Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

This book helping me in my transition I love it

Want to destroy your life and possibly the one of those around you? Try this.

Absolutely love this book

These stories will warm your heart and bring you to tears, sometimes simultaneously. Real words from real teens in a rare unedited view of the amazing variety in our humanity. Transgender people are among the most courageous on the planet. This book shares their stories and lets you see for yourself.

I honestly don't know if I would've pulled this book from the shelf whilst browsing, as I'm not transgender, nor do I know anyone well who is (though I used to). Also, despite not being transgender and not being in a close friendship with anyone who is, I feel that I understand the complexity of this topic and the related issues well enough that I don't "need" to read it. And, yet, I was drawn in by one of the most hilarious and poignant quotations I've ever heard: "While everyone else my age is saving up to buy a car or a house, I'm saving up for a vagina." It was hilarious: I burst out laughing. It was quotable: I Tweeted it and it got re-Tweeted and favorited. I remembered it for days. But... it was also sad. It took me a while to get past the candor, the humor, and the strangeness of it and dig down deep into my understanding: there is a person out there who so badly wants to be in a female body that saving up for a vagina is in priority above saving up for a house. Doesn't that say it all? I appreciated the way in which Susan Kulkin approached this project. She clearly wanted to give people who don't fit into our society's neat little categorized gender/sex boxes a voice. She felt comfortable enough with herself as a writer (and a person, for that matter) to allow this mission to take whatever form her six interviewees wanted, whether it be creative retellings of the stories most important to them, poetry, photography, or question/answer sessions. She let their voices shape the manuscript, rather than forcing them to fit within the rigid confines of her preconceptions. The main message of the Male-to-Female, Female-to-Male, pansexual (often referred to as androgynous), and intersex (often referred to as hermaphrodite) teens is simple: we're people too. And, though many heterosexual readers who fit nicely into traditional gender roles may not understand "why someone would choose to be a gender or sex other than the one in which they were born," by the time those readers take the time to fully read the chapter by and about the one intersex teen represented, they might understand how it isn't always a choice when someone is born with ovatestes (a combination of male and female reproductive organs) and a body constantly populated with a confusing combination of male and female hormones. If such a person "chooses" either gender and undergoes the surgery and hormone therapy required to exercise that choice, isn't that person technically a transgender individual? Readers might also be surprised to learn that some such people "choose" to live life straddling gender lines, as they were born. Is that, too, really a choice? If you want to become empathetic to transexual, pansexual, and intersex teens, I highly recommend this book. If you fall into any of those categories yourself, you have probably already heard about it, but, if not, I suspect you might feel a kinship with some of the six teens whose profiles are shared within its pages. If you are a teen, you might want to take a look at this book since, chances are, you will probably meet and befriend someone like the six teens interviewed herein. If you are a parent of teens, a teacher of teens, a social worker who works with teens, or any other adult who interacts with teens on a regular basis, I would encourage you to read this book. It would be a wonderful addition to any young adult library, high school classroom library, or teen center book collection.

As a future therapist, I was looking to understand the experience of Gender Dysphoria. I learned so much from reading this book and thought the author did a very respectful, thorough job of telling the stories of these 6 teens.

I had the feeling I needed to read this book. Even though I have seen a few documentaries on LGBT issues this book gave me more of an understanding of what 6 transgender teens felt and experienced while growing up. I feel that each teen she interviewed gave me insight into how gender is a part of who you are, but it also it is not the only aspect of life that defines you. I felt their voices came through extremely well. By letting these teens speak up about their lives in a constructive way it helps open up dialogue in a productive building way. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to open up their mind to people who they would consider different.

This book is wonderful. I have used it with many of the LGBTQ teens I work with. They can always find someone to identify with. I have purchased additional copies to hand out.

Love it

It was not what I expecting

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Didn't really keep my interest, but I enjoyed reading a few of the stories. I'm so glad to live in a society where LGBT are finally being accepted, slowly, but surely.

I originally started to read this book because of my Sociology and Gender course at school. I was given a long list of books to choose from and this one stuck out and sounded interesting. I was not disappointed. This book opened my eyes, peaked my interest, and educated me. That's not an easy task. The stories are amazing and I love the way it is told/brought to life.

It's clear that trans is a much more complicated issue than I thought it was. This book verifies that. The book is easy reading even when I was not always able to follow the processes that the individuals went through. I clearly have more reading to do.

One of my favorite reads, great book where queer youth are given the space to explore their gender and sexuality

Loving this book. It's not really well written or anything, it's just real life stories as recounted by those who have lived them. I recommend this to anyone who may be unfamiliar with the Trans-experience. So educating.

