To Be A Trans Man is a heartfelt collection of stories about transition, discovery, and experience collected and written by Ezra Woodger. Due out 21st Oct 2022 from Jessica Kingsley Publishers, it's 192 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a very well written survey of trans men, transmasculine folks, and gender nonconformity. The author speaks from a place of ruminative authority and experience and does so with a surprising amount of maturity given his (relatively) young age. The bulk of the book is taken up with interviews of 8 trans and/or transmasculine men and include wide ranging interview format Q&A on identity, activism, art, aesthetics, the process of transitioning, and sometimes joy. Most of the interviews had a palpable sense of relief and a feeling of the decisions surrounding their transitions having been innately right and correct for them.

The particular format of the interviews meant that there was less information about lived experiences and challenges, and more a collection of profiles showcasing each subject's activism and spheres of influence. I still think that the information which is covered is -vitally- important and improving awareness and access to services and resources is literally lifesaving, important work, I just wish it could've been slightly more one-on-one personal (obviously not in a prurient way).

I think this is an important book, and I'm not aware of any others with precisely this focus; certainly there aren't many. This would be a superlative choice for library acquisition, for LGBTQIA+ and allies, for families in transition, and for fostering genuine dialogue.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This short read was exactly what I needed to read in this moment.

It's formatted as a collection of interviews of transmasculine individuals from various backgrounds as they lay out what transmasculinity means to them. I was able to see so much of myself through their experiences and it was very refreshing to read.

As transmasculine people, our stories are often buried. We're not faced with the same hypervisibility as trans women are faced with, and I personally resonated so much with the emphasis on lack of media with people like us, and how confusing and horrible that makes it trying to figure yourself out. Obviously there are many privileges that come with invisibility, but never seeing characters or stories about people like me absolutely played a part in why it took me so long to realize I was trans.

The individuals talked about how transness and masculinity shaped their own experiences and the ways they were able to move throughout the world. It meant a lot to see the inclusion of nonbinary voices and the discussion of gender nonconformity, as well as the expectations of a cisheteropatriarchal society.

I definitely think this is absolutely necessary reading for cis people, especially if you have transmasc people in your life. I can't recommend this enough and I am incredibly glad that it's able to be put out in the world!

* I received this book from Netgalley for free in exchange of an honest review.

This is an interesting book about the lives of 8 trans men and transmasculine people, though it wasn't what I was expecting.

The title makes it sound like it will be a collection of essays about what it's like to be a trans man. I expected a deep dive into the internal experience of transition, but it was more a collection of interviews about trans influencers and their projects. The introduction by Ezra Woodger (the author) was my favorite part of the book.


<b> Positives: </b>
This book shows various projects led by trans people and that are geared toward trans people, like inclusive gyms, theatre, documentary projects, makeup artistry. You get to see the different paths that these trans men have taken and successes they've had. These interviews focus a lot on the joy of being trans, the positive aspects of transitioning, not only about the difficult parts.

However, this book is very much focused on a narrow demographic: influencers, most (or all) of which are from the UK. A lot of the issues they bring up are about online hate comments, not getting as many likes on their posts as cis people, needing to partake in aggressive TV interviews, etc. The trans men I know have very different issues in their lives.

<b> Lack of focus: </b>

A lot of the interviews lacked focus, like a celebrity interview where the interviewer asks broad questions about the celebrity's life, and the audience, eager to know any information, will consume it all. However, seeing as I didn't know about any of these trans influencers beforehand, the interviews felt aimless. A lot of banter and side comments could have been edited out. For example, the first interview contains several pages discussing "clown core" fashion. At times the interview seems like a personal conversation between friends, when they drop in references to the "L Word" and "Boys Don't Cry", or mention Section 28 (I didn't know what this was) but don't explain it to the reader. The interjections like *laughs* and *gags* also made the interviews read in a more disjointed way.

<b> Target Demographic: </b>

Unlike other reviewers, I think this book is aimed at a trans readership. That's not a bad thing, I think it is positive in that is shows the everyday life of successful trans people. Several of the interviewees mention that too often only the negatives aspects of being trans are shown, and not the positives.

The book will not really answer the questions that cis people have, and for those who don't already have exposure to these topics, it might be confusing. For one, a lot of terminology is used: <i> transmedicalists, TERFS, trans Euphoria, transmasculine, neopronouns, cis-normative gender constructs, </i> etc. These terms are often referenced but not deeply discussed. Sometimes they get glossed over quickly. One example, paraphrased "I used to be a transmedicalist but not anymore". The question the reader will have (left unanswered) is "so what changed your mind?"

<b> A Surprisingly Gendered Lens: </b>
I was surprised many times when gender neutral experiences are seen by the interviewees through a gendered lens. Some examples of behaviors that the interviewees considered masculine: wearing black, not liking the color pink, drinking strong tea, being competitive, climbing trees, playing sports, talking about aliens, paying for dinner. I have to say, I find this odd because girls and women do all these things. They all seem like gender neutral things. I talked about aliens with lots of girls when I was little, I climbed trees all the time (still do). I know more women who dislike the color pink than women who like it.

