Limited in scope and poorly edited. More like a photography monograph than a true representation of the community. What would have been cool is if the editor had interviewed the teens with trans adults and let compare experiences and learn from each other, or even just had the teens talk to each other as a group, not one-on-one. It would've changed the dynamic, which right now mostly consists of trans kids trying to explain what gender is to a cis person, rather than talking with someone who understands and is going through what they're going through. Disappointing, especially since there aren't a lot of books out there for trans kids. I hope some of them find this book and use it as a gateway to learning more from other, better sources.

It was interesting to see the variety of transgender experiences people have had. The book format — words and pictures — was very effective. I definitely recommend reading this book if you want to see the breadth and humanity of young transgender people.

Anyone wanting to better understand the transgender community would be wise to read this moving and engaging book!

An interesting series of personal essays/memoirs. I think this book does a good job of presenting a range of experiences, without pretending to represent the universal. I would enjoy an update to this book, both in the sense of where are these young people today or as a collection of current young peoples' stories.

I found the stories of these teens instructive. Some of the narrative was hard to read, but that's probably due to the interview style of information gathering.

I also browsed through a lot of reviews of this title. Many of the reviews that were written by members of the LGBTI community make it easy to see that we still have a long way to go. This book showed a few perspectives, and hopefully will open minds - but take the time to read those reviewers comments as well to get more insights into what they found lacking in this book.

I should start this review by stating that I am a cishet woman, so I can only really speak from that perspective. Considering that this book was published back in 2014, it was groundbreaking in introducing trans teen voices and stories. The book includes teens who are trans female, trans male, non-binary and intersex. There is a variety in their experiences - some had family support, others had little. But I still have some issues with this book that I think need to be discussed. And I think that with more and more books being published about trans lives, there are probably better books to get now.

My issues:
-Almost all of the teens live in NYC, which makes sense when you read how the author went about finding most of her interviewees - through a specific clinic. But it misses out on how different trans experiences are in different parts of the country and the world.
-The writing feels awkward at times. The sentences are often short and I wonder if it's directly quoting the teens or if it's paraphrasing.
-Gender norms often get reinforced. Some of the trans men talk about things they like about their lives post-transition that could basically be considered toxic masculinity.
-Sexual abuse and pedophilia - Mariah's story is painful and disturbing to read; the abuse she experienced as a child is heartbreaking. It feels like her story is presented just as it is, without any discussion of the wrongness of what she experienced, or any resources for someone who might be going through a similar experience. There is a sense in the way that she talks about it that she doesn't really see anything wrong with this or hasn't reckoned with how this affected her - (at age 6 "I used to love oral... We were really young, but that's what we did" (at age 8 - "There was sex - what I would call curiosity sex. We were experimenting. Isn't that what kids do at that age?" This chapter in particular is why I would not recommend this book for any age below high school.

A fascinating look into the lives of six transgender teens. An excellent read for anyone wanting to learn more about what it is like for members of the trans community growing up in the US. It also includes a great list of resources at the back including other things to read and watch and organizations doing incredible work.

Candid and honest in an important way. Would switch order of chapters if I had my way.