Trans Power by Juno Roche, explores various themes such as gender and trans identity. This book challenges being trans and embracing one real identity. This books also discusses diversity and trans experience. This book suggests that living in your truth doesn't just mean being authentically you, but a powerful political act. Trans Power integrate different voices to narrate reflecting their experience in the trans community. Trans Power also explores gender norms and how it may not just effect people in the trans community. The writing of this book was beautifully written and would love to read more by this author.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

We need more books like this one. This book is so bold in the way that it describes layers of expectation and how the world sees us from the outside regardless of who we are on on the inside is amazing. There is so much thought and care in this book that has been put into the writing, it makes it very powerful and essential reading for all.

I was amazed at the large range of interviewees this book had, it truly was so diverse but at times i found topics uncomfortable. This book was too sexual for me.

A lot of frank talk about gender and sexual characteristics--to the point of occasional discomfort. A boundary-pushing book that might be a difficult read for some, due to the very pointed focus on sexuality and bodies, especially gentals. Some readers, cis or trans alike, may find that these passages are a little too outside their comfort zones. That said, Trans Power makes a lot of beautiful and important points about transness and the power and beauty it holds,.

This took me by complete surprise, and I've thought about it at least once a week since I read it!

Juno Roche is frank and explicit in the best way. It was empowering to hear about sex be discussed so openly in regards to trans bodies, and for this to be centred around euphoria rather than dysphoria.

Powerful, a great addition to anyone's queer theory shelf. A good primer on how the term trans has changed and is changing.

A detailed collection of personal interviews alongside personal reflections from Roche. This collection of conversations explores gender and bodies in insightful ways. However, these interviews or conversations don't feel very interconnected leaving the book overall lacking in any structure.

a beautiful story full of hardship and and joy that should be shared. I learned so much reading this and realised that i should spend more time researching ways to help

Thoroughly good book full of great perspectives and information. As a cis person this really helped me to understand more and I can imagine it would be a really affirming read for someone going through the experience of transitioning.
Also, I found it to a really well designed and appealing cover to a book.

This one caught me by surprise. I'm always looking for more queer nonfiction and this is such a gem. I would gladly reread this one any day of the week and am grateful for the advanced review copy,

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

I recently read, and reviewed ‘queer sex’, by Juno Roche, and really enjoyed that book. So, I was excited to hear that the author has another book available and even more excited that the publisher allowed me to see an ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Queer Sex was a journey of self-discovery for the author. It was a series of interviews with queer individuals which asked how they came to terms with their identity. It explored their daily sexual lives. In Trans Power, Roche continues her personal journey, asking her interviewees how they conceptualize their sexual identity, questioning the language we use when we speak about queer and trans individuals. This work challenges us, as individuals and society, to rethink, and keep rethinking, the way we think about ourselves, others, and society. I really loved this book

Well, I read this.  I thought it would be a good idea for me to continue reading current literature on the topic of trans activism and gender and, well, I did.  I read it.  

Let me begin with some of the things I truly did appreciate about this book.  The variety of interviewees left me rather astounded.  Roche interviews couples, single folks, people of color, disabled people, and immigrants.  Thusly, their views surrounding transness and queerness hinge upon their lived experiences and other kinds of oppression and privilege they might face.  This was hugely interesting,m and I appreciated seeing such a huge variety of people being interviewed.

I also think that some of the interview questions were so astute, and the reflection bits afterwards were very well-thought out and equal parts educational and perhaps even philosophical.  There was so much to be gleaned from these, especially since this book does not operate within an academic space--it has much more of an allowance to be what it is: unabridged, fresh, real.

But.

A lot of this left me uncomfortable.  Now don't get me wrong--some of my discomfort felt appropriate; after all, this is a book that pushes boundaries and asks its readers to rethink what we might have grown up with.  

But.

The introduction was filled with some really gross opinions that absolutely made me skin crawl.  Sorry, I don't want to hear about your weird fetishization of your "cave", and I definitely don't want to hear about your frustrations with "allies without intimacy" as though "proper" and "successful" activism must include intercourse.  I don't want to hear about your introduction to womanly sexuality via pornography, I don't want to hear about the kink games you're just so passionate about.  I don't want to hear about how you colored in your penis with your mother's lipstick and then tucked it between your legs (is this supposed to garner sympathy?  Because even though I recognize that it happened as a child, I can't shake the picture of using your mother's lip make-up--a symbol of femininity and sexuality of the mouth--to color and enclose a male sexual organ.  Ew?)

I get that there is huge power in talking about bodies, sexuality, intercourse.  And we need to talk about these topics.  But good god, your problems with not having sex are yours and yours alone.  Don't blame other activists for your not getting any, and I'm glad that there's discussion of bodies, but there is a thing called nuance and professionality.

