Scan barcode
A review by perfect_leaves
The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation by Jodie Patterson
4.0
The Bold World is one of those books that actually took me a while to "understand." In the early chapters, Patterson sets up the memoir as if it would be about her personal transformation throughout life-- and in a way, it is--- but The Bold World is about so much more. It's about identity and, more specifically, gender identity. It's difficult to follow this thread throughout the book because the memoir shifts rather abruptly from focusing on Patterson's life to her son's life. In retrospect, though, the information Patterson provided helps us understand her reaction to her son's news.
****
At times, I found myself getting frustrated with Patterson's choices. It seems hypocritical of me because I know very well how deeply your childhood can influence your adulthood, but there were some obvious choices and solutions that seemingly would have solved Patterson's problems. Of course, it always seems easier to solve a problem from the outside looking in. If you're a young person, it may benefit you to speak with someone older because there are things Patterson does that just /don't make sense/ to our generation. Patterson is closer to my parents' age than my age so their insight helped.
****
In the end, Patterson and I agree that our various identities (gender, race, religion, nationality, etc) are not separate and that the baggage/struggles that come with them are all tied together. Fighting for less popular causes is not less important than fighting for the causes that constantly make headlines, especially when it comes to peoples' well-being. I'm giving The Bold World 4 stars because the name-dropping was super annoying and because it took me until almost the end of the book to "get" it (and I'm NOT new to the topic of gender and race relations). Despite these relatively minor flaws, The Bold World is well-written, entertaining and informative. If you're a parent with a trans kid, if you're genderqueer yourself, or if you're just interested in reading about different walks of life, I recommend this novel. After you read it, go read Negroland (Margo Jefferson) because it also discusses the life of a privileged black person in the mid-late 1900s, but it focuses more on the ways race often outweighed financial status.
****
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (via Ballantine Books), for the advanced reader copy.
****
At times, I found myself getting frustrated with Patterson's choices. It seems hypocritical of me because I know very well how deeply your childhood can influence your adulthood, but there were some obvious choices and solutions that seemingly would have solved Patterson's problems. Of course, it always seems easier to solve a problem from the outside looking in. If you're a young person, it may benefit you to speak with someone older because there are things Patterson does that just /don't make sense/ to our generation. Patterson is closer to my parents' age than my age so their insight helped.
****
In the end, Patterson and I agree that our various identities (gender, race, religion, nationality, etc) are not separate and that the baggage/struggles that come with them are all tied together. Fighting for less popular causes is not less important than fighting for the causes that constantly make headlines, especially when it comes to peoples' well-being. I'm giving The Bold World 4 stars because the name-dropping was super annoying and because it took me until almost the end of the book to "get" it (and I'm NOT new to the topic of gender and race relations). Despite these relatively minor flaws, The Bold World is well-written, entertaining and informative. If you're a parent with a trans kid, if you're genderqueer yourself, or if you're just interested in reading about different walks of life, I recommend this novel. After you read it, go read Negroland (Margo Jefferson) because it also discusses the life of a privileged black person in the mid-late 1900s, but it focuses more on the ways race often outweighed financial status.
****
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (via Ballantine Books), for the advanced reader copy.