Customer Reviews

Squirrel Cage

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Most people are afraid of transsexuals, pre-transsexuals included. We all want to belong, to conform, to fit in. Change your gender? You would become a freak! Yet, resisting the NEED to change almost always causes those so afflicted great emotional pain. Pain from hiding their secret shame, and pretending every minute of every day to be something they don't feel.

Sounds pretty melodramatic, eh?

Enter David Steele, born into a traditional American household in Salt Lake City, Utah. At an early age, he is told NO he is not to behave that way, boys don't wear dresses and look pretty -- and so begins David/Cindi's odyssey, trying repeatedly to cure/quit/give up this sinful compulsion. He is aided by his inner muse, Squirrel, who helps him plan how to get away with obtaining and hiding girls' clothes so he doesn't get caught.

After high School and 'Mission' he marries his childhood sweetheart, secretly hoping this will cure him of the wish to be female. But the urges and Squirrel return, and he begins getting caught by his bride. The church finds out, and they submit him to various 'therapies' to cure him. Finally David is has no choice but to accept and embrace this need and transform into Cindi.

She tells her tale with candor and conviction. The events are all true, and the real people in Cindi's life will recognise themselves in these pages even though their names are changed. But this book isn't about one woman's transsexuality -- it is a book about life, as she overcomes many obstacles before during and after her transition. About half of these obstacles have nothing to do with her transsexuality, occuring before transition to David, or after to Cindi, who now 'passes' completely as female.

This book may answer for some what it's like to be a transsexual who transitions. But it is also about the human spirit.

Squirrel Cage is certainly one of the best written pieces I've read regarding the transsexual dilemma. Cindi Jones' choice of words is powerful and illustrate perfectly the unique struggles she experienced in her journey from male to female. As Cindi takes us through her unbelievable odyssey, she confirms once again that being transsexual is neither a lifestyle nor a choice, but a matter of life and death indeed.

Her struggles with gender incongruence and her determination to match her body to her soul teach us a powerful lesson of survival in a world where gender identity is often misunderstood and shadowed by bigotry.

Some people believe that transsexualism is an extreme sexual fettish. After all, that's pretty much all we get to see about them on the tube. This book clearly dispells those beliefs.

Cindi has presented her story in a brutally honest fashion. She makes it clear that her case is not due to some sexual perversion but a deep seated and horrifying secret she felt from her earliest memories.

Cindi grew up in Utah and was a devoted member of the Mormon faith. Her conflict was always at odds with her conservative beliefs. And as she worked to resolve her "condition", she was faced with an onslaught of opposition from her church, family, and management where she worked.

She details how she was counseled to get married and be faithful to her beliefs by church authorities. Her counsel did not deal with her deep seated problems. They made them worse. She endured persecution from all that she loved. Feeling completely isolated, she proceded with her transition at great personal cost. After her transition, Cindi slipped back into society where she has lived a normal life as a woman for several years. Cindi has held true to her strong personal values and has won back the love and support of her family.

Cindi's writing style is sometimes whimsical, often blunt, and totally engrossing. Her discussions with her muse, Squirrel, work effectively in showing how she came to terms with her internal conflict. Her story is not so much about her sex change as is with that conflict she recognizes and resolves. I believe this book is a must read for anyone who needs help understanding and helping a loved one with any unusual personal problem.

Wonderful, honest and true account of a painful, but liberating journey. I could't put it down till I had finished the last word. Thank you Cindi!

I can relate to many of the events that Cindi writes about in this fantastic biography of her transition, Squirrel Cage . I too grew up a Mormon, and had many similar experiences. I am just starting my transition journey. Reading about Cindi's experiences has given me some support, more than she will know.

I found the book to be a hard one for me to put down, a real page turner. I found the story of her life to be a hard one, one that I can relate to in so many ways. I too went on a mission, got married, had children, served in the church, and all the while I was living a lie. I too left my wife and supported her out of guilt. I too had to live on almost nothing. I too have found someone that is very special that I will be married to, soon.

I did not have it quite as bad as Cindi, and I know others like her have blazed the trail for us to follow and our transitions will be easier, in spite of the lost family relationships as a result of our transition.

Thank You, Cindi Jones, for writing such a wonderful entertaining, insightful, and sad story.

Your Friend

Bobbie Angel

I read this book on my Kindle. On the negative side, the book (Kindle version at least) suffers from poor editing. Seems any editing was limited to a spell-check.

That said, the book is nonetheless great. Clearly Cindi, like so many transgendered, suffered a difficult pre-transition life, made much worse by the cult-like aspects of her Morman church. Cindi is brutally honest as she describes her life. Squirrel Cage joins the ranks of a dozen or so other TS autobiographies, and taken together, reading these books is a must for the seriously transgendered, providing insight into how others have dealt with issues which face most of us.

This book is written in a very unique manner that is both fun and touching. The honesty and down to earth delivery were both refreshing and poignant. One of the most unique books I've read on ones transgender personal experience.

Worth a read!