Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age [Paperback]

Richard J. Novic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

Alice in Genderland tells the story of Dr. Richard Novic, Harvard-educated psychiatrist and crossdresser. No memoir like it has ever been published. Most of the time, he is a man at the office or a husband and father at home. But one evening a week, she is a woman about town, shopping, dining, dancing, and dating a man for over six years. And it’s all out in the open.

Although he now leads a richly expressive life, Dr. Novic suffered since childhood with a secret, a desire he was in no way equipped to handle, but one that eventually burst through his denial, a few months before his wedding day. Just once, he felt, while he still could, he had to know how it felt like to be a woman.

Like Alice in Wonderland, his curiosity led him to fall headlong down a rabbit hole, through desperate straits, mind-opening surprises, heart-rending changes, and boundless love. By the time he was back on his feet, he was a different person, living a lifestyle he hadn't known existed. Anyone who has struggled to figure out who they are and how they want to live will see themselves in this powerful life story.

Praise for Alice in Genderland

“Few know the transgender scene like GIRL TALK magazine’s Alice Novic. This exciting new memoir by her male alter ego takes us along with him and the people he loves, as he encounters and explores each twist and turn around him and within him. As much Lewis and Clark as it is Lewis Carroll, Alice in Genderland blazes a new trail in the world of crossdressing.”

—Linda Jensen, contributing writer, Transgender Forum

“Alice bravely explores the limits of gender, sexuality, and relationships—a sexy, poignant, and often hilarious memoir of transgenderism.”

—Vernon A. Rosario, M.D., author of The Erotic Imagination, clinical faculty, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute

“Alice in Genderland is a fascinating story, well worth reading.”

—Vern L. Bullough, Ph.D., author of Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender, past president of the Society of the Scientific Study of Sex

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Alice in Genderland is a fascinating story, well worth reading." -- Vern L. Bullough, Ph.D., author of Crossdressing, Sex, and Gender, past president of the Society of the Scientific Study of Sex

"Alice bravely explores the limits of gender, sexuality, and relationships--a sexy, poignant, and often hilarious memoir of transgenderism." -- Vernon A. Rosario, M.D., author of The Erotic Imagination, clinical faculty, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute

"Few know the transgender scene like GIRL TALK magazine's Alice Novic. This exciting new memoir by her male alter ego takes us along with him and the people he loves, as he encounters and explores each twist and turn around him and within him. As much Lewis and Clark as it is Lewis Carroll, Alice in Genderland blazes a new trail in the world of crossdressing." -- Linda Jensen, contributing writer, Transgender Forum

About the Author

Richard Novic, M.D. is a psychiatrist practicing psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. In addition to his mainstream clientele, his patients include many transgendered, gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. He is a member of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association and a columnist for GIRL TALK, a popular transgender magazine where “Go Ask Alice,” his tell-it-like-it-is advice column, has been a hit since its inception.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595315623
• ISBN-13: 978-0595315628
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Transgender
  • #72 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction > Bisexuality

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear-eyed, heartfelt and honest look at the world of all TG People, August 28, 2005

By 

Darya Teasewell "D" "RockerDiva" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age (Paperback)

