Customer Reviews

Wrapped In Blue: A Journey of Discovery

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
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Wrapped in Blue, a frank and sincere memoir about one mans physical and emotional journey into womanhood (including sex-reassignment surgery), is surprisingly well-written, considering the author is not a schooled writer. History, fact, and narrative were balanced by realistic dialogue and vivid scenes.
David Rose had a normal childhood, became a jock, married, and had a son. At several points in his life, he fantasized about being a woman, occasionally donning womens clothing in private, and even Dave/now Donna acknowledges that the early years of his marriage and the years after the birth of his son were some of the happiest and most fulfilling of her life.
But always, somewhere within lurked the gender bender tiger, and inevitable the tiger pounced. Dave became driven to face these difficult issues and explore the much misunderstood need to become the woman he had always felt himself to be.
Excellent story-telling. Astounding photos.
For a very different style of telling this uncommon tale, read Jan Morriss Conundrum. Unlike Donna Rose, Morris is a thoroughly experienced and superb writer. Her tale of the same journey is lyrical, passionate, funny, and so literary itll knock your socks off. Without Morriss book out there as the gold standard, Id have given Wrapped in Blue 5 stars. But for a 4-star read, its darned good.

Why would a person spend over $75,000.00, risk losing family and friends, undergo emotional abuse and endure the limit of human torture, just to "change sex"? Because after decades of pretending, the agony of continuing the pretense is an even worse choice.

I have read a number of autobiographies of transsexuals over the years. But Donna Rose's autobiography is FAR beyond anyone else's that I've read. There's a high Shakespearean quality to it, such as her early chapter entitled "A Metaphor" and her many journal entries. She frequently depressed me (such as when she "pulled the plug"), and then sent me soaring (when she met Kate, and her physical and psychological triumph at Neenah).

Some of Ms. Rose's journal entries were so poignant and so haunting ("we need love and compassion and companionship more than anyone could know, but we're trapped with secrets of a second life that will haunt us until we die") that they seared my soul. Her book rattled me for several days afterwards that I couldn't write about it. It moved me THAT much.

I have read many descriptions about facial feminization surgery (FFS), but no one ever described the unbelievably intense pain associated with it. Similarly, no one EVER described the TORTURE that she willingly but necessarily subjected herself with electrolysis of the scrotum. I've had six surgeries in my life, but I'm certain that the pain of all six combined did not equal either the pain of any transsexual's FFS or electrolysis. She shook me to my core. But it helped to free her to become Donna.

I agree with another reviewer that it would have been nice if Donna had spent more time discussing her life since SRS (she only devoted 10 of the 356 pages to it.) But her 10 simple tips are timeless to everyone at any stage in their lives.

Post-op male-to-female transsexuals are the most oppressed, least understood, and most courageous people on the planet. They have far more courage than most of us so-called "normal" people. I salute them for it.

Ms. Rose has a rare gift to be able to express in words what she feels, sees, hears and does, so that others can share those same feelings, sights, sounds, and experiences. It's as if we've been there too. This is a gift so few humans have. The book is wonderful and highly worthwhile reading.

Having traveled the journey myself I have become bored with many of the biographical accounts of gender transformation that are out there. HOWEVER: Donna's story is not one of those. Her honest and candid details combined with an intelligent literary style presents the story in a manner that makes one laugh at a humorous incident one page then brings tears at the sorrow on another.

Donna's sharing of her families dynamics over the transition situation are the most interesting. She has a spouse who is not only unsupportive but is to such a degree that she tries to prevent Donna from seeking help in the early "questioning" days. While spousal acceptance of Gender Dysphoria is rare, Donna is taken to the extreme of pain and hardship in this case. In contrast, Donna's extended family accept her with little fanfare and turn out to be supportive and loving above and beyond...another rarity.

Reliving Donna's account of these opposites combined with an excellent overview of the processes involved in a sex change transition make this book difficult to put down until one is at the end at which point left me with only more questions. With the feeling of "knowing" Donna because of this excellent detailed book I now wonder "what has happened since." What happened to Elizabeth, her son, her career etc etc.

Good luck to you Donna and I recommend this book to anyone interested in Gender Dysphoria, be it to find information for oneself or on what the journey can entail. It is also just dam good reading to for anyone who enjoys a dramatic story.

Linda A. Simpson
Linda.Simpson@Comcast.net
Webpages:
Linda's Peaceful Garden: http://www.lasimpson.org/LASimpson.html
Linda's Transsexuality Retreat: http://www.lasimpson.org/
Linda's Gender Reassignment in Montréal: http://www.lasimpson.org/LindasGRSinM.html

Donna's story is both typical and atypical at the same time of the Transsexual experience. Her experiences serve to provide real life examples of "how to" and "how not to" regarding gender transition. As another traveler on the transitioning journey, Donna's honest revelations of her experiences and feelings were refreshing, joyful and yet often so painful to read. I was captivated from the beginning and couldn't put the book down. There were times when I caught myself saying things out loud, trying to warn her that what she was about to do was obviously the wrong thing, wanting desperately to remove the pains and struggles that I so related to.

I highly recommed this book to any male-to-female transsexual, as well as to their friends and family members. Although Donna doesn't capture every single aspect that any transsexual might experience, she touches on so many that anyone can benefit from reading her life story.

Thank you Donna for being so brave and courageous to survive long enough to be living your life fully and for sharing that journey with us all.

