Thursday, June 9, 2016

Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings


Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings 

Review by Lauren

source: copy from BEA: all opinions are my own

Review: Jazz Jennings from the TLC show I Am Jazz is releasing her memoir today. It's a great look at her life so far - she's only 15 at the moment- and how she always knew she was a girl in a boy's body. I loved hearing stories from her childhood. I'm sure it was tough for her parents to deal with this news, but they seem like great people who only want the best for their children. They allowed Jazz to dress as a girl at home for awhile, and eventually in public. They were constantly learning and advocating for trans rights.

Being Jazz is an easy book to read; it's almost like Jazz is speaking to a friend. It's great how open and honest she is about a lot of different aspects in her life. I have an advanced copy that I was given to read/review, so the photos throughout are all in black and white. Each chapter starts with a new photo, which I loved. I believe the finished version will include some in color, but I can't 100% say for sure. Overall, I highly recommend this one! It's a great way to get an insider's look at what it means to be transgender.

I read this book for #ReadProud, a reading challenge author Julia Ember created for Pride Month! 

4 comments:

Verushka said...

I've been following her story off and on and she's amazing isn't she?

Piecraft Bucharest said...

wow, I didn't know she wrote a book! Thanks for the heads-up, Lauren - this is definitely something I'd like to read :)

Lisa Mandina said...

This is one that I'll probably get for my high school library, as well as I want to read it myself! Great review!

Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity said...

I'm so glad you liked this one, Lauren! I am really excited to read it. I haven't watched her show (I don't think it's available in Australia yet), but I have read about Jazz on the internet. I really love reading nonfiction LGBTQIA+ books, because there's that extra dose of authenticity. I hope I can read this one soon!