beyond magenta transgender teens speak out by susan kuklin

(See “Disarming the Nuclear Family,” by Willow McCormick, summer 2014.) Although Families does not include all the kinds of families in my large urban district (e.g., blended families, extended families, or children living with other guardians), we have had great conversations about the book in my early elementary classrooms. Her book Families includes oral interviews and photographs of biracial families, families with divorced parents, gay and lesbian families with children. Susan Kuklin first caught my attention a few years ago when I was browsing at the public library. How could one human being refer to another with such disrespect? Unfortunately, this is the awful reality for far too many trans youth in our schools. When I heard the story from a friend, it brought me almost to tears. “You have got to come out here and see this!” That’s how a transgender student was introduced to her homeroom teacher at a high school in my district. Informative, revealing, powerful and necessary.Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out The collective portrait that emerges from these narratives…is diverse, complex and occasionally self-contradictory - as any true story should be.

“Kuklin brings her intimate, compassionate and respectful lens to the stories of six transgender young people. As Kuklin writes, ‘My subjects’ willingness to brave bullying and condemnation in order to reveal their individual selves makes it impossible to be nothing less than awestruck.’ She isn’t wrong.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Kuklin captures these teenagers not as idealized exemplars of what it “means” to be transgender but as full, complex, and imperfect human beings. “ sorely needed resource for teens and, frankly, many adults. These powerful, revelatory stories speak volumes.” - AudioFile Magazine Performed conversationally, each teen's narrative is imbued with authenticity that recounts honest, sometimes brutal, circumstances sincerely.

Most chapters feature a back-and-forth between the interviewer and a teen, and two stories feature family members, who add another narrator to the mix while still clearly distinguishing each perspective. “An ensemble of voices delivers this candid collection of interviews with gender-nonconforming teens who struggle to be accepted.… Tanya Eby voices author Susan Kuklin, narrating in a neutral yet respectful tone that allows the more emotional content conveyed by the other narrators to stand out.

Beyond magenta transgender teens speak out by susan kuklin