Review of 'Stuck in the middle with you' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Boylan's style makes this an enjoyable read, if not quite as gripping as her earlier memoir, "She's Not There." It's important to note if reading either book that Boylan's experience is far from typical for transgender people, both in the acceptance she receives from her community and in the fact that she underwent genital confirmation surgery, which is out of the reach of most trans people due to its extremely high cost.
But this is a memoir of her personal experience, and isn't intended to be any more than that. Reading about her family is charming. I didn't get much out of the interspersed interviews with her friends, which had a slightly humblebrag, name-droppy feeling, especially as only a few of the interviewees have children... strange, for a memoir about parenting, although as a childless person I always appreciate having those perspectives included. I had wondered whether Boylan's relationship with …
Boylan's style makes this an enjoyable read, if not quite as gripping as her earlier memoir, "She's Not There." It's important to note if reading either book that Boylan's experience is far from typical for transgender people, both in the acceptance she receives from her community and in the fact that she underwent genital confirmation surgery, which is out of the reach of most trans people due to its extremely high cost.
But this is a memoir of her personal experience, and isn't intended to be any more than that. Reading about her family is charming. I didn't get much out of the interspersed interviews with her friends, which had a slightly humblebrag, name-droppy feeling, especially as only a few of the interviewees have children... strange, for a memoir about parenting, although as a childless person I always appreciate having those perspectives included. I had wondered whether Boylan's relationship with her wife remained romantic in nature, and that question is answered here, though it wasn't the answer I expected. Probably the most thought provoking part of the book for me. I suspect (and Boylan admits this herself, sort of) that Boylan is enough of a traditionalist that it colors the decisions she made about her relationship with her wife. (At one point she uses scare quotes when talking about an open relationship- not an especially new or risque topic in 2016, even if you are past 50!)
Basically, I'd skip this one and read She's Not There, unless you already read and liked that one and are interested in a few more vignettes from the kids and a little more about how Boylan's wife felt about the whole thing.