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A review by zoolmcg
Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits by Loren Cameron
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
I remember encountering this book about a year or so ago while loking for trans books in my uni library. Until now, I never checked it out, and I'm so glad I did. Cameron gives us beautiful, meaningful, first of their kind documentary images of FTM life that genuinely brought tears to my eyes.
It's hard to discern which series is my favourite, but based on how powerful they were, I'd have to mark out God's Will as a few of the best. The third image, where the flash bulb is in one hand and the T-shot is in the other is one of the most genius compositions I've come across. I could quite literally stare at these three photos for hours and discover more about myself and what it is to be transsexual. It's a wonderful way of showing our lives.
My only criticism of this book is in the way its writing could've been improved. Certain sections in the into could've been edited or even expanded on. I am totally gripped by the FTM community in 1990s San Francisco, and I almost felt cheated that I couldn't learn the whole story. It's wonderful to see the same men's names crop up in all of the texts I'm reading, but again, I want more from them! I wish their interviews and portraits were multiple pages long. I wish I could glean even more from Cameron's analysis of his own upbrinigng and work. It's stunning.
I'd definitely recommend this book (if you can find it physically, the experience is unparallel to PDFs I've seen online), and that would go twofold for transsexuals. I'd say this is an essential piece of art we must all study for the betterment of our own understanding. I have immense respect for the transmen that came before me. I am in awe of this book and all of the men involved with it.
It's hard to discern which series is my favourite, but based on how powerful they were, I'd have to mark out God's Will as a few of the best. The third image, where the flash bulb is in one hand and the T-shot is in the other is one of the most genius compositions I've come across. I could quite literally stare at these three photos for hours and discover more about myself and what it is to be transsexual. It's a wonderful way of showing our lives.
My only criticism of this book is in the way its writing could've been improved. Certain sections in the into could've been edited or even expanded on. I am totally gripped by the FTM community in 1990s San Francisco, and I almost felt cheated that I couldn't learn the whole story. It's wonderful to see the same men's names crop up in all of the texts I'm reading, but again, I want more from them! I wish their interviews and portraits were multiple pages long. I wish I could glean even more from Cameron's analysis of his own upbrinigng and work. It's stunning.
I'd definitely recommend this book (if you can find it physically, the experience is unparallel to PDFs I've seen online), and that would go twofold for transsexuals. I'd say this is an essential piece of art we must all study for the betterment of our own understanding. I have immense respect for the transmen that came before me. I am in awe of this book and all of the men involved with it.