Tis book is a series of essays on the struggles, body image issues, and failires of families to accept that their teens are transgender. It must have take great courage for many of these youngsters to write their stories; or, perhaps, they needed to tell their tales to make us all more aware of the torture, internally, and externally, that many of them endure. My only criticism of the book is that many of the segments are somewhat disjointed and difficult to put together in one's mind in a cohesive fashion. However, that being said, it is indeed an eye opener and perhaps something that trans teens should read as well so they know they are not alone. I particularly found enlightening the chapter on the teen who was actually two sexes - born with a malfunctioning set of ovaries and receiving multiple feedback that was confusing from different doctors. I think that should the reader wish to glean more knowledge on a misunderstood aspect of our society, this is the book to read.

Good to hear teens use their own voices to explain how they feel.

The two main attributes that I highlight are the fluidity of the stories and the diversity of teenagers that narrate their experiences. The book is a great introduction to the topic. I enjoyed reading it.

This book is powerful and important. I really appreciate reading about trans teenagers' experiences in their own words.

As a parent, this book helped to give me insight into what my child is experiencing. I borrowed this book From my locale library first. After reading it I bought my own copy.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Compassionately written. Insight. True stories.

I really enjoyed the in-depth view of these experiences. But I would have like more on how younger kids deal with the problems, especially in a less accepting family. And what about the children of less wealth. This is one problem that I find with much of the LGBT material including fiction. Almost all of the kids have a car and what seems like unlimited access the things that many of our youth just can not afford.

This was honestly the best book I've read in a longgggg time. As a gender queer individual myself it was so insightful to read about these teens and their struggles to be comfortable in their own skin. I feel like this book really captures the life of a transgender individual through examples and helps to educate those who are comfortable with themselves already. Overall it was just a great read

I love this book. I would highly recommend.

Daughter is enjoying reading this book.

If you want a book that celebrates the sexual exploitation of children here you go! The exerts from this book makes me sick to my stomach. Shame on the author for publishing this trash!!!

I bought a copy for myself, but after reading it I feel energized enough to buy a hardcover and start the first LGBTQ library at the high school where I work. Books that stay true to the experiences of young people must be made readily available to all youth and the adults that love them!

This was my response to S.C. Sue, who recommends some alternative books that I think may serve a different purpose. You'll have to read the comments on her review to see those, and it may be worth it for those titles if this book isn't what you want. My response to Sue is below: Thanks for responding. I can understand why you might not like the format. It does NOT seem like a book for someone looking for advice on how to deal with these issues on a personal level. Given the number of books you have read, maybe you know someone who deals with some of the issues that the kids in the book deal with. I probably know someone too, or many people, but I am not aware of their struggles and wasn't looking for any information that would help me or them. I looked at this book as serving a different purpose. I felt each section was short and could be read by a teenager, or maybe even a pre-teen like my 12 year old son. Kids who may not have any significant gender identity issues and whose only exposure to this material is to whisper about the effeminate seeming boy or the two girls making out during recess. Well, that, and to hear me explain how prevalent these things are, and that they aren't abnormal. Even reading just the first story is enough exposure to start kids thinking about how difficult it can be to deal with gender issues. That's a pretty huge thing. I probably wasn't exposed to these issues until medical school. I read this and it made me think of the kid in my middle school who was shunned a bit because he was different. I had no classes with him and only knew his name, but I didn't make any effort to understand him at all or even to say hello to him when I walked past him. He was different from the "cool kids" I wanted to be associated with. As far as I know, his issues weren't related to the subject matter of this book, but after he committed suicide, I always wondered if a few of us had been more tolerant of "different", and had made some effort to acknowledged him as a person, if that might have made a difference. To this day I feel bad I didn't have the courage to invite him to join us playing volleyball, or to walk to ice cream truck when he sat alone at our community pool. Instead, I stuck with my group of friends and agreed with them when they said "he's so weird". I wish I hadn't. This book seems perfect to expose kids who don't struggle with their gender, to some of what kids who do struggle with it have to deal with. Hopefully enough teach them more sensitivity than I had when I was younger. Enough that they aren't scared to say hello to and to talk with, the boy wearing a dress or the girl who "acts like a boy". Enough that they won't snicker and agree that they're so weird. If it does that, I'll be more than satisfied with it.

All is fine.

I think this book gives a little peek into the lives of the gender spectrum. This book highlights that everyone's story is different. It was a great read, pity it was so short.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

This is a good intro book to the issues our transgender teens deal with. I do feel they focused on the "better" case scenarios. As hard as this tIme was/is for these teens, there are so many others that have had a much harder time with their friends, family or society.

was awesome

Very down to earth, accessible information on the TG experience

It's long been known that Amazon does not allow publication of books that promote exploitation of children and child porn, yet here is this disgusting garbage encouraging CHILDREN to engage in sex with other children, male and female. Here is an excerpt from this book: “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral,” reads an excerpt from the book. “And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” IF Amazon truly cares about not exploiting innocent children it will pull this atrocity from its shelves immediately. If Amazon allows this book to remain they may as well allow all the books they previously banned that likewise exploited children in different ways. Do what's right, Jeff Bezos...

You learn something everyday.

