Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews, and: Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill (review)

Best to read these two memoirs together, especially if you want both sides of the story about the well-publicized romantic relationship the authors shared. Katie and Arin were media gold: two transgender teens who found each other mid-transition and fascinated anyone who heard about them, with people new to the concept of trans wondering who was the boy, who was the girl, and how things “fit.” Questions of gender were always much less muddy for Arin and Katie, and both describe with absolute and unwavering certainty that they each knew from as early as they could remember that they were born in the wrong bodies. The memoirs follow the same format: earliest memories, coming to terms, family and community response, and a primary focus on adolescence. The authors throughout view their sexuality as predetermined, so there’s not a lot of nuance for readers who are questioning or thinking in more fluid terms. There’s no denying, however, a certain thrill in seeing how each individual narrative marks key moments in their relationship and its unraveling, and readers may find that to be the juiciest part of these two volumes. Both memoirs offer extensive further reading resources, many of which address concepts of continuums of sexuality and gender fluidity. Ultimately, the voices of transgender teens themselves are still relatively rare, and these brash, honest memoirs go a long way in filling a gap. A small photograph opens each chapter.