Additionally, did Roche's interviewees know that they were going to be so blatantly asked about their genitals?  Their sexual life?  And in such a crude manner that felt all too personal?  I sure hope so, because otherwise....yikes. 

Anyways, I read this.  Some things were good.  A lot was really fucking weird.  I wish I liked this book more, I wish that I could say I learned so many incredible insights, but really, I just felt creeped out about 90% of the time I was reading this.  Roche might think this book is a success, but I would wonder whether Roche thinks their personal definition of success is better than the one with which we currently operate.  

Review cross-listed <a href="http://www.littleladylibrarian.wordpress.com">here</a>!

I got an ARC of this book.

Here we go again. I just don’t seem to learn. I saw trans and I immediately wanted to read the book. I didn’t notice who the author was, that was my big mistake. If I would have place that name, I would not have wanted to read this book.

So all of the issues I had in the first book Roche wrote are alive and well in this book too. I started to get into the book, I was not 100% agreeing with Roche but I was loving the chance to see her view. Then BAM! Graphic description of her “wanking” and why the term “wanking” is more accurate than masturbating, because of sexism. I did not need to know or want to know what Roche’s erogenous zones are. This book is about claiming trans as an identity, not about the masturbation habits of one person.

So I started to skip pages and pages and pages. 20% into the book the first interview happened. By this point I am already over the book. This could have been a powerful book about accepting yourself and not limiting yourself, instead all I got was annoyed that Roche yet again made everything about her genitalia and sex. I get that sexuality is a huge part of identity. I have had my issues finding labels and communities that fit me. My transition is not about my sex life. It is not about my sexuality. I would not try and convince someone they are perfect by giving them graphic descriptions of my nipples.

Roche and I appear to be on totally different wavelengths, despite having similar ideas based on the backs of her books. I have been uncomfortable identifying as male or as a man for about a decade now. I have felt that trans has been a better label for me. So I can see where she is coming from, but her methods of explaining it have pushed me so far away that I won’t be able to see her point any more. Others seem to really like her book and this book in particular. I will be avoiding her for a while. I will try again in a few years. Kate Bornstein and I weren’t a good match for a long time. Now she makes perfect sense. So maybe Roche will be the same way. If my views change or my comfort level with surprise graphic details of someone else’s sex life and body, I will be sure to come back and update everyone.

This book is a very raw and honest book, told through a series of interviews with the author. The book explores the identity of being Trans, what that term even means, and how the words that we use define us. I enjoyed seeing the perspectives of so many people and how every viewpoint is so different.

I found the writing a little hard to connect with at times, but the stories told are important and needed.

Wow. What a book.

I feel as though Roche brought so much to the table with this powerful and thought-provoking collection. ‘Trans Power’ is a series of interviews that concern sex and transness as a whole. Roche is a fantastic writer, raw and engaging. She doesn’t not pull her punches, why should she? She tells it like it is, she speaks from her heart and her mind, and she doesn’t shy away from difficult or challenging topics such as suicide, death, rape, assault and transphobia.

It honestly was an amazing book with fantastic writing. But I did find it hard to emotionally connect. I felt as though the narrative seemed uncertain on what it wanted to be; there was a sense of disconnectedness to the format of the book that, for me, effected the narrative flow.

As I am a non-queer person, I feel as though I cannot fully critique this body of work because I am not wholly intelligible concerning issues and topics within the community. I will say though that it was extremely powerful, raw, uncomfortable, deeply honest and hard-hitting.

I would highly encourage to read reviews from Own Voice reviewers as their reviews will position this book within the queer community and will also highlight problematic aspects of this book. Such as Roche’s rejection of the non binary gender which confused me, as it kind of made her argument slightly contradicting? But again, read Own Voices reviewers to get a better understanding upon this issue.

As someone with a transgender son I knew I had to read this. This book is brutally honest. I mean nothing gets sugar coated. The stories in this book are so powerful. I believe everyone should read this. I had my son read it and he agreed.

This is a great collection of different experiences. It was eye opening for me, even as someone who has interacted with and been close to people all along the gender spectrum. So much to think about.

I haven’t read any book on trans experiences quite like this one. TRANS POWER brings up perspectives and conversations that you don’t tend to hear very often. The intimacy, the love for people in the community is so powerful I almost feel protective of the words inside. I love how NOT binary this book is. It creates an incredibly affirming, empowering space.

Juno says after interviewing Michael, “They always push me to extend my line of thinking beyond my comfort place to a place where it tests the idea.” And really, that’s what TRANS POWER does for its readers. This is an emotional read that encourages readers to push their intellect beyond simplistic statements of what it means to be trans into deeply nuanced discussions. Best of all, it ends on a euphoric high note that truly smashes the patriarchy.