Excellent work and an honest read. My daughter loves it!

outstanding

Loved the Diverseity almost wish i could meet the nerd on the cover and GIVEM A HUG

ty

Wow, just a beautiful book and a great collection of vignettes. The book is glossy and comfortable, like holding an art photography book. The stories are powerful and would make a great addition to classroom or group discussions.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

not too impressed

This book is long overdue. It is written and photographed with love and sensitivity about an important subject matter for teens, their families, their friends, and for all people who wish to understand this topic better. I congratulate the author for her inspirational work and her gift of candor and power.

The book is great overall however, the individual stories especially Christina's story just makes Transgender females seem like miserable and unhappy people. Its sad seeing people that are intersex, Transgender struggle in our society. I took the most interest in Christina's story mainly because I believe it was the best. The fighting in the train was interesting, especially coming from an all boys catholic school. However, Christina's story eventually came off as her being miserable in her life. Just too much negativity for me. I hope I can someday hear a follow up to the stories behind these people. If Im not mistaken the stories were made 2011-2012. I would like to hear what these people are up to now in 2014.

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out tackles the difficult subject of transgender teens. It provides a glimpse into the lives of five transgender teens and young adults. At this point, I believe it is important to go through the basics of sex, gender, and transgender before I review the book. Although a majority of people use the terms "sex" and "gender" interchangeably, they are vastly different concepts. The term "sex" is purely biological and it refers to the physical characteristics of genitalia, chromosomes, and hormones. Someone who has male genitalia, XY chromosomes, and primarily testosterone is referred to as male. A biological female has female genitalia, higher levels of estrogen, and XX chromosomes. Intersex individuals can have any number of combined male and female physical characteristics and ambiguous genitalia. Now these physical attributes have nothing to do with gender, which is a societal context, internal feeling and identity. A person's gender is how they identify in terms of being man/woman, pronouns they prefer (he/she), bathrooms they use, and countless other thoughts, feelings, and sense of who a person is. Now a majority of people are cisgender, meaning their intrinsic gender identity matches their biological sex. However, for a small minority of people, their intrinsic gender identity doesn't match their biological sex or have ambiguous biological sex. This is what the term "transgender" means and it is an umbrella term for any gender identity which doesn't precisely match a person's physical characteristics. For example, a person could be born biologically female, but, identify as a man or F to M. Of course this is just one example under the general umbrella term of transgender. Like I mentioned at the beginning, Beyond Magenta briefly examines the lives of five transgender individuals. I think the book succeeds in several aspects. For starters, I felt the author gave each person the respect he or she deserved and it seemed like the author genuinely tried to understand each person. Often times transgender people face violence and discrimination because people are ignorant, do not understand the differences between sex and gender, and are afraid of such a foreign concept for them. I also liked how the author shared each person's story before, during, and after their transition, if applicable. Additionally, I thought the author did a fantastic job presenting each person as the gender they identified with. She used the appropriate pronouns, even before the person transitioned, and showed more pictures of each person as their preferred gender. In fact, I wasn't sure of the biological sex of one of the people (no that this matters of course) and actually guessed wrong. Clearly, the author took great care in presenting each person correctly. Despite these positive qualities, I thought the book was weak in two main areas and these are the reasons I am giving it a mediocre star rating. First, I wish the author spent more time dealing with the thoughts and feelings of the coming out process for everyone involved. I felt this aspect of each's person's story was glossed over in a couple of paragraphs. I also wish the author spent more time discussing each person's life while they were growing up and working through their thoughts and feelings until they reached the conclusion they were transgender. Overall, I guess I just wish each story was told in more depth. This wasn't my biggest problem, however. My biggest problem with the book is she included one, if not two, people with many other psychological issues. One person went back and forth on whether or not they were transgender and ever described one instance as a phase. This person was engaging in sexual activity, starting at 6 years old, spent several months or years, on a few occasions, in hospitals or group homes due to emotional instability. They were forcibly removed from their guardian's house twice due to violent outbursts and threatening people with a knife. At one point in the hospital, this person stuck their hand in someone's pants (and more) and the author left out whether this was consensual sexual activity. Regardless, I don't think their story should have been included because it is not representative of the general transgender population. Transgender people already have enough trouble with discrimination and violence due to misperceptions and false beliefs without the author adding, to the already common notion that transgender people are mentally ill. The other person clearly suffered from clinical depression and I am ambivalent on their story being included for the same reasons. Although it is common for transgender people to struggle with clinical depression, so this person's story was probably more relevant and representative of the struggles of being transgender than the first person I mentioned.

Continued exploitation of children, not appropriate material.

This is an important book, not just for teens struggling with their gender identity but for families, teachers, social workers, and anyone working with young people. The interviews are honest and revealing, and their candor sheds new light on a subject that has not been talked about until recently. I highly recommend this book.

This is unreal. A book that graphically describes oral sex performed by children of the age of six years old. How is it possible that this despicable book is allowed on Amazon?!