I am surprised at these moments when a hobby is labelled as masculine or feminine, whereases I would just see it as a hobby unconnected to gender - like I drink strong coffee because I like it, not because drinking black coffee is masculine or feminine. What is just part of my identity, is part of someone else's gender identity. I find that interesting and surprising.

<b> Conclusion: </b>

Overall this is an interesting book of interviews with perspectives and opinions on various topics, just mostly topics that are not directly related to trans identity, but more related to trans advocacy, creating inclusive spaces and what it's like to be a trans influencer.

This was a thoughtful, reflective set of interviews from a diverse group of trans men and transmasculine-aligned folks near my age range. The ultimate conclusions on masculinity drawn from these interviews felt natural and made sense, though I would have enjoyed additional connective remarks throughout the book (or a longer afterword). I wish some of the interviews had gone a bit deeper and that the interviewees had shared more about their own experiences of masculinity, what brings them gender-based joy, and how they ended up where they are, but that's covered by many of the other subjects and those were the parts I found most enjoyable. I also enjoyed finding out about folks in this community and the work they're doing when I wouldn't have otherwise run across them, and focus outside of binary masculinity and hormonal/surgical transition was extremely helpful to read represented by so many people. (The eARC formatting made it difficult to always distinguish who was speaking, but that's no fault of the book or editor.)

Beautifully written! Ezra is so sincere about his journey and navigating masculinity in a world where toxic masculinity is the norm. I immensely enjoyed reading his interview with other transmasculinities and getting a glimpse at how diverse the LGBTI+ community is. We all have our own journey and our stories and its just beautiful to be able to read these stories and know that the next generation will have this available to them.

I really enjoyed this series of interviews with trans men and transmasculine people. The interviews focus on the specificities of their lives and careers as well as more broadly on what it means to be a trans man. I really enjoyed all of the discussions about masculinity and the opportunity that exists to create a form of masculinity outside of toxic cisnormative binary ideals. I wish there had been more diversity in terms of age - all of the interviewees seem to be in their twenties and thirties. I think having more generational representation would have been interesting - to see how experiences and identities and attitudes have shifted over time. That said, I know that one book can't be everything. I hope to see more first-person narratives about being trans to fill in those gaps.

5 stars for content
3 stars for execution

To Be a Trans Man is a series of interviews conducted by OwnVoices author Ezra Woodger with a number of trans men, transmasculine people, and gender nonconforming people. The central theme here is masculinity: what is it, how is it performed, how should it be performed by a trans person, and can femininity exist alongside it. The purpose of the book is to explore these questions, not to answer them. And we see through these interviews that while there are some commonalities, each interviewee has their own relationship with masculinity. We learn from these individuals that there is no one single way to be a trans man.

Gender is a thing that I've been interrogating a lot in the last year. I am agender. For me this means an absence of gender, making it difficult for me to understand and connect to the concept of gender, especially the gender binary. This book contains perspectives that I may not have otherwise encountered. It was both illuminating and affirming to find that gender is complicated even for those who connect to it. And while there is a lot to unpack here, each of these individuals discuss a kind of peace that comes when, after doing so much work, interrogation transforms into experience. It was recently pointed out to me that I do not have to make gender make sense; that I can just be. And I found that message again and again in this book with the below quote deeply resonating with me:

"And every day I get more and more comfortable with who I am and all the facets of my personality. I'm becoming less interested in trying to understand it and more interested in experiencing it."

- Ezra Michel, 2nd interview

The thing that's missing here for me as a reader is some kind of cohesive narrative from the author bringing each of these interviews together and offering his own perspective. There's an introduction and an afterword, but there is something missing in between to bridge from one interview to the next. I would have like to have seen more insight from the author, including his feelings/reactions to each interview and their common themes.

This book is not perfect in its execution but its contents are invaluable. I recommend this book for anyone interested in exploring concepts of gender and gender performance.

To Be A Trans Man is a must read. It is written in an interview style that discusses topics like the concepts of masculinity, community, and trans joy. I really enjoyed “To Be A Trans Man” because it expanded on conversations I’ve had in the past in a way that was informative and engaging. This book is a perfect beginning place for cis people to read honest accounts of the trans experience.

Thanks so much to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC for this book - I write this review voluntarily, though not without trepidation. This is an incredible book, that I just *know* I'm not going to do justice to.

But I will try.

I read this as a cis gender mother to two trans teens, one of whom is non-binary/trans masculine. So I have "skin in the game" as it were. Quite unexpectantly (and in hindsight, I don't know why I shouldn't have anticipated this) I found myself looking back on my own ~50 years of not being feminine and seeing it in a very different light. And by that, I mean that I looked at it at all.

