I really enjoyed this book even as I read non-fiction seldomly. The premise of the book was following a series of 8 interviews with trans men and transmasculine people. I really enjoyed all of the discussions about masculinity and the different point of views exposed in the book. Really great that the book was also written/coordinated by an OwnVoices writer.

I think this is a must read regardless of your gender identity as it will provide a perspective and much food for thought. Overall a really good read!

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

This book was an absolute joy to read. I'm not usually one to read a lot of nonfiction, but this was one of the most fascinating and educational books I've read all year. Each interview was so incredibly well done, and I absolutely loved hearing the perspectives of each of the trans men/transmasculine people in this book. The conversations about intersectionality, particularly those about the POC and disability communities, and how it is essential to include them in conversations about being trans and/or queer.

I think I really needed to read this book. It was educational and intriguing and I was introduced to not only new ideas and perspectives, but also to so many trans men and transmasculine people that are excellent role models and are doing incredible things for their communities. This book has helped me figure out some things I've needed to figure out for a long time. I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone, cis or trans, because it is so incredible and has the potential to make great change. The more people learn about being trans from trans people, the more progress will be made.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for this ARC! Also, thank you to Ezra Woodger for writing this book and to all of the wonderful people that were interviewed. You are all making incredible change, and I'm so glad you exist.

This was an interesting read and brought forward a lot of important narratives and perspectives. However, the writing style just wasn't working for me and I struggled to stay interested despite being very invested in the subject. This is definitely a book that will have a positive impact though.

To Be A Trans Man is comprised of a collection of interviews the author Ezra Woodger (also a transman) has with a variety of transmen, transmasculine and gender non-conforming people. The book discusses and explores masculinity at length; what it means to these individuals, the role it plays in their own lives and within wider society. It also covers careers, community, relationships and the perhaps most importantly the simpler side of everyday

I was really excited to read this as transmasculine experiences are seriously underrepresented in books, media and society in general. Overall, I think this book is brilliant and really important. It’s a nice, easy read as it’s fairly short and the interview style is relaxed and friendly. The people interviewed had a range of backgrounds and experiences so it felt diverse and definitely portrayed that there is no one way to be trans. I enjoyed that there was a lot of space given to exploring trans joy and simply showing trans people thriving as opposed to solely focusing on the difficulties that come with being trans.

I did find myself wishing the book was longer, that had more interviews and showcased a wider range of experiences and perspectives, but I think it is because there is so little positive trans representation as opposed to there being something missing in the book itself. I’d definitely read a second volume though!

One of the interviewees Caspar J. Baldwin said something that I think beautifully summarises why this book is needed and what’s so special about it: ’It’s the boring trans experience that has been left out. I think that’s part of why it’s important to have this, because the narrative was that being trans comes out of drama, or that you have to in some way be traumatised in order to be trans. Actually, most trans people are just regular people, who just happen to be this way’.

To Be A Trans Man is definitely a welcome piece of positive trans representation, but also successfully highlights how far we still have to go as a society in accepting, normalising, and celebrating trans people. I would recommend this book to everyone, irrespective of gender identity, particularly for anyone looking to learn more about trans experiences, or for people wanting to explore their own relationship with masculinity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley publishers for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

To Be A Trans Man is a book of interviews from trans men that highlight the diverse experiences from this underrepresented group. This book is perfect for cisgender people who want to learn more about the authentic trans experience but also for trans or gender non-conforming people who want to feel less isolated by reading Trans joy.

I was lucky enough to read 'To be a Trans Man', as an early copy on Netgalley. I've been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community for years, yet I can't say that I've spoken with many transgender people in the community. This book gave me a good overview of challenges and celebrations for trans people: what marked the interviewees' lives, what they found hard to cope with and what made them feel good. I celebrated each victory with their words, and aches at their pain.

As a mostly straight woman, I learnt a lot and felt humbled to read those testimonies, like I was let in on the interviewees stories, like looking through a window or talking to a dear friend. I think part of the reason why this book was easy to read was in the way it was set up: as an interview between two people. It did not feel polished or 'beautified'; there was no description of what the interviewees look like, what they wore or what coffee they drink. It wasn't made special, which set the stories appart from the usual reads.


'We're definitely meant to exist because we exist, period," Ezra Michel. I love this quote and think it really resonates with what the whole book is, in a few words.