If this is anything but abhorrent to you then there is an issue. Not even the fact that it’s about transgender but the fact that we are celebrating? Accepting as normal? Desensitizing ourselves as a culture to child exploitation and molestation. What a scary and despicable word we are bring out children up in.

Loved the first story about Jessy. Second story about Christina was good. Story #3 "Mariah: the real deal" really threw me for a loop. Descriptions of an upbringing with little parental/guardian guidance and extremely early sexual encounters left me disgusted that this book didn't come with a warning. I'm a proponent of destigmatizing s*xual subjects amongst mature consenting adults. But the acts described amongst young children was revolting and I would like my money back. Recommend first two stories, but NOT Mariah's story. Her story is JUST the ammunition anti-LGBTQ+ people look for to smear Pride as being detrimental to young people. Can't believe the author included such a story in an otherwise great book. With that story in the mix, the book CANNOT be recommended.

From talking about pedophiles masturbating in front of children as if it were normal, to describing how they "liked it" when they performed oral sex as a 6 year old, this book is everything we've been warned by our parents about for the past 30 years. This book normalizes perversion, and nothing more. It's all wrapped up in a pretty bow, but when it comes right down to it, no child with a developing mind should EVER be subjugated to such overt perverse thoughts. It's disgusting that what is essentially written soft-core child porn is permitted on Amazon.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

I have a small library now filled with books on the Transgender theme, and this book looked so hopeful. However; I found it very difficult to read, and not organized at all. One chapter sounded like a 5 year old wrote it; not impressed.

Promotes pedophilia! Do not purchase. A six year old giving and receiving oral should not be celebrated.

Surely you are kidding...

This book talks about sexually abused children not getting the proper help they need and belong allowed to take drastic action from that abuse by identifying as transgendered instead of damaged children.. SUPER WRONG.. Why in the hell would Amazon sell a book normalizing child sexual abuse and encouragement of child we. Acts.. SICK SICK SICK.. this is a how to sexuality abuse Children guide

Pushing the LGBT narrative down kids throats is disgusting.

How utterly terrible and terrifying! Shame!

From what I read it's just promotes child abuse and its sick ,disgusting and very twisted to have 6 yr old doing oral sex .. nothing to do with transgender ..I am shocked Amazon promotes this perversion of children

My library has this book in the "Young Adult Section." I am requesting they remove it.

This books includes and promotes pedophilia for kids at the age of 6 doing sexual favors for multiple adults. Our sexual biology doesn't kick in until puberty so stop using transgender movement to promote pedophilia. This should be illegal

Disgusting. This book needs to be taken down immediately, pedophile trash.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

The book promotes pedophilic stories. This is not about transgender teens. Very graphic descriptions of teen sex and abuse. This book is meant to sexualise children. This book should have been more honest with it's title

Contrary to all these one-star reviews, this book does *not* promote pedophilia. Reading comprehension is important people. One person’s personal story involves a lot of child abuse and trips to psychiatric hospitals. One person. Their story is pretty sad, and in my personal opinion that individual seems to have a warped view on some things, probably stemming from the hell they had to put up with as a young child. The fact that they had a tumultuous and abusive childhood does not in any way mean that this book promotes that behavior. It does not. The youth and naivety of most of these kids is pretty apparent, but they also have access to language and information like never before. I applaud them all for opening up and being true to themselves. It is not easy to buck tradition or expose one’s self to the world. Even though gender variant people have existed throughout the history of the world, most people are not aware and are not used to thinking outside of the gender boxes we get placed into at birth. It’s always nice to have these stories and recognize that no group of people is a monolith. We all have different backgrounds and relationships with ourselves, and our communities, as well as different paths that lead us to our various identities.

Kuklin presents compelling personal accounts from six transgender and/or non-binary teens. As the subtitle suggests, the author acts mainly as a facilitator for her interview subjects, allowing them to present their identities and stories from their respective individual viewpoints as much as possible. Each interview subject is given their own chapter, and each chapter is shaped to fit that individual's personality and experiences. For instance, one chapter shows no photos at all, while another features an extensive photo-shoot with the subject, used to illustrate gender fluidity and non-binary gender expression. From a representation viewpoint, all the kids are American by nationality and there's little racial diversity. Subjects do come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds, ranging from healthy, balanced individuals to those who have many issues aside from being trans. Subjects include ftm and mtf transgender individuals, one intersex individual, and one who is ostensibly genderfluid and queer. In this regard, the book covers the basic trans spectrum fairly well. On the other hand, there are only six teens profiled, so there's very limited scope to include diverse representation, a major weakness of the format and length. This book is most appropriate for older teens and adults looking to understand young trans people or hear about other people's experiences with gender. Although the stories are intentionally written to capture the teens' expressed perspectives and voices, some of the content is mature and problematic because those things are sadly part of some people's stories. This makes for challenging and uncomfortable reading, but the problematic aspects are by no means celebrated or glorified. They are simply acknowledged. It's vital that we not sweep any of these stories under the rug. Recommended for readers 16+.

