Not Just a Tomboy

Not Just A Tomboy is the memoir of a trans man growing up in England in the 90s and 00s, exploring gender identity, how gender is treated in childhood and adolescence, and accessing resources and support from the 90s until the present day. Baldwin predominantly reflects on his own life and experiences, but particularly near the end of the book he emphasises a lot of key points about transgender people. At the end, there are references and links for people, whether they need support or are looking to understand further.

The memoir is powerful and engaging, particularly for people who grew up in Britain in a similar time and understand a lot of the shared reference points. In light of current government work around Gender Recognition Act reform, it is important for trans people to share their stories and the importance around accessing services and resources; at the same time, it is always important for memoirs around gender identity to be written and shared, because they help people come to terms with elements of their own identity and force others to think about their and others' experiences.

This is a really honest memoir, so well written, and so interesting to read.

I know someone who is going through a similar journey, and thought this book would give me really good insight into what it’s like for trans men.

This is a book that so many people should read, as there’s a lot of ignorance when it comes to transgender people. It would really give people a better understanding of gender issues, and even how we as a society view gender.

I found it facinating to read about his childhood, and it really highlights the gender stereotypes attached to things like the toys we assign to children, the clothes they wear etc. Hopefully as society becomes more aware of these issues, we will become more conscious of not putting boys and girls into categories purely based on gender.

His experiences as he goes through puberty really highlights the issue of puberty blockers, something that many people are uncomfortable about the use of.

It’s a thought provoking book, and I have no doubt that it would be an invaluable source of information for anyone who wants to know more about what it is to be trans, but also in terms of raising awareness of the issues faced by trans people, it would be great to see it more widely read.

In addition, it’s a very readable and facinating story of someone’s life. Highly recommended to anyone who would like to understand the trans journey better, or anyone who enjoys a good autobiography. A must-read.

I would like to thank Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Not Just A Tomboy’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

A book that takes you on Casper’s journey through his life knowing that he was born the wrong body. It goes through the highs and lows of his life from childhood.

I was really hooked to this book, I wanted Casper to get some form of clarity and for him to be the person that he wants to be.

I'm glad to read this and I'm glad it exists, as it's I've only really read about trans women. Saying this, I wish Caspar would have talked a little about himself, so I could relate to him outside his struggle to be who he is. Saying that, I'm a cisgendered women, so the book isn't for me. But it helped me understand body dysmorphia and the unnecessary drama that is faced for just using the toilet. The book was one note, as it was all about the struggle. But the struggle is real. And relentless. And for that my heart goes out to all trans people out there.

Some of my quotes and notes:

'I was the type of child who had to find space in their bed to lie down at night (good training for cat ownership)'

Look into The Gender Agenda (Ball and Miller 2017)

'After all, a hundred years ago pink was considered to be for boys and blue for girls (Boulton 2014) which excellently highlights how these rules are totally arbitrary and completely ridiculous.'

'But it wasn't because I hated pink or butterflies or flowers, just that wearing them was so inexplicably linked to the girl gender designation, I couldn't bear it.'

'Girls' trousers should be figure accentuating, contoured to your lines because it's all about maximizing your looks, even in your school uniform.'

'The girls in this class of seven-year-olds were almost all of the opinion that boys were better and really the only thing in which girls could claim to be top was in 'being pretty'.'

this book was great! it informed me alot on trans issues and i would totally recommend it to those who are less informed.

4.5 stars I guess
It was a really interesting memoir and so many things hit home, but it was a bit dry sometimes. I appreciate all the information but iccasionally, the longer explanations of (entirely relevant) laws bored me a bit.

Full review to come soon.