True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism-For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Chloe Ann Rounsley (Author) "Our own sense of being male or female is something that most of us take for granted..." (more)
Key Phrases: dysphoric teens, transsexual teens, gender dysphoric children, United States, Standards of Care (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Brown and Rounsley's solidly based introduction to many aspects of living as a transsexual provides general information about the dilemma of feeling trapped in the wrong physical gender, about such a person's development, and about locating a gender therapist. Brown and Rounsley also detail the process of transition between genders, starting with legal and identity changes and proceeding to changing outward modes of self-presentation (they include sample "coming-out" letters to employers, coworkers, friends, and family members) and dealing with bathroom issues, hormone treatments, surgical options, and guidelines for finding social support. First-person accounts from transsexuals augment general readability and put human faces on the issues discussed. Whitney Scott

Review

"Thorough and comprehensive. This is a serious and important book. If you know a transsexual, care about a transsexual or are interested in understanding transsexuality, then True Selves should be on your reading list."

"Provides a useful introduction to the transsexual phenomenon for the practicing psychiatrist who may be unfamiliar with this particular sexual minority." (Wynelle Snow, M.D., Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists)

"A useful volume to have as a reference for those trying to gain some understanding of being transexxual [or] for those desiring to understand this in a friAnd or family member." (Wynelle Snow, M.D., Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787902713
• ISBN-13: 978-0787902711
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #121,722 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Best taken with a grain of salt, January 12, 2006

By	W.E.B. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals (Paperback)

This book gives a relatively good overall view of transsexualism for people who know nothing about it, but with some serious flaws. The author's descriptions of the experience are based entirely on accounts from therapy clients and her approach is objective, too much so in many regards. She presents outdated information without any genuine effort to refute it, such as the old freudian psycho-model of "gender identity disorder." She also mentions the horrid "treatments" visited on transsexuals, such as "aversion therapy" and "shock treatments" with no mention of their obvious cruel inhumanity. Her statement that we can't "change the brain," is downright sickening, and she presents it as though science should actually strive toward that Stepford Wives solution to transsexualism.

In some cases, the author makes broad generalizations, giving the impression that they apply to all transsexuals. For example, she makes the assertion that most transsexuals come to the realization of their status only after reaching some "turning point," such as debilitating depression. I don't know of any accurate statistics, but her failure to point out those who experienced what Jamison Green spoke of in his book "Becoming a Visible Man" (lighting candle after candle in dark cave), may leave readers with the wrong impression. For some transsexuals, the realization slowly dawns over the course of a lifetime and the decision to seek transition isn't connected to some personal crisis.

Her vehement support of the arbitrary Standards of Care guidelines and assertion that "the system works" suggests a certain level of ignorance of the big picture. Where she mentions those who view therapists as gatekeepers, she gives the impression that she thinks they are being unreasonable. In truth, the arguments against the system are perfectly valid. It doesn't work for everyone. For some, their access to what they need is hindered by it. While there should be some system in place to make sure individuals are making informed decisions and are capable of doing so, mandatory timeframes can hurt those who have already finished processing and are ready to turn to the next chapter in their lives. The author seems to think that therapists should make the final decision about whether an individual is a "real transsexual" based on certain criteria that may not apply to all transsexuals.

Her short sections on the "real life test" basically ignore individuals who are physically incapable of passing without surgery and hormones. She ignores FTMs who've been dressing and behaving appropriate to their inner gender for years, but don't have the right bodies and faces to pass and are perceived as tomboyish women.

The author also shows disrespect for her clients by referring to MTFs as "he" and FTMs as "she," and frequently failing to use their chosen names. She also disrespects the trans community with repeated use of the term "gender identity disorder," which inaccurately represents transsexualism. The problem lies not in gender identity, but in the incongruity between mind and body. It is a medical condition, not a psychological one.

Overall, I recommend this book as an introduction to transsexualism only with great caution. Much of it is best taken with a grain of salt.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was as if someone wrote my biography, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

As a MTF Transsexual in the process of transitioning, I have found comming out to my family to be the most difficult hurdle to overcome. Especially my father. All the literature available to help family and friends understand the plight of the transsexual is very clinical. It does not get to the core of who I am, and the excruciating pain I've endured everyday of my life. I purchased this book hoping it would explain to the non-transsexual what it means to be me. This book meets that challenge head-on. I was particularly impressed by the chapters covering Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood. I read those chapters and felt as though I was reading from my own journals. That someone had written my biography. If you are a transsexual trying to find a way to come out to family and friends, or you are the family and friends of a transsexual who just came out to you, I highly recommend this book. I am going to have a copy of this book for my father to read the day I come out to him.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, sympathetic introduction to transsexualism, July 15, 1998

By A Customer

This is a very useful book to anyone just beginning to try to understand the concept of transsexualism. It is carefully written, without technical medical descriptions, and balances well between biographical/autobiographical material and factual information. It is neither sensationalist or syrupy, but does convey the difficulties faced by transsexual individuals in the various stages of their lives. For this reason, I would recommend it to anyone recently identifying as transsexual who needs an introductory text for those around them. The title states it is for "families, friends, co-workers and helping professionals" and indeed it is eminently suitable for these groups. As a transsexual man myself, I have two copies which I have lent to people including my father who found it very helpful, and my therapist and have purchased a further copy for my partner's family. Three copies must be a fair recommendation of a book! I find its layout logical and appropri! ! ate, beginning as it does with some basic facts about the subject, leading on to how it affects the individuals in various stages of their lives - childhood, teen years and adulthood. It then goes on to deal with the nuts and bolts of therapy, transition, surgical options and coming out and ends with some biographical text. It covers both male to female and female to male aspects well, where many other texts focus primarily on the male to female route. It is also relatively apolitical - many other texts on the subject tend to have their information tied up with a significant political element which can make them in my opinion difficult for those new to the subject to read. All in all it is one of the best books I have on transsexualism. The only one in my collection which is sufficiently similar to compare is Trans-X-u-all (O'Keefe and Fox) which, while it is a good book, is not such a good introductory text as this.