Book should be called beyond sick

Understanding and knowledge of gender identity is very limited throughout the United States. Many people assume that gender identity and sexual orientation are related, and while society has grouped the two into the same community, the LGBTQ community, it is important as a society to begin to understand that in fact they are separate. Beyond Magenta is a real life account of six teenagers from various parts of United States who are transgender. To start each story, the author uses photographs and a brief description of the teens’ prefered gender pronouns, and paints a picture of where each story is taking place. These italicized comments, and photographs allow the reader to instantly connect with the person they are about to meet. For example, Jessy’s story starts out with a picture of him, and has accompanying pictures of his childhood, transition, and ends with a happy photo of Jessy and his girlfriend. The book is structured as six individual stories, and the author took special care in ensuring that diverse demographics were used when selecting the participants. There are a few overarching themes throughout the book: Gender is not a pink or blue concept. Instead there are many shades and dimensions of how one can classify gender. Even the umbrella term “transgender” has several gender classifications. Gender identification and sexual orientation aren’t linked. Gender identity is how one sees oneself, and sexual orientation is who someone finds themselves attracted to. It’s important to see someone who is transgender the same as you would see someone who is born into the gender with which they identify. People who are transgender are just people. Community and family support is essential to the quality of life a person who is transgender. Gender is not defined as what sex organs you are born with, and being transgender is not a phase to be outgrown, but is a central to who the person is. As a career center teacher in an urban educational setting, I have students from all different walks of life. We work on acceptance and free expression everyday. One area that I have noticed my students struggle to accept differences is with gender identity and sexual orientation. In many of their communities falling outside the societal norm in these two areas makes them a target for abuse. Much of this I feels comes from a lack of communication about the two topics. Beyond Magenta does a great job of humanizing what transgender teens experience on a daily basis, while also educating the reader about gender identity and sexual orientation. This book can be applicable to almost any content area from the arts, to social studies, or language arts, and could open some very powerful conversations about gender or societal expectations in general. There are many units I could use this book in my television class such as documentaries, public service announcements, or visual representations. Even though Beyond Magenta is written for a young adult audience, it is a book that all educators should read. I have only been teaching a few years and I was able to immediately envision several students who I have had in class who may be struggling with their gender identity. Even more than that, Beyond Magenta really opened my eyes to the power of the education environment and how we as teachers can encourage and foster a culture of acceptance or can shame a student into conforming to the societal norm. Regardless of one’s personal views on gender identification, the themes in Beyond Magenta could be applied to any societal struggle such as race, religion, sexual orientation, politics, or socioeconomic status. So just read with an open mind, and look at the inner strength demonstrated by each of the unique stories.

As the parent of a nonbinary youth, I had hoped to gain some insight from the youth in this book. The first thing that bothered me was the author's attitude, talking about being non-judgmental and factual in a weird way... it already felt like cis BS. In the commentary in the very first story the author presents erroneous and dangers information about gender and chromosome combinations that only further harms lgbtq people. The interviewer clearly needs to study biology, or at least watch some TED talks about gender and update their way of thinking. Gender is NOT binary, not even scientifically speaking, and there are NOT only two possible chromosome combinations. How irresponsible to have this published. And why use people's pre transitional photos? If you're using fake names that doesn't seem helpful but it also focuses on their past and not who they are. I hope the kids who gave photos wanted those photos included. I am also uncomfortable with them sharing their stories and the author profiting off of them. I realize this happens in many collections of interviews, but it just feels wrong, especially if the author is cis.

I work at a library and see so many books come and go that I have to just have to put blinders on and not look at every book, or else I will want to read every book...and who has time for that? So I've seen this one pass through a few times and never really gave it much thought. Then one day an elderly customer was returning it, she had picked it up curious but not really knowing what it actually was about. She told me that she was really suprised and it taught her about things she wasn't even aware of and made her look up a bunch of words she never thought she would be interesting in knowing. I very rarely take reccomendations from customers, but she seemed so truely moved by it that I went ahead and flipped through it when I had a free moment later. I decided to check it out and I am really glad I did. This book has interviews from 6 teenagers that let them explain their stories and really express how they felt while figuring themselves out and how they feel now that they know (or have a better awareness but are still trying to learn) about themselves. Most of the stories are from the same areas, I would have liked to see more diversity in where they were from. It was interesting to see how each of their lives could vary depending on how they were being raised as well as how their parents accepted them. It really opens your eyes, wether you know a bit about transgender or not I totally recommend reading this so you can help to learn about it from their prespective.

I felt like I had the whole range of emotions while reading this book. I held my breath during Mariah's story, but I needed to hear it. The horrors and trauma in their tale taught me a lot about how children who are transitioning may think about themselves. Cameron's story made me smile and even my eyes smiled as I looked at their photos and saw the many aspects of their personality caught on film. Nat was fascinating and I loved their voice. They were witty, yet I felt like I was talking to a kid. It felt genuine. What is so shocking is the forced interventions (psychological therapy, institutionalizations, special education services, etc) these individuals experienced. Some were very necessary, but others, others were obviously methods being used by people who truly wished to shut "others" away. A great, and very real, read.

