Shame on me for not knowing Jennifer's name prior to reading this book. Now I know she is an important figure in advocacy for transgender rights and I am glad she wrote a memoir. And a quite original concept for a memoir: the events of her life are defined by her relationships to the dogs that were in her life at that time. I felt that the best aspects of the memoir pulled us in with empathy: even though I as a reader am not transgender, I could relate to Jennifer's emotions at certain points of life. And as a life-long pet owner, my heart was pulled to her relationships with dog, ranging from comedic to frustrated to heart wrenching.
My main critique is that the narrative jumps around in time, which could be done well but in this case feels frenetic and causes confusion. Perhaps this was due to my complete ignorance of the author prior to reading, though. I think fans of her activism will really enjoy this book.
My main critique is that the narrative jumps around in time, which could be done well but in this case feels frenetic and causes confusion. Perhaps this was due to my complete ignorance of the author prior to reading, though. I think fans of her activism will really enjoy this book.