Finney Boylan's memoir of parenting as a trans woman who transitioned when her sons were children. Worth reading, of course, because Finney Boylan is very good, but I liked her I'm Looking Through You better. Not sure I could say why, exactly, except that it had more of that something that grabs one about a book. I suppose it may have resonated with me more, as that one was about growing up (which I did--oi! you in the back! stop snickering) and this one is about having children (which I did not do). ( )

Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders
by Jennifer Finney Boylan is an enjoyable look at gender identity and parenting. Even more, it looks at the experiences not only of being a parent but also being a child, being part of a family as well as decisions about whether or not to have a child. These are explored in conversations with a variety of well-known writers (including Edward Albee, Ann Beattie, and Richard Russo).
It’s warm tone drew me in and I felt included in these discussions. I wish I had had a book like this when I was raising my own children.

Boyle includes a look at her own parenting and how it was effected by her gender transition. But the emphasis on this book is on the experiences of all kinds of parenting, of family, of having children (or deciding not to), of childhood—of being human in this complex and challenging world.

My only reservation is that although the book is pleasant it lacks depth. However, I left wishing I could meet Boylan. Maybe it’s the skill of her writing but I felt like she was someone I would want to have as a friend.

I received a copy of this book from Library.Thing.

( )

It took me reading two or three really good essays by Jennifer Finney Boylan in the New York Times several months apart before I remembered, "oh, right, she's the transgender woman, who teaches in Maine," and to decide that it was time to read one of her books. To get a truly in-depth understanding of how James decided to become Jenny, I think I'll need to read her previous memoir, She's Not There, but Stuck in the Middle With You is pretty fascinating. Boylan intersperses her reflections on parenting as a man, transgender woman-in-transition, and, finally, woman, with interviews that shed light on the experiences of marriage and being family, and on how complex those experiences are, even for people with less complicated stories than hers. The structure works, and so many interesting writers show up in the interviews (Augusten Burroughs, Richard Russo, Anna Quindlen, Ann Beattie, Susan Minot, Timothy Kreider, Edward Albee) that it would be a shame for anyone to miss them. There are definitely things glossed-over and/or missing here about the ways Boylan's transition has affected her marriage that make the account feel slightly less than honest, but I suppose that deciding what to include and what not to is the memoirist's prerogative! ( )

Fascinating book! Jennifer Finney Boylan writes from the heart when discussing how she and her spouse have raised their children. Boylan also includes interviews with several authors who have differing views on what it means to be a parent. I loved that there was an open and honest discussion about labels and definitions and I am definitely planning to read more of this author's works.

*I received this book through NetGalley.com* ( )

This is a memoir about the author who went through a transition from male to female. She was married and had two sons when she finally realized that she could not hide herself any longer. She talked with her wife, and when through the transition from Jimmy to Jenny. Her wife stayed with her and is still with her today. She went from being Daddy to Maddy to her boys. During her transition, her family faced a lot of challenges and many questions, but in the end, they stayed together as a family. This book tells her story, but also has interviews others in her life and examines their relationships with mothers, fathers, and children whether their own or as their roles of.



I thought this was a pretty good book. I would be lying if I was surprised that Jenny's wife stayed with her after her transition. Her wife does not identify as a lesbian, but she loves Jenny and loved their life, so she stuck with her. They seem like a well balanced, loving family. Their boys are grown now, and striving, and show no ill effects of Jenny's transition. I did enjoy the other interviews intermixed in this book - how people viewed their own relationships with their fathers, mothers and children. And how those relationships formed the person they are today.



I suggest reading it. There isn't a lot known or understood about people who are transgender, and I think this book gives a good insight on the struggles a person - and their family - can go through ( )