As my title indicates, this book is a must read for everyone, and especially those with ties to the transgender community. As a pre-op MTF transsexual, I found this book to be the most honest and straight-forward accounting on the subject to date. Donna's ability to offer up and express her most personal feelings and experiences is incredible. Speaking as someone whose life closely parallels hers in many areas, I can honestly say that bearing the most intimate details of my life to all is something I'd doubt I could do. Donna has the courage and stamina it takes to do this without editing or sugar coating the parts that we tend to keep most private and secure throughout our lives. Regardless of what the reason may be, when any person is placed in a situation where he or she has to do an in-depth self-examination of their very existence, the end result will usually produce some earth shattering observations. When dealing with topics such as gender identity and transsexuality, it can be an utterly horrifying experience. To take the information you've discovered in that self exam and offer ALL of it to the general public for their scrutiny takes an uncommon form of courage that never surfaces in a lot of us. Human beings in general, especially those born male, tend to covert our most private thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc., and hold them far from the public eye. More times than not, we keep the most private of this information away from even the people we're closest to.

Imagine having thoughts and feelings that you've been taught, and learned, throughout your life that are considered to be abnormal. Would you reveal these to the public? Most people would say never! Donna has taken the information she compiled throughout her period of self discovery, coupled it with her entire life's journey, and placed it out there for all to see and hopefully learn from. She brings to the forefront the simple and undeniable fact that we in general, are just average people who through a quirk of nature have been placed in an emotional and mentally exhausting battle for nothing more than our own true identities. This is a battle that most of us will continue to fight throughout our lives, even after the final physical changes have been made. My hat is most definitely off to Donna!

So, again, if you are transgendered, if you know someone who is transgendered, or if you'd just like to broaden your horizons and learn about a topic that effects more people than you could imagine.......this is the book to read.

After reading a lot on the subject I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this book has had the biggest and most positive impact on me. Going forward, I'll continue to read more on the topic, but I doubt that another book will affect me the way Wrapped In Blue has.

A book of this type raises the question of intended audience. It is of course of intense interest to anyone deeply interested in gender identity issues. How does it work within that context? But further, how does it speak to the human condition in total?

A number of reviewers have given the opinion that this is in fact a work of great interest and value to all readers. As a transgender woman myself, I don't know that I can speak to that issue. It was too intensely personal for me. But what made it so personal is that it is so real and so raw. And that, in the end, may be what elevates it to a work that does in fact speak to everyone.

Ms. Rose delves deeply into the most basic emotions that she feels, showing all the doubts, all the fears, all the struggles, all the hopes, all the joys, all the pain.

I'm told that of all TG people who begin the year long "Real Life Test" only about 10% complete the process. Ms. Rose's work clearly shows what the issues are which make it such a difficult path to tread.

In the end, it is a most inspiring triumph, the triumph of finding, accepting, loving and living one's true self. And that ultimately is a path that all people walk.

This is the most personal book on this subject that I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with this issue. Donna does not mince words or "sugar" coat the pain, the frustration, anguish,anxiety and the sheer physical pain of the surgeries one must endure to save oneself. Families and friends of transsexuals should go out and buy this book today. Donna Rose is a brave and beautiful woman who is also a vulnerable person who had doubts but faced all her fears and persevered to find true peace and her true self. She is of the most amazing persons I have ever read about and I greatly admire her perseverence and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.This is a fantastic book and I cannot do justice to it with my review, I just hope that every transsexual and her family and friends buys this book, but it is also not just for transsexuals. This book is about being a human being and trying to live as yourself and being a good person, rather than living a lie and being miserable and possibly ending your life in suicide. I hope this review does some justice to this wonderful book.

Wrapped in Blue is an extremely well written book. The narative flows at an even pace. It captured my attention so completely that I read it in a day and a half. I could not put it down. This is no Polyanna story. It lays out in unvarnished detail the pain, loneliness, and fear experienced during transition. Unlike some recent memoirs on the subject, Donna exerienced a lot of loss. Yet she is unable to turn from the path she is on. This makes clear to the reader that, for the transexual, there are no choices. If there were any way that Donna could have set her transition aside and returned to the life she had for forty years, she would have. But through her story you understand that is impossible. She describes in intimate detail the physical discomfort in the aftermath of FFS and SRS. Anyone considering these procedures should read Wrapped in Blue. After reading it, if you are still intent on going through with surgery, then more than likely it is right for you. On a personal level, I was intrigued that she and I had the same physician and electrolygist in Phoenix. Small world. Read this book. You will not regret it.

Donna Rose is a very attractive, feminine woman. I highly recommend "Wrapped in Blue: A Journal of Discovery," as Donna gradually becomes aware that although apparently born as a boy, there was a strong feminine side to his personality, which did not completely go away even during years as a successful athlete, an intially happy marriage and the birth of a son.

There is no such thing as a typical transsexual and Donna's life probably is different in certain ways from the experiences of many transsexuals. One feels the psychological pain Donna experiences as Elizabeth, spouse, discovers Donna is taking female hormones and the couple's previous happy marriage comes to an end, as well as the pain Donna feels while losing contact with her son for many months.

Donna reveals the process commonly taken by many transsexuals, the hormone treatments, electrolysis, transition issues at work, breast augmentation surgery, sex reassignment surgery, etc. I recommend this book not just for persons who think or know they are transsexuals, their families, friends and co-workers. I also recommend "Wrapped in Blue: A Journal of Discovery" to all persons as a book having universal themes about honesty, courage, being true to one's self and pursuing one's life dreams.

Once I picked this book up, I found I could not put it down. How could someone put themselves through what Donna Rose has gone through? What are the motivations/drive for doing so? As I read through the pages it became more clear to me of the struggle within this human being to find inner peace and serenity that cannot be resisted. To do so only brings more heartache, frustration and a life less lived and enjoyed, only endured. Does one merely continue on, in a half twilight of existence, or strive to live life with vibrancy and passion, as your true self? I recommend anyone interested in the human condition and search for answers to inner questions to buy and read this book.