This is an historically and artistically important book into lives that until quite recently were invisible to the cishetero world. For myself, as a transmasculine person, it is at once deeply triggering and empowering. Hearing and especially seeing trans men going through the same struggles I have prior to, during, and after transition opens a sense of community and continuity that is lacking in my daily life as someone living in a rural area.

A note for readers, particularly trans folk: this book was published in 1996, & depicts the lives of trans men from the 1950s up until that time. Some of the language used--particularly the difference between transsexual and transgender--has evolved since then. The surgical options have likewise evolved, and a reader considering bottom surgery especially should not be daunted solely by the discomfort expressed by certain subjects here.