait for her next book.
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- Megan M.
- 10-21-20
Excellent
Janet’s telling of her life experiences is captivating. If you enjoyed her first book, you’ll enjoy this one too. There are fewer triggering parts than Redefining Realness. So good!
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- JARUSD
- 08-05-20
Beautiful Story
If you want to be inspired, educated and moved, then this is a must. I’ve had the honor of listening to both of her books and I am a better person for it. Thank you for sharing your story.
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- Danny Mathews
- 07-06-20
I love Janet!
amazing writing and phenomenal story telling! janet mock really digs in deep in this 2nd book. she brings you all the way through the grit and rough parts of her 20s and really goes so much further than in first book which is also a great read!
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- Serena Mink
- 05-19-20
Even better than her first book
Janet Mock is a force, and her second book far supersedes her first memoir in my opinion. Beautifully written and narrated
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- Alexis
- 05-07-20
Beautiful Read
Such a gorgeous story that follows the journey of a woman coming into her own! I adore this work!
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- Savannah
- 06-30-19
Stunning book. A must read
Janet takes you on a journey that is illuminating and leaves no stone unturned. As a sister to her experience, I found myself often reading about myself.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-13-17
Beautifully written and beautifully read.
She is so transparent you cannot help to love her for allowing herself to be so vulnerable especially being an unconventional woman. She has more class, dignity and integrity than most woman I know.
I was actually disappointed when the book finished. I eagerly await her next.
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- Vikki Marie Gaynor
- 07-01-17
Interesting life. with great insight into life..
really enjoyed the book but occasionally it wandered into the realms of erotica. which is not for me.
great story brilliantly read by Janet's beautiful voice.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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- Anonymous User
- 01-09-19
The Inspiration I needed do get through my own twenties
The Inspiration I needed do get through my own twenties as a 26 year old Transwoman
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- Bohdi
- 12-12-18
An Invitation to Janet's Experiences
I listened to the audiobook and loved it. Listened to it in 2 x 4 hour blocks. Janet is such a storyteller, divulging some of her most personal and formative experiences and inviting the readers to bear witness to them. Yes, it was a story that had love, had heartache, had tragedy, had trauma, had hardship and resilience, but ultimately, it is the story of a human being and her experiences.
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- frin_zoid
- 08-30-17
Beautiful
Janet's earnest honesty and lyrical prose is all the more enjoyable read in her own voice. An incredible story of a phenomenal woman.