Redefining Realness

Janet is one of the most authentic writers I have ever read.

I think this is both a very important book and also one I enjoyed reading. Janet Mock tells her life story with powerful honesty and compassion for her family members (who failed her in important ways, but also supported her in others), for the trans girls she grew up with, and for herself. I think this book would be a great resource for trans teens, as a kind of “it gets better” story but also a guidemap to one way of transitioning (which is obviously a very personal process that varies for everyone). I think this is also a good read for cis teens and adults as an intro to terms like “cis” and “trans” and just ways to be more aware and sensitive to trans individuals.

But it also reads as just a compelling story of a girl coming of age and breaking the cycle of poverty against pretty bad odds.