I know some people will take issue with this. People who are not part of the community already talk about LGBT like it's 'everywhere': on TV shows, in books and at school - Like that's a problem! Why is it that people have more issues watching two people kiss (regardless of gender) when they have no problem watching violence and death? Love should be celebrated, including self love. This book shows this in a dozen different ways.

I think that this book is the first of its kind, and could help a lot of people, in and out of the community. I know I will recommend this books to my friends, family and colleagues as soon as possible!
#transgender #LGBTQIA #Pride #love #relationship #selflove #bodyimage #acceptance #Netgalley #ToBeATransMan

If you've read any of my other recent book reviews, you'll know I start all of 'em off by saying that all the books I read start off with all 5 stars stuck firmly in place and that I'm always hopeful that they are still solidly there at the end of the book. Same goes for this book.

I have a few trans friends who I hope feel like I'm an ally to them but I'm always eager to learn new things and expand my level of understanding of what they go through each day of their lives, so I'm hoping that this book will give me a glimpse into what they go through and how I can be a better friend to them.

Ooh! There's a few suggested reading titles on the first page, so that's a great way to start!

I'm up to the bit where the conversations start, so that seems like a good opportunity to finish reading for the day, take my pills and head off to bed for the night. I'm already proud of Ezra for putting himself out there into the big, wide, sometimes cruel world like this - that takes guts and I'm so proud of him.

This book is great. I dunno where the last hour and a half has gone, but this book is really opening my eyes to the struggles that trans-masculine people go through that I'd never even thought aout before! I didn't even realise that some trans people are transphobic around those who wear make-up and aren't trans-female! I'm 20% of the way through and it's already opening my eyes to the struggles that people who are trans go through!

I'm inspired to transform how I look based purely on what I've just read. The trans man who the author is talking to atm was wearing all black all the time which made them feel really low, but when they changed their clothes to brighter, more fun colours, it lifted their mood so I'm gonna start slowly injecting more colour into my wardrobe too, instead of my usual grey's black's and navy's. Thank you for inspiring me, K!

What an intense first quarter of the book! I'm learning so much and it's dawning on me just how much I might have been hurting or even offending my trans friends! It's never been intentional, but K has opened my eyes up to just how offensive I could have been at times that I thought I was being supportive! I'm so so sorry to all those who I've hurt and I'll try better from now on, but I need you to tell me when I've put my foot in it too!

Just finished reading this truly fantastic book and as I hoped yesterday afternoon when I started reading it, all 5 stars are stuck firmly in place. There is nothing negative that I found in the whole book and it's sooo worth the money!

To Be A Trans Man is a book where 8 trans masc people (It does include interviews with non-binary masc people) talk about their experiences with being trans.

The interviews are very informal and relaxed and allows you to feel more like you are reading a discussion between friends. I feel like it also makes this more accessible to people who may feel put off with a lot of formal writing.

As a trans man, I related a lot to some of the things that were discussed, like the problems with hyper-masculinity and toxic mascalinity. But also how it does help to relieve dysphoria in a world that will only take you seriously if you fit into societies view points of what it means to be trans. Even when there is no one way to be trans.

Overall, an insightful book that does give an honest and much needed view point into the lives of some trans men and trans masc people.

I requested this book in order to learn more about what it is like for a transgender man, I wanted to learn more about their experiences and how they found the transition process. Whilst there was definitely insight into their experiences it felt very different from what my expectations were for this book. Firstly, it felt like we were getting a very particular viewpoint and not a variety of experiences from the eight men that were interviewed. The men who were interviewed were either social media personas or had phd’s (there is nothing wrong with this!), however I would have much preferred it if we had real interviews from real people in the community not those who already have a public presence. It felt, and this is purely my opinion, it was easier to pick individuals already in the public than your everyday person.

I did enjoy how the book was written. The question and answer process was really interesting and easy to read. I love how the author made it very clear who was talking and managed to keep the personality of the interviewee throughout their writing. I found, at times, as someone who is learning about the LGBTQ+ community that some of the terminology that was used could have been explained more. For someone who may not know the terminology it would have been a very complicated read as they would need to constantly research what specific terms mean.

There were quite a lot of questions left unanswered throughout this book. I would have appreciated a little more clarity about certain topics that were discussed, such as the charity events, how recovery is important, their mental health and how they managed to overcome what may have been very distressing events in their lives.

