True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals

True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals

By: Mildred L. Brown   Chloe Ann Rounsley  

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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Filled with wisdom and understanding, this groundbreaking book paints a vivid portrait of conflicts transsexuals face on a daily basis--and the courage they must summon as they struggle to reveal their true being to themselves and others. True Selves offers valuable guidance for those who are struggling to understand these people and their situations.

Using real life stories, actual letters, and other compelling examples, the authors give a clear understanding of what it means to be transsexual. They also give other useful advice, including how to deal compassionately with these commonly misunderstood individuals--by keeping an open heart, communicating fears, pain and support, respecting choices.

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Also excellent for the Trans community! - This is one of the first books I read on my "yellow brick road." Even though it is written to families, friends and co-workers, I felt that Millie and Chloe Ann were writing directly to me. I was so touched by their insight into my life-long condition, struggle, and transition path that I repeatedly wanted to give them a big hug!

The quality of the manuscript is excellent. I was impressed with the organization and structure and how the content flowed. It reads well and is a book to which I am proud to point others, which I have often done!

Regarding the authors' emphasis on the Standards of Care, it is important for our friends and loved ones to know that we are following a proven protocol and not "out there" blazing our own trails. As I read the autobiographies by Donna Rose, Jennifer Boylan, Renee Richards, Deirdre McCloskey, Jan Morris and others, they so encouraged me that this is a mountain I can climb, a summit I can reach. Thankfully, there are exceptions to the norm where grace is extended but for the most part, whether MTF or FTM, there are milestones common to us in the transgender community as we cross over. "True Selves," with sensitivity, overlays those required steps on a timeline aided with professional medical support, known as the Standards of Care.

Our path is one of great courage as we forget what lies behind to lay hold of who we are. We must be willing to sacrifice everything in order to realize our dream and we need all the support we can get. This book provides a tremendous amount of support.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
For transsexualism, this is a great book. - This was one of the first books I read on Transsexualism. It really breaks it down, gives lots of examples of typical transsexuals and it does a good job. I think the key word in the title is "Understanding" because it really does help you understand what makes a transsexual tick and what's typical of transsexuals.


Pro: It's a great book for understanding transsexualism.
Cons: There's some transsexual poetry towards the end, which is boring.

Customer Review: 3 out of 5
The best book out there... of the one book that's out there. - The primacy of True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism is an unfortunate artifact of there existing no other good resource books for the non-trans person to understand the trans experience. It was written in the mid-1990s with an understanding of trans people and trans experiences that is strongly based in the clinical data of that time... clinical data which was, unfortunately, corrupted by the fact that transgendered people at that time had to lie extensively to transition, reading from a "script" of a generic, transgendered past that seldom was truthful about their real selves, and lie pervasively after transition, creating a "gender consistent" (read: cissexual female) history. Particularly, transsexual women who were gay had to lie about feeling like heterosexual girls their entire lives, opening us up to accusations of "autogynephilia" - the ridiculous claim that trans women who are attracted to other women were "really" attracted to images of ourselves as women.

It is not for nothing that one transsexual woman who transitioned in the early 1980s described the process as "lying to tyrannical fools to save [her] life."

It is my hope that sometime soon, there will be published a modern book that talks openly and honestly about the transition and transgender experience, that is written with both clinical and real-world experience taken into account, that can finally put this tome on a dusty shelf where it belongs.

Until then... it is what we have.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Valuable "coming out" tool - As a Transwoman I found this book as a great aid in coming out to my wife and management at my job. Even though the book is not current and sorely lacks information for spouses, it was a great help having the experiences of other transgender women and men as a validation of how I felt all my life. I highly recommend "True Selves" and I hope a new edition is in the works.

Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Emphasis on MTFs, not very knowledgable about FTMs - I appreciate that this book was written; I bought it for my parents since I'm FTM. Given that though, and having read several other books like 'Becoming a Visible Man' etc, I feel like this book is heavy on the experience of transwomen (MTFs)and includes transmen thoughtfully but not thoroughly. There is a brief definition of drag queens, for example, without mention of drag kings! The definitions and discussion explain heterosexual trans people to be the norm, with queer trans people as the exception, which is not so much the case in reality.

The author also is inconsistent with her use of names and pronouns throughout. For trans children and teens, she decides that a young MTF should have male names and pronouns, and vice versa for FTMs. This is not consistent with how the trans community generally chooses to present itself. Eventually, as the discussion moves onto adults, she concedes to call adult trans therapy patients by their preferred names and pronouns. By now, the reader is thoroughly confused.

So, if your trans and coming out, don't think that just this book will explain everything...it's kind of a good start I guess.

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