Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard

by Alex Bertie Narrated by Alex Bertie

Overview

A brave firsthand account of online personality Alex Bertie's life, struggles, and victories as a transgender teen, as well as a groundbreaking guide for transitioning teens.

Long before he became known for his YouTube videos, Alex Bertie was an isolated, often-afraid transgender teenager looking for answers. In this revolutionary memoir and valuable resource, Alex recounts his life, struggles, and victories as a young trans man. Along the way, he provides readers with accessible, highly researched explanations of gender, sexuality, and transitions. He explores without judgment how complicated all these things can be, and how many equally authentic ways there are to live as yourself and find happiness.

It can be hard for questioning teens to believe in a brighter future, let alone find any sense of community. Here, with clarity and compassion, Alex writes as a supportive older brother for transitioning teens, their allies, their parents, and anyone looking to better understand others -- and themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Bertie is an affable, conscientious, and informed guide who writes well and gives his readers an invaluable, potentially life-changing and -saving book. It is highly recommended."—Booklist, starred review

"Blending autobiography and guidebook...Bertie serves as a relatable narrator who encourages his readers to do what they 'need to do to be happy' without ignoring the barriers they may face."—Publishers Weekly

"Must read."—NME

"The writing is lively and personal. The advice given is not preachy but rather practical and down-to-earth."—The School Librarian

"Personal, straightforward, and upbeat.... An accessible, hopeful road map for youth in transition and their friends, families, and communities."
—School Library Journal

"Making both writer and narrator debuts (who else could voice his story so well?), Bertie shares his coming out with unflinching honesty, raw vulnerability, and affectingly gentle humor."
—Booklist, review of audio edition

Kirkus Reviews

2019-02-13

A YA addition to the long-standing genre of trans memoir.

"I'm not really a writer," explains Bertie, the 23-year-old YouTuber-turned-author, "but I have had some different experiences that I'd really like the world to know about." In chapters like "Chest Binding" and "Bottom Surgery," Bertie repackages generations of information developed and shared by transmasculine people, with some contemporary additions. Given that it's also memoir, he narrowly focuses on a fairly privileged white trans male experience with chatty prose in distractingly laid out text. Bertie sticks to fairly basic information around medical and social transition in addition to his personal experiences. Early on he remarks that "the area I lived in until I was five was not a nice place. I can't imagine the kind of person I'd be today if I had grown up there. Would I ever have had the confidence to transition?" This may alienate readers, both trans and cis, from stigmatized backgrounds. In the chapter "Dating While Trans," he acknowledges that he doesn't know "what life would be like if I were a single trans man navigating the world of dating," which calls into question the value of his advice.

Readers who want to see their specific experience reflected in a book and those fascinated by prosaic trans narratives will be satisfied by this text, though its lasting value is otherwise limited. (Memoir. 13-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170265800
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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