It was very interesting to read that a lot of the experiences each of the eight men went through were very similar. For instance, the interviewees and the author discuss hyper-masculinity and how they had a perception on what they should do to be perceived as a man. I love how each person has come to understand that masculinity is not a specific person, that you are a man because you are a man.

One quote I loved from this book that stuck with me was this from Rico Jacob Chace and this discusses mental health, and it truly resonated with me. “If you break your arm it heals, when you break your brain it also needs to heal”.

To Be A Trans Man is about showing the different ways there are to be a trans man or transmasculine. It does a good job showing that there are many ways to be trans and there isn't one set way you have to go about it. And one of the most important things I think that's discussed is how labels are important but also sometimes limiting and can prevent a person from knowing who they truly are. Someone may not realize they are in fact trans if you've set the specifications on how they need to experience dysphoria or dress or act.

There's also the discussion of how white, conventionally attractive, able-bodied, passing people tend to be the focus in the general discussion or acceptance of being trans, which is something that is a present problem.

I personally related to a lot of what the author and interviewees said and found comfort in the shared experiences I shared with some of them and also learning what makes us different, which is also a lot of what was discussed: having a community to be a part of.

Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to Jessica Kingsley publishers for sending me a ARC of this book!! I myself am not a trans man, but my younger brother is. I have always wanted to find a way to connect and learn more about how he feels. I think this book give you an inside look at trans mens brains, and how they can to terms with themselves. I would definitely recommend this to trans men and people who know trans men!

This was a conversation about Trans Identity that centered the joy and talks about our lives in depth. It is rare I read a book with trans representation that genuinely makes me happy to be trans. Aside from some nice representation, I don't always feel very moved. But this genuinely makes me feel joy about my identity, this makes me happier, more confident, and excited to be trans.

I loved how the book focuses more on the idea of masculinity that manhood strictly, it allows various nonbinary identities into the conversation and welcomes their input. Masculinity is something that can't be easily defined as a whole and each person experiences it differently. There was something amazing about how unfiltered the conversations felt and how each interview was so raw. If ever there is a book trans-masculine people need to read, or one cis people should read to be allies, it is this one.

An insight into what it means to be a trans man to a diverse group of people. The relaxed interview style felt like I was listening in on a group of friends, even part of the group. But it fell flat in some places. Though we aren’t entitled to peoples stories, some of it felt very surface level.
Overall good read.

This book is absolutely lovely in so many ways!

I am a cisgender man, but feel that our views of gender as a society are needlessly narrow and harmful to many folks--trans and cis alike.

The interviews and commentary Woodger provides show a wonderful breadth of ways to be a trans man, while always pointing out the problems with the arbitrary boxes ("male" and "female") that society tries to put people into.

One of the most interesting things to me was reading about the struggle that trans folks had in escaping these binaries. It was fascinating to see the descriptions from several of the interviewees about how, immediately after transition, they began acting as "male" as they could before eventually realizing that it wasn't who they were or wanted to be.

Another thing I loved about this book was the way it got me to question my own ideas about what it means to be trans. Several folks mention disliking the narrative of trans people as "stuck in the wrong body" and how they had come to a place of peace about their (non-medically-transitioned) body. That has really opened my eyes to invisible stereotypes about trans people which may have come from a positive impetus but were still harmful.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in transgender issues--or gender at all!

This book is a series of conversations with trans celebrities - none of whom do I know or follow. I think this is an important book as it shares different perspectives on what it means to be trans, the journey each individual has taken, and the end result. It is clear that no two experiences are the same (why would they be?!) but that this can offer solace to anyone who is questioning their birth gender.

I think the book normalises something which is often sensationalised and this book is important for future generations to read. I read only positives outcomes, though the journey was clearly traumatic for most.

An interesting read which offered some insight to me as a professional working in a school, and parenting my own teenagers.

"How to be a Trans Man" was an odd read for me, bouncing between painfully relatable, to beyond my scope of understanding. I am, of course, nonbinary rather than a man, which could have caused this dichotimy, but I think part of it is also that the lives of influencers tend to feel less relatable to average people. I do like that the people represented in this book are from all kinds of different backgrounds and stances, giving various perspectives which are quite interesting.
The interview style writing feels clunky, but works well for the purposes of this book. All in all a solid read that I would recommend to not just transmasculine people, but also cis queer guys looking at their own masculinity.

