Unfortunately the copy I was sent was filled with missing letters, and thus is unreadable :( every few sentences, mainly F's and THIS are absent from the text throughout the whole book

I love diaries, and this record of the life of a trans man is a vital document. His activism and campaigning were extraordinary but more than anything this is the story of a man just finding his rightful place in the world. I feel lucky to have read it.

I found Lou Sullivan's diary a very interesting read, mainly because of its historical importance. It is very inspiring to read about a queer journey in a time and place where there wasn't much information about trans identity, especially on positive terms. Lou's struggle in understanding and accepting himself is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and definitely still relevant today. Additionally, I really enjoyed the inclusion in the selection of entries from his early teenage years because they validate how the discovery of one's gender and sexual identities are a fluid journey that requires time and understanding and is never set in stone.

My only issue with this title has been the choice of removing all entries' dates and doing very little editing to the text. Sometimes I found it difficult to jump from one thought to the other without having more natural breaks within the text. It sounded like a very long stream of consciousness, which made it a bit harder to follow. Nonetheless, I think Lou's voice needs and deserves to be read and hope that this book goes a long way!

In the past, I haven't reviewed books that I haven't read. But, I have changed my mind. Firstly, I think that the fact that I couldn't finish a book is a valid criticism, and this is where we give feedback to the publisher. Secondly, I need to get my score up. I will not post this anywhere else but here. My rating will be based on what other people would think about this work.

I read about 30% of this book. I think that it is important work and that it is essential to hear these voices, But I found that I wasn't motivated to read the book.

I wanted to love this book - it seemed to tick every box for me. Yet, somehow, I just couldn’t gel with it. Perhaps the old adage about diaries being written for a reader didn’t ring true in this case. Sadly, reading it became a chore when I very much hoped it’d be a pleasure. Strange proofing error also meant that every “ff”, “fi” and “Th” was missing - made it difficult given that one of the major people in Lou’s life was called Jeff! His character, resilience and strength shone through, but the writing style just didn’t appeal.

I had to DNF this just because the formatting on the mobi file is so bad - there are random letters missing everywhere, I spent more time trying to work out what the words were meant to be than actually reading the book

Unfortunately, I couldn't read this because the formatting didn't work on my kindle and the beginnings of words were missing, eg 'ight' instead of 'fight'. It looked like an interesting read so this was disappointing.

Before reading this book I knew who Lou Sullivan was and not a lot more. This was an interesting read, full of food for thought and poignant.
I appreciated this book as it helped to understand a lot more about gender and identity.
A very interesting read that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

"I want to look like what I am but don't know what some one like me looks like. I mean, when people look at me I want them to think— there's one of those people […] that has their own interpretation of happiness. That's what I am."
A selection from the many, diary entries from the archives of Lou Sullivan, one of the first openly trans, female to male, gay men. Sullivan was aware from an early age of the discrepancies between the body he had and his feelings about it. He started a diary at the age of ten, and it is as though he also realised how important his feelings were because his writings became key to his advocacy for trans people, specifically female to male trans people who identified as gay. His struggles to get surgery and to be accepted as a gay man were things he used to change the way trans people were assessed and recognised in law. The irony that after so many years of fighting for surgery, the year he finally got bottom surgery was the year he was also diagnosed with AIDS was not lost on him. He said: "I took a certain pleasure in informing the gender clinic that even though their program told me I could not live as a Gay man, it looks like I'm going to die like one." The diaries are a fascinating insight into the mind of someone who knew with great certainty who they were and who fought long and hard for that to be recognised and celebrated.

"A big fear of mine is that I will die before the gender professionals acknowledge that someone like me exists, and then I really won’t exist to prove them wrong."

I loved this book and really feel that it is a story that needs to be shared with a wider audience- I wish that a progressive studio would take it on as a film project instead of the sanitised queer baiting or tokenism that typically graces our screens.

I was incredibly grateful to be offered a copy of this book by the publisher but the caveat to that is the digital version is very flawed. I understood that there would be spelling errors as included in the original text but actually entire letters are missing which made this book hard to read. Because it is so important I hope that this will be addressed. It took me far longer than need to be to get through it because of that bad port to Kindle, which is used by so many.

For fans of Its a Sin, this is its perfect companion.
Truthful, hard hitting, raw, this isnt for the faint hearted but shines a light to a scary and unsettling time, holding up a mirror to sexuality and trans life.
Very moving and packs a powerful punch.

I was really looking forward to reading this book but I'm extremely disappointed.
Not for the diaries themselves but all the mistakes within the book.
There is spelling mistakes throughout, absolutely no grammar and worst of all they have completely ruined the whole story.
An eight year old could have written it better and that's being polite!
If it was given to a decent ghostwriter then I would give it 4/12 stars.

I initially stumbled across Lou Sullivan and his mega-influential story in Susan Stryker's seminal inventorying of Transgender History (2008) last year, so Youngman instantly seized my interest; this synthesized and insightful log of his life as a gay trans man during what was a momentous stretch of modern history for the gay liberation movement - from his self-discovery and information-disseminating activism to more intimate affairs - is a genuine treat to anyone looking to learn more about this imperative interval in the larger timeline of LGBT history and the spirited and lasting legacy of Sullivan himself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for kindly passing on this ARC! 💫

Youngman is a selection of the diaries of Lou Sullivan, gay trans man and activist, from the age of 10 until his death aged 39. They are placed in chronological order, separated into where he lived but otherwise without interruption, and the book reads as a first-hand account of Sullivan's life, particularly around sex, love, and fighting to live the life he wanted.

Particularly powerful are the things Sullivan says that sound obvious and straightforward now, but at the time were radical and vital for changing the ways in which trans people related to gender and sexuality and were seen by other people. His exploration and affirmation of being a gay trans man, and the importance of being a gay man amongst men, come out (pun intended) particularly well through this selection, and his insights could be useful to people who don't really understand how gender and sexuality can be deeply entwined, but also one doesn't necessarily mean something about the other. Even with the sadness of Sullivan's death, this is a deeply celebratory book, showing a man fighting to live on his terms and enjoying sex and community throughout his life, and the diary excerpts create an intimate picture that a lot of people will get something from.