Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out - OPTIONAL

Kuklin, Susan Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, 176 p. Candlewick, 2014.  $23.  Content: unrated

Susan Kuklin has interviewed and photographed six transgender teens and presented their stories, each in their own voice.  Some were willing to be photographed and supply transition photos.  Others did not want to be seen.  Each story is as unique as the person, with some challenges the same, but most challenges very different.  Each story had me thinking back to Julie Anne Peters’ novel Luna, a truly beautiful book about a transgender teen.  This time however, the people are real and the book is biographical.  

Honestly, I didn’t rate the content, because every librarian is going to look at this book and choose it or not just based on the title.  There is frank talk about all aspects of transgender transformation and also shows the stupid, cruel things that people say and do to transgender teens, or any teen who is different than the “norm”.  Reading the stories was very eye-opening and I think high school librarians should think carefully about buying this – the biggest dangers is it getting stolen or defaced, but well worth it if a kid sees themselves within the pages.  As much as I consider this book essential, you will make your own choice based on your personal relationship with the material.  There are so few books, fiction or non-fiction, that deal with transgender (less than handful?) that this is an important new source.

HS – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher