Customer Reviews

As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Wow. This book may change the way you see the world. It is captivating on several levels at once. First and most important, it is an engrossing real-life exploration of a basic question about our human natures, a question that has to be of fundamental interest to almost anyone: In our essential personalities and drives, are we the product of nature or nurture or some combination of them? The book goes a long way toward a definitive answer to that question in one central aspect of our beings (our sexual identity). Second, it is the utterly absorbing, painful, ultimately triumphant true story of a remarkable individual forced to grow up in a harrowing situation we can all barely imagine but have to wonder about. Third, it is a riveting suspense story, with genuine good guys and bad guys some of whom have had frightening power over people's lives. The book is fast-paced and beautifully written, with the kind of all-to-rare clarity and straightforwardness that can make the most complex matters seem simple by getting right to the heart of them with no nonsense. I read it in one sitting--something I never ever do. I'm going to read it again, there's so much in it.

A must read for everyone!

John Colapinto has done such a marvelous job in sharing David Reamer's compelling, courageous, and heartbreaking story. The facts are presented without condemnation, (even where they were fairly deserved), for the medical/psychological community involved in this boys life. They are equally presented with the upmost respect to the very hard choice these parents had to make and then live with.

As the reader, you are taken through the very difficult, unimaginable, journey of David's life. In painstaking detail, you are brought to understanding the decisions that were made, due to very misguided medical/psychological advice. The unthinkable...to take an obviously male child, injured in a freak accident, and raise him as a girl. I walked away with such compassion for David's parents and such respects for David Reamer himself. He has shown so much courage, to come forward now, sharing the details of his childhood. His perseverance has made him a champion of the human spirit! I wish I could meet this man, give him a loving hug, and tell him I wish I could have been his friend, when he needed one the most!

I first heard of this case three years ago, in an undergraduate sociology class. At this point in time, the case of the "John/Joan" baby raised as a girl was reported to be a total success. What a shock to learn the real truth behind this sordid story; the bewildered, trusting parents, the arrogance of the medical world, and the misery of the unfortunate victim of the incident, David. For me, the most fascinating part of the book was hearing in David's own words what the experience was like for him. However, for those interested in the nature/nurture issue, or gender research, this book also gives intriguing, detailed information about these topics.

I read this book mainly out of a morbid curiosity, but found myself touched by David's unique story. His confusion and attempts to fit into the female world were truly heartbreaking. I also felt empathy for his well-meaning parents. Whatever your reason for reading this book, you will not be dissapointed. Those interested in the scientific information also gain an understanding of the painful confusion that a sexually ambiguous individual feels. The readers who are mainly interested in the personal aspects of the story will also find themselves learning a great deal about the fascinating, age-old nature/nurture argument. I highly recommend this book!

I read this book for the first time about three years ago, and again last year. I suffered from Gender Identity Disorder as a child, and underwent gender reassignment at the age of 23. From first-hand experience, I can say that no amount of 'nurturing' can make a child a specific gender. Gender identity is NOT malleable. It is hardwired into the brain during the fetal stage and cannot be changed by nurturing. I do not personally know Dr. Money, nor do I wish to. My opinion of him is as low as it could possibly be - his theories, his opinions, all based, not on true medical research, but on his own confused feelings from his childhood. That said, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not at the expense of someone's life! David Reimer, though I didn't know him personally either, was a man whom I admired greatly. He suffered through so much during his childhood, and although our experiences weren't exactly the same, I empathized with him and how he must have felt. Being sure that your gender is NOT what you're being told it is, is a painful, life-changing experience that sticks with you throughout your life. My stepfather constantly tried to 'mold me' into what he thought I should have been - the stereotypical little 'boy' whom he wanted to play hockey, and enjoy physical labour, and whom he often called 'fag'. I was even told I couldn't learn the piano because it was a 'girls' instrument. Luckily for me, I ran from all that when I was 19, determined that my life was worth more than those people who sought to change who I was. I am so angry at what happened to David, and so sad all at the same time. Dr. Money's theories on sex and gender are responsible for destroying the lives of countless innocent children, simply because they were born different. I am so glad Dr. Milton Diamond stepped back into this picture and shattered the false belief about gender identity that had permeated the medical community beginning in the early 1960s. It's so easy to just surgically fix a child, slap a diaper on them, and send them home in shame and secrecy, rather than face the problem head-on and deal with it with kindness, understanding, and with the needs of the child put first! I get so enraged when I talk about this - I do apologize to anyone I may have offended.

John Colapinto has written a remarkable work, giving insight to a story that should be science fiction, but is not. Nobody listened to David/Brenda during the first 14 years of his life when he made clear he was unhappy with his "reassignment" to a girl. His parents, especially his mother, tried earnestly to make this experiment work. Blind to reality, the parents chose to ignore all signs that their son was not turning into a girl. When David is finally able to assert himself and live as he was born to live, he begins to flourish. It is amazing that external genitalia, or the lack of, has lead to boys becoming girls or vice versa. That one man, Dr. Money, was able to make a name for himself at Johns Hopkins based on this one very failed experiment with Brenda/David, is astounding. Where were his peers? It seems everyone was so awed by Dr. Money's huge ego and personality that nobody in the medical profession, was willing to question results, which were very different that those results published in Dr. Money's many books and publications. That David is able to forgive his parents for the ruse of his first 14 years is incredible. His parents tried their best, yet they made terrible mistakes. This book is highly charged. While Mr. Colapinto generally sticks to the facts, the emotional underpinnings of this story are devastating and one will be hard pressed not to feel for this little boy. Highly recommended.