That's one of the recurring themes of the interviews that the author has with the trans men and transmasculine people in the book. Cisgender people don't think about gender and how they present to the world or how they perform in binary spaces in the same way as trans people do. There are positives and negatives to this obliviousness and (to my mind) trans men and transmasculine people might be the key to turning things around for humanity in a positive way.

The book sets out clearly how they hold a mirror up to masculinity and are a beacon of hope to help mankind (pun intended) see how narrow the perception of manhood has become and what a dead-end this is for society. There's a lot - A LOT - in this book that is relevant for society as a whole. So many times I was sending snaps of quotes from the book to people who might not have the same connection to trans issues that I might have but they could connect with the heartfelt life-lessons.

I can't get over the generosity of all of the contributors to the book. I want them to know that their words were felt, their insights were appreciated, their input was treasured. Thank you, each of you.

To Be A Trans Man is a wonder. A look into the personal lives and realities of trans and non-binary trans individuals and how masculinity not only looks, feels or is presented, and how it is and isn’t defined. I felt very seen by this piece of work, there weren’t any statistics or facts, just opinions, just trans people living and breathing and feeling at home in their bodies. This was a great book to read to learn more from several human beings and their struggles, as well as their joy. I thought this book was a little bit on the short side, that could maybe have used some statistics and such. And also that it left me wanting more. However, for what it was, it was deeply important. Thank you.

This is a unique and enlightening look into what it means to be a trans man. I’ve never thought about some aspects that were brought up in the interviews. For instance, that trans men who are able to pass feel that it is a privilege that made their journey easier, just as being a cis man gives privilege; discussion about what it means to be masculine and not accepting society’s definition. The interviews gave me insight into some of the things these men feel deeply about that just hadn’t occurred to me before. As the author and his interviewees said, the people and information available for young people today will help then not only see themselves represented in society but also give them the words to describe how they feel. I will recommend this book to my trans friends.

To Be A Trans Man is a collection of interviews with trans masculine people exploring joy, hope, masculinity, and community. The contributors have a range of experiences and the interviews cover a lot of different topics, from the personal to the political, but generally tend to focus on happiness and strength, and moments of euphoria.

The concept and content of the book are great, and the interview style makes it easy to read quickly or dip in and out of, so it is perhaps more accessible than reading a memoir or something heavier. I did find that sometimes some of the interviews blurred into each other, possibly because the format made me skim more, but that's probably just personal preference. The mixture of experiences in terms of gender and sexuality was good to see (especially as a non-binary person), and it'll be useful for people, both trans and cis, to hear different perspectives about trans masculinity.

To be a Trans Man is a must read. It is a humorous and accepting way of looking at the trans community. The stories from the interviews are incredibly heartfelt and holds no bars.

This is an absolute must-read, no matter your pronouns. I’m a cis-het woman who wanted to understand what my trans loved ones may have experienced or if their experiences were “the norm” and let me tell you, this book brought it all. I felt the same pain and misery reading the accounts of realization and the hope felt with the start of transitioning as I’ve watched others go through in person. And one thing really stuck with me: the hope. The fact that a haircut was so often described as the first way to truly start to express oneself in these pages aligned perfectly with my loved one’s experience that I wanted to run to that person and say that I get it even more now. Or the pain of knowing that family may not fully accept one of these people who shared their stories. That slayed me because I can’t imagine trying to squelch someone’s actual true self, but I know it happens all too often.

But not all tales related here were sad. And even those tinged with sadness had hope and happiness. Just knowing that access to care is better, yet still an issue, or that toxic behavior and beliefs are just as possible among the transgender community as others, reminded me that we’ve come a long way but are nowhere near done with the fight yet. And I say this as an ally. One person here said that it’s a political fight and they’re absolutely right. It is. Even if you’re accepted by your own friends and family, someone else isn’t. Or some stranger hates enough to try to push everyone else to their misled ideal of perfection. So this was a perfect reminder not to give up because so much good has already come and more should follow.

This isn’t just a read for the LGBTQIA+ community. This is actually a read for anyone. And cis people may need it more than anybody else because it will humanize those deemed “other” and will hopefully make the reader think more about equality and just how much everyone deserves love and the chance to be themselves. After all, without some discomfort or self-reflection, folks will never learn to do better.

To Be A Trans Man is a book of interviews from trans men that highlight the diverse experiences from this underrepresented group. This novel was refreshing- as someone gender non-conforming it is so hard to find any media involving gender that is not miserable and highlights pain. Those involved in this book were open and honest about their experience with gender in a realistic but celebratory way. While I enjoyed this book a lot, parts of it seemed to drag on for me which is more a fault of the formatting and repetitive discussion rather than the actual book.

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 cannot wait to see what Woodger does next in the community, writing or otherwise- I believe more individuals with his point of view need to be highlighted.