Redefining realness : my path to womanhood, identity, love & so much more /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Mock, Janet, 1983-
Edition:First Atria Books hardcover edition.
Imprint:New York : Atria Books, 2014.
Description:xviii, 263 pages ; 24 cm
Language:English
Subject:Mock, Janet, -- 1983-
Mock, Janet, -- 1983-
Transgender people -- United States -- Biography.
Racially mixed people -- United States -- Biography.
Gender identity -- United States -- Case studies.
Self-actualization (Psychology) -- Case studies.
Gender identity.
Racially mixed people.
Self-actualization (Psychology)
Transgender people.
United States.
Autobiographies.
Biography.
Case studies.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10042532
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9781476709123 (hbk.)
1476709122 (hbk.)
9781476709147 (ebook)
Summary:"In a landmark book, an extraordinary young woman recounts her coming-of-age as a transgender teen--a deeply personal and empowering portrait of self-revelation, adversity, and heroism. In 2011, Marie Claire magazine published a profile of Janet Mock in which she publicly stepped forward for the first time as a trans woman. Since then, Mock has gone from covering the red carpet for People.com to advocating for all those who live within the shadows of society. Redefining Realness offers a bold new perspective on being young, multiracial, economically challenged, and transgender in America. Welcomed into the world as her parents' firstborn son, Mock set out early on to be her own person--no simple feat for a young person like herself. She struggled as the smart, determined child in a deeply loving, yet ill-equipped family that lacked money, education, and resources. Mock had to navigate her way through her teen years without parental guidance but luckily with a few close friends and mentors she overcame extremely daunting hurdles. This powerful memoir follows Mock's quest for identity, from her early gender conviction to a turbulent adolescence in Honolulu that found her transitioning through the halls of her school, self-medicating with hormones at fifteen, and flying across the world for sex reassignment surgery at just eighteen. Ever resilient, Mock emerged with a scholarship to college and moved to New York City, where she earned her masters degree, basked in the success of an enviable career, and told no one about her past. It wasn't until Mock fell for a man who called her the woman of his dreams that she felt ready to finally tell her story, becoming a fierce advocate for girls like herself. A profound statement of affirmation from a courageous woman, Redefining Realness shows as never before what it means to be a woman today and how to be yourself when you don't fit the mold created for you"--

Author's Note This book is my truth and personal history. I have recalled facts, from events to people, to the best of my ability. When memory failed me, I did not seek answers in imagination. I sought clarity through conversations with those who've shared experiences with me. When my recollection of events varied from theirs, I sided with my memory and used their voice, often direct quotes, to contextualize events. Many people featured in the book gave me permission to use their names; others I changed or labeled with an initial to protect their privacy, whether they were guilty, innocent, indifferent, or somewhere in between. As for terminology, I prefer to use trans over transgender or transsexual when identifying myself, although I don't find either offensive. I do not use real or genetic or biological or natural to describe the sex, body, or gender of those who are not trans. Instead, I've used cis, a term applied to those who are not trans and therefore less likely to experience the misalignment of their gender identity and assigned sex at birth--a matter we do not control, yet one that continues to frame who is normalized or stigmatized. Finally, though I highlight some of the shared experiences of trans women and women of color throughout this book, it was not written with the intent of representation. There is no universal women's experience. We all have stories, and this is one personal narrative out of untold thousands, and I am aware of the privilege I hold in telling my story. Visit JanetMock.com for more information, resources, and writings. Excerpted from Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More by Janet Mock All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.