Subscribe to Read
Sign up today to enjoy a complimentary trial and begin exploring the world of books! You have the freedom to cancel at your convenience.
Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
| Title | Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2024-10-12 02:05:15 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this winning memoir. We've all felt uncomfortable in our own skin at some point, and we've all been told that it's just a part of growing up. But for Arin Andrews, it wasn't a phase that would pass. He had been born in the body of a girl and there seemed to be no relief in sight. In this revolutionary memoir, Arin details the journey that led him to make the life-transforming decision to undergo gender reassignment as a high school junior. In his captivatingly witty, honest voice, Arin reveals the challenges he faced as a girl, the humiliation and anger he felt after getting kicked out of his private school, and all the changes, both mental and physical, he experienced once his transition began. Arin also writes about the thrill of meeting and dating a young transgender woman named Katie Hill and the heartache that followed after they broke up. Some Assembly Required is a true coming-of-age story about knocking down obstacles and embracing family, friendship, and first love. But more than that, it is a reminder that self-acceptance does not come ready-made with a manual and spare parts. Rather, some assembly is always required.
Review
This memoir has all the makings of the classic (and cliché) trans narrative. Arin was trapped; Arin always knew; Arin had no doubts at all; Arin despised anything feminine (because femininity is weak and lesser!) even at a young age. Arin also says people tried to push him in to gender norms and he resisted (even though he is clearly binary and therefore conforms to the other side of said norms without questioning them at all but whatever). In short, Arin makes me want to slap him upside the head.This book has no emotion in it, no depth. It's just "this happened, then this, then that." It's like the most boring documentary where the narrator is monotone and unenthusiastic in print. Plus, this dude says some really insensitive things. He also does crappy things but insists he's grown up and over them (all in, what? Two years? Sit down, man, you are literally still a teenager.) Not to mention all of the ridiculous claims he makes about how quickly T worked for him. Sorry, did you just say your voice changed the day after your first injection? Head, meet desk. My forehead could use an ice pack now.This started out fine and then shot down hill fast. What made this kid's story so unique that he got a book deal? Oh wait, all that "first trans teen romance" crap. He redeemed himself slightly though when he admits being white, attractive, and heterosexual made people care about his story. I mean, who wants to read a memoir about a trans WoC, right?Done.