Disheartening to see all this reviews that have cherry-picked a few sentences from the middle of one person's life story and think it somehow promotes pedophilia. With all the wild ideas flying around on the internet these days I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed. This book in no way promotes pedophilia. This book contains interviews with teens who talk about their experiences growing up trans. I recommend it for anyone who wants to understand what it may be like for people, especially young people, who are questioning their gender identity.

Disgusting and absurd that a book shines light on pedophilia. The alphabet movement is going too far, it’s time to push back against this nonsense. This is child abuse.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

This book represents us in such a beautiful and complete way. I felt moved by each young person's tale. I am thrilled to hear of what clinics like the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in NY are doing, helping teens stay away from dangerous situations. Did I mention exquisite photography? These people come alive in the eyes of Susan Kuklin. I was fascinated from cover to cover, chapter one all the way through the sources and footnotes. I would recommend this to parents, children with supervision, coworkers and friends. Anyone who stands to gain a little understanding. As with every other awareness movement in the past we are coming to find more and more that these people are our friends, our teachers, they are all around us and they are people who need to be understood and welcomed. I am sending a copy to my god child, my father, transgendered friends, LGBTQ allied friends, and donating a copy to my favorite coffee shop. I truly hope she, Susan Kuklin, will be writing more of these such books and expanding on the group of young adults she has already met with. I'd love to know what becomes of them. I feel like I have already met them personally. This was such a well researched and well presented book. I highly recommend reading and sharing.

It's a pornographic book that should be made illegal. And it's for children? Hello?

I read Beyond Magenta over the summer because it was one of the few LGBT+ books that were available at my town's library. It’s a short read, being only 161 pages with a lot of interesting pictures. Beyond Magenta tells the tales of Jessy, Christina, Mariah, Cameron, Nat, and Luke, six transgender teens who wanted to tell their stories. Before I go more in depth into the book we should probably define what exactly transgender means. Transgender means that a person doesn’t align with the gender they were assigned at birth. Beyond Magenta does a great job of explaining terminology used by transgender and gender nonconforming individuals so that people who have never learned anything about this aspect of the LGBT+ community, or who have never interacted with a transgender person can understand what they’re talking about. However the book is a fairly narrow scope. Five of the teenagers interviewed were from New York City or the surrounding area, a fairly diverse place. I am aware that they worked through an organization in New York City to find transgender teenagers to have their stories told, so this is understandable. Another fault I found in the book is that two of the teens said they knew they were transgender at a young age because they were interested in things society characterizes with a different gender. While this may be true for some transgender people, it still perpetuates gender roles and normality in society, which this book was supposed to help debunk. I think part of the reason these issues popped up is because the author, to my understanding, is cisgender. This means that she aligns with the gender she was assigned at birth. I think she did a great job, but maybe having a group of transgender people peer review it could have caught some of these issues. All in all it is a great book that I recommend everyone read, but like all things take it with a grain of salt.

This book glorifies a 6 year old performing sexual acts.

This is a topic that I am not familiar with. This book provoked many questions for me. I had to process and really learn to understand what I was reading. However, it did not take me long to realize that no matter who you are or what you are going through, the problems of growing up is same. We all just want to feel like we belong, that we are accepted for who we are, and loved by our close friends and families. At the end, this book reminded me that we must embrace who we are no matter who we are. When we try to be something we are not to fit in, then this path leads to nothing but a path away from our goals of feeling loved. When we realize to embrace who we are, then things open up and we find out the truth of others. I cannot imagine the confusion of being a transgender, but I found the stories fascinating and reminded me to really be accepting of everyone no matter who they are or what they do.

Disturbing

Interesting read. It made me think about gender and all the things transgender teens have to go through, on top of everything else you have going on as a young adult. I do wish though that there had been a more complex understanding of gender and sexuality because I didn't enjoy the reinforcement of stereotypes and found it to be a bit limiting. I read the e-book version, but due to the format, think it might read better as an audiobook.

The author has clearly drank the PC Transsexual ideology Koolaid and is promoting this adherent behavior as normal and healthy. Whilst they present the various stories as a natural expression, they completely fail to examine the short or long term effects of these changes on the individual's emotional or physical health or any of the lasting negative results to the family structure and personal mental cohesiveness. Supporting our children also means that the parent must be the adult in major decisions like identity confusion. Being the adult in a family does not mean to roll over and put one's hands up and allow gender doctors to give our children puberty blockers and sex changes. The majority of children grow out of gender confusion all by themselves. Whilst 100% of kids given puberty blockers go on to have sex changes and live on the fringe of our society. If you want the best for your child who is questioning their social identity, then save your money...don't by this book, and take your child to a real doctor that understands that outside of the gay community the rest of the world is a binary sex world. The stories presented in this book are nothing more than child abuse perpetrated and supported by the medical community.

