about the book
Six transgender and gender neutral teens share their stories about discovering their sexuality. The teens share the challenges they have faced and are still facing in their struggles toward both self and societal acceptance: families, relationships, bullies, mental health, etc…
Before-and-after photographs of four of the teens are included to help tell their stories. Each story, for good or bad, is different because of family dynamics, living situation, gender, and other variables that shaped who they have become.
In addition to the six narratives, there is a Q&A with the director of a clinic for transgender teens, as well as a glossary of books, media, websites, and organizations that transgender youth will find interesting.
about the author
From an early age Susan Kuklin wanted to be either a ballerina or a stage actress. She majored in acting at New York University and went to the Herbert Berghot School of Acting.
When her uncle bought a camera, however, her life was changed, and she switched to photography. She says she would “walk down the street composing pictures in my mind,” seeing things as if her eyes were camera lenses.
After Susan and her husband, Bailey, moved to New York, she took photographs for major magazines and newspapers, dodging bullets with undercover agents in the Bronx and attending rehearsals of the New York City Ballet. (She admits that once she forgot to put film in the camera.)
Susan has become a pioneer of children’s and young adult nonfiction. Blending the art of writing and photography, her young adult books have tried to raise awareness among young people about tough issues. Her work includes the first YA book about AIDS and the first book about suicide in which names and photographs of real families are used. She has also written about teen pregnancy, human rights, child slavery, and prejudice.
When Susan began writing Beyond Magenta, she knew nothing about the transgender culture. She just knew she wanted to learn about it. So she talked to people and attended a few conferences. It was the teens she interviewed for the book that she learned the most from.
Susan currently lives with her husband in New York City.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Biography
Author biography: Macmillan
Author interview: School Library Journal
Also by Susan Kuklin:
No Choirboy : Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row. Henry Holt. 2008.
What Do I Do Now? : Talking About Teenage Pregnancy. Putnam. 1991.
Fighting Back : What Some People Are Doing about AIDS. Putnam. 1989.
Reaching for Dreams : A Ballet from Rehearsal to Opening Night. Harper Collins. 1987.
read more!
No Choirboy : Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin
Four boys who committed a murder before they turned eighteen are now sitting on death row. The prisoners’ own words, along with the author’s asides, give details of the murders, the events leading up to the crimes, legal issues, and glimpses into their childhoods. The families of the prisoners as well as the families of the victims also tell their stories. The closing section focuses on renowned anti-capital punishment advocate, attorney Bryon Stevenson.
Rethinking Normal : A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill
Katie was raised as a suicidal boy named Luke. With only the support of her mother, she legally changed her name and had gender reconstructive surgery the day after turning 18. She tells about the challenges she faced while unlearning how to be a boy and having her first real relationship. Most of what Katie struggles with is ordinary; it’s just made more complicated by the fact that she’s in transition.
Some Assembly Required : The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews
Arin underwent gender reassignment his junior year of high school. The challenges he faced as a girl were both mentally and physically taxing: his period a betrayal of his true nature and his expulsion from school humiliating. While in the middle of transitioning genders, Arin meets Katie, a transgender woman. Their relationship and breakup show him what it is like to have a “normal” life.