Review by Dennis D. McDonald

One day, 19-year-old Lucie tells her mother that she is really a boy named Alex. The book follows the mother's painful journey of self-discovery as she tries to reconcile her love for her trans child with her own personal beliefs and biases.

It's a painful journey, focusing almost completely on the mother as she grapples with culture, upbringing, tradition, discrimination, fear, and misunderstanding. This profusely illustrated book, presented in the style of a graphic novel, provides a wealth of practical and technical information about the challenges trans people face in today's world, starting with the search for acceptance and understanding from their own families.

Anyone who reads this book dispassionately and with curiosity should come away with a much better understanding of the issues facing trans people today; I certainly did.

This understanding starts with the fundamental disconnects between terms and concepts such as "sex" and "gender." The book provides a healthy portion of factual information relating to a world where traditional distinctions between "female" and "male" must be called into question.

That's only part of the story. The focus instead is on the mother as she searches her own heart, feelings, and scientific thinking to understand—and accept— her child's journey.

A wealth of references and additional sources of information is presented at the end of the book. Sadly, the first one listed is the ACLU, evidence of the continued legal challenges experienced by trans people.

Review copyright (c) 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald

Graphic Novels and Memoirs