Because this collection is transcribed essays there's a range of experiences represented and I found it really helpful in understanding an experience that is not my own. Highly recommend.

This book reflects a deplorable state of our culture. Things that are not only immoral but illegal are celebrated and encouragement. Sad sad sad...

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Read a borrowed copy; will not purchase due to passages described above. The glowing descriptions of this book are entirely misleading.

I had no idea how little I knew about "transgender". I found this book very informative. The interviews were very indepth, nice and I admire these teens for letting us into their private lives. This book should be in every library especially school libraries. The general public needs to know about trangender and its endless variations. We all need to know how we can relate to those different than ourselves and those like ourselves. Anyway it's hard to put into words. Just read this book. I got it through my library system.

This book helped me see that the idea that there are 'cis gendered people or trans people and non-binary does not fit anywhere' is wrong and trans encompasses lots of genders.

I thought I was open-minded. I thought I understood transgendered. This Book opened my eues. It made me re-think what I thought I lnew about gender. It made me face my personal biases and re-examine them. And this is a YA book. THAT is the best part. I was 40 at my introduction. Just think how this will affect the younger generations

This book is an important, non-fiction accounting of the realities of life for some transgender and genderqueer individuals. It's obvious that a review bomb campaign was carried out against this book in previous review--and you can tell by the fact that not a single one has a been a verified purchaser. Don't let the immoral minority make your decisions for you.

It was really hard to get past the terrible presentation of these stories in the digital format. Its very distracting to reading the authors thoughts in between a serious narrative, these breaking up their thoughts, and the narrator of the story has only "said" a single sentence. Also the "voices" of the teens all started to converge and I can't decide if that was because of the authors editing or because all teens now speak/think in an inarticulate form.

This book is sick!!! It describes a 6 year old preforming oral sex! This is trying to normalize pedophilia. Absolute trash!!

This book shares the stories of six transgender young people. Their stories are told well and are interesting. I found it quite interesting that two of the young people describe how different it is to be treated like the other gender. Jessy describes it as male privilege - that she felt that people treated her more respectfully as a male than as a female and Christine did not want people holding doors for her and found some of the ways that she was treated as a female a bit less respectful than she had been treated as a male. Two of the people portrayed in the book seem deeply unhappy and mentally a bit unbalanced and I think that is sad. One has anger management issues and another has been diagnosed in the past as a bipolar, clinical psychopath with narcissistic tendencies. The other people seem more comfortable and happy with themselves. I also found it interesting that all of the young people claimed that most people are fine with the homosexual label, but much less understanding about being transgender or gender neutral. The young people in this book all have gone to a clinic and take hormones in order to transition to the other gender and the effects of the hormones are described and explained. None of them has had gender reversal surgery though. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

The lives of those in this book were very interesting and I felt a lot of empathy for those who are struggling with transgender issues. I gave the book 3 stars for that reason only. To say that Susan Kuklin authored this book seems misleading. I felt like I was reading a compilation of essays by those living this lifestyle, they seemed honest and sincere. But other than a few "notes" interspersed through the book by the author it didn't read like an interview or even have much in the way of research. If the author actually wrote this book, I would have to say she has very poor writing skills, the level of the each chapter was definitely on par with a teenagers writing skills.

Sick, sad book!!!

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Let children be children, for God's sake. Stop filling them with your perversions.

I really liked this book. I picked it up on a whim because it looked interesting. It was a fun book, with different stories of teens and their transgender stories. Some were sad and depressing, some uplifting but all very raw and emotional. I enjoyed it and it helped me have a better understanding of transgender people.

This book reads like bad fiction or a great handbook for a child molester who can't have access to the internet as a condition of his probation. Maybe both.

This book is an excellent introduction to transgender issues for teens, their parents, and anyone who really wants to know what these kids face. And it isn't about only one kind of trans person. There are men, women, and non-binary individuals profiled in the book, and all of them have taken different paths. I think everyone should read this book.

Very easy and quick read. This book is a great intro into transgender issues. It's pretty basic but I love that it's the true stories of young people, each with a different story to tell.

It is not normal or healthy for children to performing sex acts.

It is good to read these varying experiences of gender identity. They help the reader see that there are many different ways to experience gender and being rigid about gender helps no one.

This is disturbing.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

It's a great book for all middle and high schoolers. It's written in their voice and is very relatable. It can enhance empathy.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Excellent book and was really interesting and changes your perspective. A must read for teachers and parents as it helps educate.

Disgusting and inappropriate!! Amazon stop selling this garbage promoting pedophilia!!!

Learning about transgender youth and their struggles to find out who they are and how to live was a lightbulb moment. We need to learn not to stereotype people and accept them for who they truly are.

My trans son really appreciated getting this.

Book celebrates sex by pre-pubescent children.

Children cannot consent. Children cannot consent. Children cannot consent.

Disgusting.