I feel like this book is too early to be ready for readers. It’s a very short book, which I often appreciate, but I was not vibing with how it was set out. It seemed to have been written verbatim from interviews, which didn’t make the best reading experience. There are some sections that could have done with editing for clarity.
I wasn’t really enjoying the interview style, felt like these interviews were more suited to a magazine than a book, I think Amelia Abraham does a really good job of turning interviews into something more book worthy.
It was such a small selection of people, it didn’t really feel representative to create a book on the trans man experience and only speak to 8 people. It felt like a topic that should have been for a longer book, or shorter sections for more people. Pacing wasn’t great.
It’s not due to be out until the last 1/4 of the year I think it was too early to make it available on NetGalley. It’s a shame coz I do usually enjoy reading non-fiction books like this.

As a queer person who felt they were a pretty strong ally to the trans community, this book taught me I wasn't - but in all the right ways.

This book taught me many things about trans experiences, gender expression, identity and representation with the consistent overarching concept of masculinity; how its perceived and presented both by the patriarchy, and by different members of the trans community.

This book takes the format of a series of interviews of several transmen and transmasculine people. Woodger does a fantastic job of bringing a range of people from different experiences and identities together to consider similar concepts and to share their experiences throughout their gender journey's.

This book helps to demystify the stereotypes of what trans people "must" do (Spoiler: They don't have to do anything). It helps to stop (completely demolish) the concept of being "born in the wrong body" (Spoiler: that phrase is wrong in so many ways! In my opinion, that phrase is to make cis people more comfortable, this book helped me to realise that.)

I didn't know of many of the people highlighted in this book prior to reading, however appreciate the positive nature Woodger brings to the interviews, and gives them space to share their stories, it made for a pleasant read.

"I am not a man because of my biology, I am a man because I am"

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not of any specific gender, race, religion or age.
Simply, to everyone; it's a must read.

Let's all be better Ally's, together.

To Be A Trans Man has brought me many new perspectives on life and helped me reflect on how I look at my gender. Gender is a complex thing, especially when the representation in books, series and movies is so narrow. Luckily, things have been changing during the recent years. This book is the perfect example of these changes. It's filled with a variety of stories by many trans men and transmasculine people. It showed the pain and frustration many people within the transcommunity have been through, but even better... It shared so much joy and showed me ways to find happiness in even the smallest of things. When the transcommunity is represented, it is often by showing all the trauma and anxiety, by pointing out all the hate and pain. However this book has proven there is so much more to this than trauma. Having a book that feels like a safe space to me is very important these days. I related to so many things, but also got aware of things such as how toxic masculinity is subtly woven into our life patterns.
I would recommend this book to any gender out there for it helps us see things differently, helps us understand important subjects and, most importantly, shows people that they are not alone with certain thoughts and feelings.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

This is a short collection of interviews with trans masculine people from different media backgrounds. This is a short, easy to understand book. As the focus is more personal stories and experiences, it benefits from not being filled with a large amount of jargon, and scientific articles. Though there are some at the end of the book along with representative movies and shows, I assume for people who want to explore the subject more.

The main focus of the book is the personal stories of the people being interviewed. Their views on masculinity, trans representation and trans activism. The first half of the book focuses on what masculinity means, their struggles with the binary understanding of gender and their ultimate conclusions on it.

In the second half of the book, the tone changes as the interviews focus on activists and directors and their work. Personally, this was my favourite part. Talking about how representation could be improved and what do activists need to focus on. Eg. Shouting at TERFs on twitter is just going to make you sad, instead focus on the real world implications, like employment rates of Trans people, problems that disabled or elderly Trans people could face.

In each interview Woodger finds the positives and magnifies them which I thought was great as even one of the interviewers said media that involves trans people often focuses on depression and suffering. Its a much needed light as well, considering all the negative news that is coming out regarding Trans people on both sides of the pond.

I would recommend this book to everyone, whether part of the LGBT+ community or not. It is great as an introductory text for people looking to understand some of the issues Trans people face, but celebrate the victories of personal discovery equally. It was also really interesting to read about the experiences of a group who are not often in the limelight of public discourse around Trans issues (at least in my own experience), but are equally affected by them.