Before I had the words :

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Title :

Before I had the words : on being a transgender young adult / Skylar Kergil.

Title:

Before I had the words :

Author:

Kergil, Skylar

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

viii, 257 pages ; 24 cm

ISBN:

9781510723061

9781510764521

Production / Publication Information:

New York : Skyhorse Publishing, 2017.

Language:

English

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Personal Subject:

Kergil, Skylar.

Subject Term:

Transgender youth -- United States -- Biography.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	306.768 KER	31330008331922	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	B KERGIL, SKYLAR	30470001579092	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	YA/BIOG/KERGIL S	31479007071987	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	TEEN PEO KERGIL	31478010153907	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	YA 306.768 KERGIL	32129002239720	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	YA 306.768 KERGIL	32133002320118	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	YA B KERGIL	31990004549247	Searching... Unknown

"A must-read for anyone who is trans or has trans family or friends."--Chase Ross, trans activist, speaker. Revealing entries from the author's personal journals as well as interviews with his mother, brother, and friends lend remarkable depth to a groundbreaking memoir of change, loss, discovery, pain, and relief.

At the beginning of his physical transition from female to male, then-seventeen-year-old Skylar Kergil posted his first video on YouTube. In the months and years that followed, he recorded weekly update videos about the physical and emotional changes he experienced. Skylar's openness and positivity attracted thousands of viewers, who followed along as his voice deepened and his body changed shape. Through surgeries and recovery, highs and lows, from high school to college to the real world, Skylar welcomed others on his journey.

Before I Had the Words is the story of what came before the videos and what happened behind the scenes. From early childhood memories to the changes and confusion brought by adolescence, Skylar reflects on coming of age while struggling to understand his gender. As humorous as it is heartbreaking and as informative as it is entertaining, this memoir provides an intimate look at the experience of transitioning from one gender to another. Skylar opens up about the long path to gaining his family's acceptance and to accepting himself, sharing stories along the way about smaller challenges like choosing a new name and learning to shave without eyebrow mishaps.

Before I Had the Words brings new meaning to the phrase "formative years."

"Every transition is unique. There are choices we all make every day that shape who we become. There is no right way or wrong way. There are no requirements for being transgender. Some people are transgender; until you hear their stories, you may not know what that means to them. I am still learning."

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

A transgender person tells the story of his transition.At an early age, Kergil, an activist for the transgender community, began wearing his older brother's hand-me-down clothes, cutting his hair short, and playing games more readily associated with boys than girls. His birth name was Katherine, but that didn't feel quite right to him. It was only when he reached his teens that he began to learn about transgender people and suddenly recognized he was also a man born into a woman's body. In youthful, enthusiastic prose, the author tells the story of how he shifted to thinking of himself as a boy and the fears, anxieties, and doubt he experienced as he gradually told his closest friends and family members of the change he was going through. Some people accepted him readily with warmth and love, while others had difficulties with this shift. Kergil recalls the harassment he endured from a wide variety of people, but despite the physical and emotional pain, he continued to push toward a goal of full transition. He explains the exploration stages he went through with various girlfriends and the process of physical transition, beginning with hormone treatments, then top surgery, and beyond. Kergil's straightforward account gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of being a transgender person. He shares how difficult the road has been toward acceptance and some of the tactics and words that have helped him. Although the writing tends toward immature, Kergil's story should help many who are in the beginning stages of gender identity exploration understand they are not alone as well as aid those who want to be more empathetic to the transgender community. An unremarkable but honest account of the young life of a transgender person. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Transgender activist, YouTube personality, and multitalented artist Kergil felt secretly a boy in childhood, feelings that intensified during adolescence, resulting in her beginning transition from female to male at age 15. He legally changed his name from Katherine to Skylar and began his surgical transition at 17. From being a tomboy with his older brother JT and sometimes being mistaken in public for a boy to binding budding breasts, his true self was always apparent. Kergil tells his story in a conversational tone, sharing deeply personal, sometimes funny revelations, including one about his first prosthetic, all told from a position of self-acceptance bolstered by his loving, adaptable parents and therapy. He includes interviews with his parents, and, most affectingly, his brother, who was initially upset and angry at losing his little sister, but who eventually accepted his little brother. Kergil's openness and authenticity has made him a speaker who inspires hope, especially in young adults and their families, and this encouraging transition chronicle, distinguished by his eloquence and inclusion of other voices, will do the same.--Scott, Whitney Copyright 2017 Booklist

Acknowledgments	p. v
Disclaimer	p. vi
Speaking	p. 1
"You Can Call Me Mike!"	p. 4
Not Twins, but Close	p. 6
Cross Country Doesn't Feel Super Far (When You're Six)	p. 9
Cool Bike, Yo	p. 11
Talent Shows in 1999	p. 16
Tomboy	p. 18
A/S/L?	p. 34
Cancer	p. 40
Blending In	p. 42
JT	p. 46
Peter Pan	p. 49
Sneaking to Youth Pride in Boston	p. 52
You Can't Always Get What You Want	p. 55
Ice Cracks, Hearts Break	p. 63
Unitarian Universalism	p. 67
The Word: Transgender	p. 72
Thinking, Thinking, Crying, Thinking, Hoping	p. 77
Dissection and the Construct of Gender	p. 80
Questioning While Certain	p. 84
What Is a Name?	p. 87
Coming Out	p. 89
Transitioning Seems Expensive	p. 94
Sixteen	p. 98
A Circle, a Bird	p. 100
Listen Up?	p. 101
Gender Therapy	p. 108
Gym Class	p. 110
Parental Involvement	p. 114
On Birds and Bodies	p. 117
Full Speed Ahead	p. 119
2008	p. 129
Have You Hugged Your Kid Today?	p. 136
Bathroom Bouncer	p. 139
Getting Accepted into College: A Casual Miracle	p. 142
"I'm an Obama Baby!"	p. 145
Day One-January 21st	p. 151
YouTube and Community	p. 153
As Our Lives Change, Come Whatever	p. 156
Stealth	p. 159
Skylar Tucker Kergil: Legalized	p. 166
Top Surgery	p. 169
Coming Out Is a Lifelong Process	p. 173
Scars	p. 175
Sophomore Slump	p. 177
Some Days It Feels Like	p. 179
Kissing Is Just Like Falling Right on Someone's Face	p. 181
Period	p. 183
A Primary Care Physician, an Ultrasound Technician, and a Surgical Assistant	p. 195
Bellybutton	p. 202
Will I Die?	p. 205
Daughters	p. 208
Day of Silence	p. 210
Why I Out Myself	p. 213
Then Love Lets You Let Go	p. 216
Re-Humanizing the Transmasculine Community	p. 218
Inspiring Toward Wholeness	p. 222
Moms	p. 225
When People Aren't Kind	p. 229
That Time I Almost Fist-Bumped Joe Biden	p. 233
Tell Me a Story	p. 237
Camping	p. 239
"For a Moment, I Didn't Feel the Pain"	p. 241
Conversation with Mom	p. 244
Conversation with Dad	p. 250
Conversation with JT	p. 254
Resources & Inspiration	p. 257

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Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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