Read it in a day. Absolutely couldn't put it down! As a former high school principal and now an elementary principal, this powerfully written book shares amazingly honest insights with its readers from the mouths of the six young people themselves.

This was a very good and insightful read I wish it had more stories and it was longer. I would have liked the interviews to be longer!

Great book for everyone. Helpful in our family as one member is gender fluid, gives us all perspective.

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.

Very helpful. Good for parent and child.

Love!

Super good book! Really heartwarming stories.

I thought I knew what "transgender" meant. Not really. Such an honor to read these teens' stories and immerse myself in what it really means to be "transgender." Kuklin states it best in the author's note - "So here we are, a pack of Homo sapiens thinking that we know whether a person is female or male. Now that I've spent a few years researching and talking with people who fall under the transgender umbrella, I am confident saying that male/female is not the only way to describe gender. The people I've come to know and love in the course of writing and photographing this book have helped me better understand the fluidity of gender and sex." Yes - recommend this to a YA reader. MORE IMPORTANTLY, read this for yourself. AND KNOW THAT, I have so much more to learn - this book just got me started, but I'm understand transgender so much better than I did before!!! BTW - If you have not read Kuklin's newest book - We Are Hear To Stay that shares the stores of undocumented teens--I couldn't put it down.

Definitely not for kids. A little boy experiences parental/societal abuse and it is promoted?

absolutely brilliant - these teenagers are putting transgender issues on the map and going for public debate - not before time - I read it twice straight off.

Good read, quick delivery, easy read.

Fantastic resource.

Great book, as a mum who was now struggling to some to terms with her son coming out as transgender, and having read as much material I could lay my hands on, its a great book to read from the young ones personal point of view, quite moving and powerful, but a fantastic read, thank you !

The book contains explicit language, violent acts, and graphic descriptions of oral sex carried out by children as young as 6 years-old. Written mostly in first-person, transgender people share their journeys without mentioning the illegal nature of their activities or the consequences of certain behaviours. “From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats. We were really young but that’s what we did.” The account goes on to describe paedophiles masturbating. The author does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behaviour include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions." Horrifying.

This book literally describes a 6 year old enjoying oral sex. This is not condemned in the book, but celebrated as part of the journey toward transitioning. Here is the excerpt: "From six up, I used to kiss other guys in my neighbourhood, make out with them, and perform oral sex on them. I liked it. I used to love oral. And I touched their you-know-whats."

This book encourages pedophiles. It should be banned. There must be a better way to help people understand transgender lifestyles. I 9nly give it 1 star because it is the lowest option. Shame on the author, for profiting from the sexual abuse of others.

Garbage book, as described by others, promotes and describes oral sex performed by very young children.

This book promotes pedophilia.

This book describes a 6 year-old enjoying oral sex. It’s celebrated as part of the journey of transitioning. This is wrong! The account goes on to describe pedophiles masturbating. The author (again) does not qualify that the acts were harmful or illegal. Descriptions of violent behavior include pushing over a pregnant teacher. The author writes, “I know it was wrong but….” – as if their anger were a justification for their actions.

The first story of the Asian teen was rather interesting, but then the book went downhill. The writing was not very engaging; it seemed to bleed the life out of these teen's stories. What's disturbing is the author chose to profile two seriously disturbed teens, one who talked about performing oral sex at age six. I question the choices the author made in selecting whose story to include in this book. Yes, it is difficult being a transgender teen as this book testifies. But I wish there was a way to include more positive portraits of transgender teens who are living regular, fulfilling lives instead of focusing on so many with depressing/disturbing stories. Perhaps that's what the author chose to focus on; if so, that is doing these kids a disservice. I was going to give this book to my son to read, but the material is way too mature, so I'll donate this to my public library book sale instead.

It is easy to see why Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out was designated an honor book. Author Susan Kuklin has produced a book that transgender teens, especially, can embrace. While I was disappointed that the physical process of transition is not discussed as much as I would have liked in order for me to understand it, I was very surprised to see that there is an entire spectrum of transgender experiences. Far too many of us ill-informed think it is simply a process of believing your body doesn’t fit your mindset and a change is needed from biological male to female or biological female to male. It stands to reason—and thank goodness this book is here for teens who are not understanding themselves well at all—that the human mind is complex, and there are many variations in the transgender experience. Kuklin interviews teens who are male to female, female to male, intersex, and kids who refuse to be labled. I leave it to the reader to discover these many variations and to be impressed by these interviewees who are so honest and informative.

Absolutly love this book. I saw it at my school library and actually used as a reference for a project I did on the harms of transphobia, but I loved the book so much I just had to have my own copy. Its an easy read and you can easily jump around the stories so you don't have to read it from cover to cover. Since I myself am not transgender but my brother is it's really helped him understand himself and our mom get a better understanding of what he's feeling since the stories are from the perspective of actual trans people. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in learning more about lgbt and trans people.

I was having a hard time understanding transgenders. A student of mine suggested this book. It gave me a much clearer understanding.