Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews
Arin Andrews was born feeling trapped inside of his own body. Entering into this world as a female, he struggled with his gender from a very young age, well before he ever even knew the word "transgender" or what it meant. His childhood was largely spent with his mom putting him in dresses, applying makeup, and entering him into lots of beauty pageants to try and curb his camo cargo shorts wearing, rough and tumble ways. Years later, when he came out as trans to his mom, she, like him not too long before that fateful moment on a highway off-ramp, was confused. Her confusion and concern lead to education and understanding as she became one of Arin's biggest supporters as he began his physical transition as a high school junior. What led Arin to undergoing gender reassignment then? How did the anger and humiliation of getting kicked-out of his private school impact his life? How did the internet, community resources, and magazine articles impact his journey? What types of physical and mental changes did he experience through all of this? This is Arin Andrews's incredible story.
Some Assembly Required is a frank and thoughtful coming-of-age story, written in a conversational tone, about family, friends, and love. Arin's memoir leaves no topic untouched in an attempt to breakdown barriers and help readers get as complete of a picture of one person's journey to self-acceptance as possible. If you've ever had questions you were too afraid or too embarrassed to ask about what it means to be transgender, this book is for you. If you know someone who identifies as transgender and want to know how to best support them, this book is for you. If you're simply looking for a poignant and brave story of one teen's journey into adulthood, this book is for you.
Book: WorldCat | Amazon | IndieBound | Goodreads | LibraryThing Author: Twitter
“The author details what led him to undergo gender reassignment surgery as a high school junior, sharing the challenges he faced as a girl, the changes he experienced once his transition began, and his relationship with a transgender woman.”
Andrews, A. (2014). Some assembly required: The not-so-secret life of a transgender teen. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781481416764; Paperback; $12.99.