In the hands of a less skilled writer the telling of this sad tale could have been a mess... but luckily for us all Mr. Colapinto is a talented writer and scrupulous researcher who reports on the "John/Joan" story with remarkable clarity and compassion. I am grateful to the entire Reimer family for going public with their personal tragedy in the hopes of preventing such medical incompetence and inhumanity in the future. It is absolutely outrageous that even today there appears to be no unanimous condemnation among health care professionals against the tawdry and irresponsible practices and flawed scholarship of Dr. John Money. There are heroes in this story, even within the medical establishment... read the book to find out about those precious few who dared to demonstrate the courage of their convictions.

I saw part of the show where David was interviewed by Oprah and I knew I had to read the book. The book was very well researched and thus provided the reader with enough background to understand this very delicate topic. What makes me angry is this "Dr." is still considered one of the best. Don't other doctors realize that this man LIED when he published the particulars of this case? I honestly cried because of everything he put Brenda/David through. NOBODY deserves to have that kind of traumatic childhood. It makes me wonder how "Baby Doe" has been leading her life since she was also treated by Money. This story should serve as an inspiration to everyone. I am glad that David is finally living a normal life along with his wife and children. It makes me happy that he is intelligent enough to understand that his parents were doing what they thought was best for him at the time. This book is a MUST READ! John Colapinto did an excellent job!

As Nature Made Him is a very well-written book that tells a fascinating story on two levels: the tragic childhood of Brenda/David -- a boy who was raised as a girl after a botched circumcision, and the politics that influence medical research. Dr. Money, the Johns Hopkins psychologist who advised the child's family, believed that nurture was more important than nature in determining sexual identity, and he allowed this belief to color the "scientific" research he conducted to investigate this issue. As Money gained stature in his field, he helped to suppress the reporting of data that were inconsistent with his own work. This is a much more common problem in science that many people realize -- a researcher or group of researchers value a certain approach, their studies support their viewpoint, they become successful and famous, and then government agencies and scientific journals are reluctant to fund and publish research that does not support the popular viewpoint. Author John Colapinto allows the reader to appreciate both the personal and theoretical tragedies that result when scientific research is influenced by politics and values.

I read this book in its entirety in one night, something I have rarely done before. I felt compelled to turn the next page, to find out the outer boundaries of the horror that Brenda/David suffered -- just how much worse could it get? Before one finds out, though, one must work through the first third of the book, which consists of a discussion of the psychology and science behind the decision to reassign gender. This part of the book was fascinating, but I found that its length and depth was not entirely necessary for an understanding of David's situation, and was anxious to get to the rest of the story. The author did make a successful effort to present the science and controversy over Brenda/David's doctor's (Dr. Money) widely-accepted and also less conventional views in an objective manner, and I appreciate this.

The second part of the book focuses on the specifics of Brenda's condition and her life until her decision to revert to her original gender and become David. This is the most gripping part of the book. The author's sensitive treatment of the travails that Brenda suffered made me feel as if I was traveling along with her on her collision course with her true gender identity. The author avoids sentimentality, but treats the subject sensitively. He does not rail unduly against the doctors who changed the course of Brenda's life, but instead acts as a detached narrator laying before the reader the facts.

The third part of the book is a look at the issue of the transformation and reassignment of intersexed children in general, and a view of the advocacy now being taken up on their behalf. Mostly silenced by shame and fear, former intersexed children have begun to join forces and argue for a change in the medical protocols established primarily by Brenda/David's doctors at Johns Hopkins, especially Dr. Money, and widely adopted by the medical establishment, which call for surgical sexual reassignment of intersexed children. This part of the book gives the author the forum to voice what is probably his own view towards these practices, without unduly intruding as an outsider and journalist. Instead, he prefers to speak through the voices of the victims of such practices and implies his skepticism gently and unobtrusively.

It is obvious that the author did a thorough and excellent job in reasearching his topic. He does not hammer the reader with sermons or preaching, but rather relies on as much fact-based logic and the irrefutable emotional damage that David suffered at the hands of his tormenters. I respect this author's work, and above all appreciate the strength and character of David. I highly recommend this book.

I saw the subject of this book, David, interviewed on Oprah, and I had to read it! I finished it all in no time. The author has completely researched David's life, including the scientific/psychological debate surrounding his botched circumcision and being raised as a girl, in a manner easily understandable to those not professionals in these fields. Initially, his parents were horrified knowing that their son could never be a "normal" male after his botched circumcision and pinned all their hopes on one doctor to make him normal. It was heartbreaking to witness all the torture that he went through being raised a girl but acting more male than even his twin brother. Socially, this made him a pariah everywhere especially at school causing him to live most of his youth in misery and leading to depression and suicide attempts. This also caused more pain to his parents knowing that this experiment was failing but trusting the "famous" doctor, who recommended this sex reassignment, without question.

Additionally, this book demonstrates the tendency of some social scientist researchers to take one side on the nature vs. nurture debate and to make their findings parallel their own beliefs. Dr. Money takes the cake in being so confident in his belief that children could be completely changed to either sex with the right environment that he ignored the torture it caused David and his family. If you are interested, even remotely, about the origin of sex roles, this is must read. I, myself, was a sociology major in college; therefore, I learned about this case in a gender class and loved every part of this book.