Some Assembly Required
The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this winning memoir.
We’ve all felt uncomfortable in our own skin at some point, and we’ve all been told that “it’s just a part of growing up.” But for Arin Andrews, it wasn’t a phase that would pass. He had been born in the body of a girl and there seemed to be no relief in sight.
In this revolutionary memoir, Arin details the journey that led him to make the life-transforming decision to undergo gender reassignment as a high school junior. In his captivatingly witty, honest voice, Arin reveals the challenges he faced as a girl, the humiliation and anger he felt after getting kicked out of his private school, and all the changes—both mental and physical—he experienced once his transition began. Arin also writes about the thrill of meeting and dating a young transgender woman named Katie Rain Hill—and the heartache that followed after they broke up.
Some Assembly Required is a true coming-of-age story about knocking down obstacles and embracing family, friendship, and first love. But more than that, it is a reminder that self-acceptance does not come ready-made with a manual and spare parts. Rather, some assembly is always required.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Born Emerald, Arin remembers trying on his male cousin's clothes in fourth grade, as well as crafting a "homemade funnel" to urinate standing up. As puberty progresses, Arin wears black sports bras to minimize his chest and feels "betrayed" when his period starts. Arin first thinks he is gay, but things click when he discovers online what it means to be transsexual. Like Katie Hill (whose Rethinking Normal was acquired simultaneously with this book), Arin gets help from an initially reluctant mother, who, scared by his suicide attempt, decides, "I will support you. I can't lose you." Around the same time Arin gets a prosthetic penis, starts taking testosterone shots, meets Katie, and realizes, "I'd never felt love this pure or strong before." Together, they become a media sensation dubbed "America's First Teen Trans Couple!" Arin is remarkably frank about all aspects of his transition and keeps a casual, conversational tone while discussing everything from surgical options to inner anxieties. This is a brave book that handles complicated and sensitive topics honestly and, at times, with humor. Ages 14 up.
