Books about the trans experience written by trans and non-binary people rather than just about them are important.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The collection is short but so important and contains some real gems. This is full of wonderful reads and a book that I'd recommend to members of the trans community who are looking for comforting writing and to those outside of the community wishing to look for something more than a ‘guide to’. These individual voices and stories which share the everyday of trans life are organised carefully each is unique and full of joy and warmth. This is one of the most powerful And life affirming books I’ve ever read. Thoroughly recommended to everybody

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is a collection of essays centering everyday experiences of these trans authors. While a couple of these deal with the traumas of body dysphoria or assaults, there are also moments of quiet joy. In these essays, there are moments of recognition, of community, of personal reflection. A chance meeting because a patch on a jacket made a young non-binary individual feel safe. A non-binary lesbian in their sixties ecstatic to share their new tattoo with their partner.

It was an absolute delight to read these essays, and I only wish that the collection had been longer. I spent some time afterwards looking up Gendered Intelligence, the UK charity behind this collection. They are a fantastic resource, and do worthwhile work in promoting inclusivity and knowledge. https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/index.html

This is a very short collection of essays centred around the everyday experience of being trans. Considering it’s a little over 112 pages, this collection packs a lot in, running across various themes throughout and capturing a range of different voices. Books like this are incredibly important – on the one hand, for trans folks, it shows moments they will likely identify with, a reminder that they are not alone (I hope!), and for others, it’s a glimpse into trans lives, but more broadly, it’s humanity across these pages, moments we can all recognise in one form or another.

Some feel thoughtful, planned, the writer puzzling over exactly what to write, while others feel more like a stream of consciousness. Moments of anxiety, rage, joy, beauty – all contained in a small package. These voices are placed carefully beside one another, each fresh and unique. It’s not a long read, yet it’s one of the most impactful books I’ve read for a while.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

Much writing on trans & non-binary experiences focuses on trauma or the medical aspects of (some people's) transition. In 'Transitions' this narrative is challenged, as the contributors share stories of joy, resilience, and community.

The collection is short but thoughtfully collated, containing some real gems. A wonderful read that I'd recommend to members of the trans community seeking nuanced, comforting writing and to those outside of the community wishing to look beyond 'trans 101' texts for more individual stories of trans life and joy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Transitions: Our Stories of Being Trans by Various Authors is a short collection of trans joy and non-binary joy experiences attempting to stray away from the over emphasised narrative of trans and non-binary trauma and the over medicalisation of the trans experience. Comprising of 8 short anthropologies, the authors express their everyday experiences and the small events that make them feel loved, happy and comfortable in their identities.

I was really excited to read this book as I don’t think there’s been many books I’ve read, either fiction or non-fiction, which purely homes in on trans and non-binary people, so to be able to read these 8 gems of some people’s experience was really refreshing. I loved the focus on trans and non-binary joy and how heart-warming the stories felt – just a pure expression of love and joy in the face of discrimination, lack of government support and funding and a rise in trans misinformation rhetoric.

The writing of these were all beautiful, which is definitely a bonus! Some of the authors, most notably Ezra Woodger, whose anecdote resonated with me, moved me with their gorgeous writing and eloquent expression of trans resilience.

The only drawback I found was how short it is, which I think is reflected in the fact that most of the stories seemed to be from a more trans masc non-binary perspective instead of being perhaps a little more diverse. However, these collections could likely be published every year with new authors, so I’d love to see this project expanded further.

Overall, this is a lovely little book to read, especially if you’re discovering your gender identity at the moment. I think its expected to talk about the hardships of being non-cis and non-heterosexual, but the beauty of these stories is they acknowledged their pain, trauma and negative experiences and still chose to focus on pure trans joy

This is a really great essay collection. It's full of trans and non-binary joy. It acknowledges that there are hardships that come with living outside the gender binary but it focuses on queer love and joyous moments. My favorite essays were "An Eagle at Sunset" and "My Amazing Mostly Monochrome Dreamcoat."

There were only two things I slightly disliked about this collection. 1, it is rather short; there are only eight essays. I would have preferred a ninth essay rather than lined pages in the back to write my own since I could write such a thing anywhere if I were so inspired. and 2, it was written during the pandemic with many essays referencing that and I'm afraid it will date itself quickly because of that.

Overall I think this is a great collection and an important addition to trans literature.

I loved this. Trans narrative often falls into talking about tragedy and all the worst parts of living as trans. This book doesnt. This book is about the mundane and the moments of joy that come with daily trans life. Im an artist currently working on a collection about trans joy and will definitely be taking inspiration from this collection. All of the writing is gorgeous, it is rare to read an anthology without atleast one story that isnt a flop. This book is def quality over quantity.
I do wish it was more diverse it was largely written from the nonbinary trans masc experience.

A delightful anthology of trans stories, sped through it in a couple of hours and only complaint is I wish there were more of it.

This was just such a joy to read. Trans joy, the embodied experiences of trans people, trans community, trans solidarity, trans resilience. The last story by Ezra Woodger brought me to tears. That moment of seeing someone like you, bringing clarity to your reason for resistance—to the space you demand this life affords you and the people that come after you—it’s so powerful.

This is a short volume. There are 8 stories of a total of 74 pages. But I much prefer quality to quantity and the writing and authenticity in these pieces is consistent and beautiful throughout. Along with the Ezra Woodger piece, I felt especially connected to the writing of Danielle Hopkins, Edward Whelan and Tash Oakes-Monger.

If you’re trans or non-binary and looking to see yourself reflected back to you, I highly recommend this volume.

What an absolutely gorgeous collection of stories! Each one is compelling and interesting. Great read for those trying to read from sources outside their community to get a unique, authentic voice from multiple people.

I loved this non fiction essay collection. Every essay resonated with me. I wish it was longer. Various authors give a glimpse into their lives. I’m a cis woman. It made me feel all the feelings.

A book of empathy, a collection of experiences, and a pathway to greater understanding -- there is so much to appreciate about the power of sharing stories, and Transitions is a book about what it means to be human. Thanks to these authors for sharing of themselves in this text.

This was a lot longer than I expected, and I did find that it dragged on quite a bit occasionally. HOWEVER, this is such an important book, it has so many view points and so many stories, so I definitely recommend this one to everyone as its such a personal novel for me.