By its very nature, the transgender world is not black and white. There is a constant search for definition by those in the community and those outside it, and all too often, that search falls flat. To many outsiders, we are gay men in denial or perverts with some kind of mother complex. They see TG women as football players in dresses, much in the same way they see all gay men as swishy Nellies. The rainbow flag of GLBT pride is closer to the truth; trans experience is a spectrum, just as gay, lesbian and bi experience is. One way or another, all of us t-people have struggled to put our blended lives into words that let others know who we really are. Alice in Genderland does just that. It is no whitewash; it's the richly textured, multi-hued story of a crossdresser and represents a refreshing change in trans literature.
Before I review the book, I have to make a few of things clear from a journalistic standpoint. Alice (Dr. Novic's femme persona) is my friend, and she kindly recognizes me in her acknowledgements section. Second, I was going through much the same experiences, in much the same high heels, at much the same time Alice was. I was there on some of those nights she describes at our late, beloved Queen Mary Show Lounge in Studio City, California-a mere fifty feet from where I work today.
I first met Alice back in the nineties, as we giddily tested the limits of our newfound womanhood and flirted up a storm in the nightclubs of Los Angeles. I was the redhead in fishnets and platforms towering above the crowd looking regal and being bitchy. She was this impeccably groomed, well schooled, not necessarily well behaved girly-girl. Perhaps I'm lucky not to have become a character in her book, but recognizing many of the people she simply but splendidly describes made Alice in Genderland especially fun for me.
Not every trans person is a woman trapped in a male body, and Alice knows she's more than that. Alice/Richard describes how the secret desires of his youth evolved into the full-blown female identity, which he now adopts for a night every week. He is proudly both Richard, husband, dad and successful psychiatrist, and Alice, a sweet, elegant woman frequenting restaurants and clubs-and dating a man for five years. Crossdressers like Alice, who only occasionally venture into their femininity, are often ignored or unfairly portrayed in books about the TG lifestyle. Alice's example stands out in stark contrast to the popular misconception of CDs as selfish and strange and lacking the commitment of true transsexuals.
She is honest and evocative in the way she presents her sex life and emotions, serving up scenes that show her initial terror and shame over her female desires, her fascination and confusion, and ultimately her exhilaration and pride. I don't know if I'll ever forget the disaster that ensues as Richard confesses his urges to his unsuspecting, young fiancée. Sex and conflict can be such vital forces in our womanly awakenings, and Alice owns up to it in a way that's refreshing and rarely found in TG autobiographies. Her depictions of tranny nightlife, especially the Queen Mary, are fabulous and spot on. I feel like I can hear La Bouche's "Be My lover" pounding out on the back patio of the QM in a glorious blur of summer nights in the late nineties.
Though Alice is a very knowledgeable psychiatrist, she tells her story without it degenerating into a clinical treatise or a how-to book for the novice CD. She meets an impressive array of people on her journey and renders them warmly without glossing over the grittier aspects of their lives. This is not a book for prudes or those with a judgmental streak. In fact, one of the most remarkable things about Alice's life is the open relationship she develops with her wife and the way it allows her to explore her sexuality far beyond the boundaries of most married (or even single) crossdressers.
In well researched appendices at the end of the book, Alice opines on the many puzzles of tranny life, based on her own personal and professional experience. She strives to describe and explain things as clearly as possible, even if that occasionally puts her at odds with current political correctness. Some of her ideas may generate heat for the way they dovetail with the notions of Michael Bailey, author of the controversial Man Who Would Be Queen.I'm personally not a fan of Bailey, at all, but since Alice is actually one of us, I respect her perspective. Alice expresses herself sensitively and encourages us all to keep an open mind.
I think Alice in Genderland is an extremely good read for crossdressers, transsexuals, those who admire us, and anyone fascinated by the mystery and intersection of human identity and sexuality. Although her profession is to analyze others, she gives us a raw and riveting look at herself without resorting to facile explanations or cheap dramatics. Alice challenges us to think anew on what a loving relationship looks like and what gender roles really mean. But more than anything else, she tells a wonderful tale.

Darya Kristina Teasewell
(...)

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alice in Genderland Hits "Home" Run, April 21, 2005

By 

Linda Clarke (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age (Paperback)

I was hooked from the opening of the book and drawn into the special world and subculture of the cross-dresser. The book resonated as it helped me, a cross-dresser myself, understand that I am far from alone in what I feel and experience in my own life. It gave me some insight into the common feelings of others with this exotic taste and helped me feel that I may be able to find a lifestyle that considers this behavior OK. Most importantly, I could see a life evolution in another person that was similar in many ways to mine. Besides all the relevance, it was just a well-written and readable book, with vivid and interesting vignettes. I strongly recommend to both those in the community and those who are curious about it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It should be on the bookshelf of every PFLAG and GLBT group in every city., December 21, 2005

By 

Diane Kramer (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Genderland: A Crossdresser Comes of Age (Paperback)

I have been researching my own TG issues and stumbled on this book. From page one its a compelling well written document of an outgoing crossdressor who has explored and effectively negotiatied a life lived to the fullest. Like most transgendered individuals, the early childhood history of events reads like a parallel bio of my own youthful confusion. The book also serves as very accurate documentation of the details of the TG social scene in LA in the late 90's. But this book's real value is realized because "Alice" speaks so candidly of the connundrum of being born transgendered,and presents a clear vision of the mindset, motivations, and yielding to her basic nature of being born different. Nothing is left out to protect the innocent, and many walls are broken down and laid bare by the author's ability to communicate effectively and be so honest and frank. I admire Alice's ability to understand her basic needs, and effectively get those needs met. Many of us TG's just have too much emotional baggage from years spent trying to live up to being "the good son" - to sort out our own best path, with a positive sense of self worth. Its a balancing act which for some has caused great guilt, shame and often suicide over ones basic nature. The bottom line is that Richard Novic M.D., by writting "Alice in Genderland" has manifested into the world a special tome of TG knowledge which will certainly endure and take on a life of its own as a valueable resource for transgendered individuals and those who love them. Its very existence is such a wonderful gift to me. I'm telling all I know of its merits. It should be on the bookshelf of every PFLAG and GLBT group in every city.

Best of luck to you all this holiday season.

Diane Kramer.