Is Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words Worth Reading?

I stumbled upon 'Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words' during a deep dive into memoirs that explore identity, and it left a lasting impression. The raw honesty of the contributors is what struck me most—there’s no sugarcoating or performative storytelling here, just real experiences from teens and young adults navigating gender. The anthology format works brilliantly, offering a mosaic of perspectives that range from heartbreaking to hopeful. It’s not a clinical guide or a polemic; it’s human voices, messy and beautiful. I especially appreciated how it balances darker moments (like family rejection) with small triumphs (finding a supportive friend group). If you’re looking for a book that feels like listening to a friend pour their heart out, this is it.

One thing that surprised me was how much I learned about regional and cultural differences in trans experiences—stories from rural areas contrasted sharply with urban narratives, and the inclusion of BIPOC voices added layers I hadn’t encountered in similar books. The writing style varies by contributor, which keeps things fresh, though some entries are more polished than others. That unevenness actually adds to its charm, though—it’s like flipping through a shared diary. Fair warning: keep tissues handy for the chapter about a kid bonding with their grandparent over knitting while coming out. It wrecks me every time.

What I love about this anthology is how it captures the weird in-betweenness of growing up trans—not just kid vs. adult, but also pre-transition limbo, figuring out labels (or rejecting them), and navigating spaces that aren’t built for you. The section on school experiences hit hard: one writer describes hiding in library stacks during PE to avoid locker rooms, while another talks about their art teacher secretly letting them use the staff bathroom. These tiny, specific moments build into something huge.

It’s not all heavy, though—there’s a hilarious bit about a group of friends trying (and failing) to DIY haircuts, and a sweet story about bonding with a sibling over shared eyeliner. The book’s strength is its refusal to homogenize; some contributors ID as nonbinary, some as trans men/women, some are still questioning, and that diversity matters. If you’re looking for pristine prose, this isn’t it, but if you want truth? Absolutely worth your time.

this book stood out because it doesn’t try to be the 'definitive' trans experience—it’s a chorus, not a solo. The editors did a great job curating diverse ages (13 to early 20s) and backgrounds, so it avoids feeling monolithic. Some entries read like poetry, others like frantic late-night texts to a best friend, and that variety makes it super accessible. I loaned my copy to a cis friend who admitted she’d never understood why pronoun swaps mattered until she read a contributor’s story about hearing 'he' for the first time in gym class—that visceral 'aha' moment is what this book excels at creating.

Critically, it doesn’t shy away from awkward or cringe phases either—there’s a brutally funny account of a teen botching their first binder order that had me wheezing. The only drawback? I wish it were longer! A few contributors mention wanting to update their stories years later, which makes me hope for a sequel. Perfect for readers who loved 'The Gender Creative Child' but crave more unfiltered teen perspectives.