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The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex…
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The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution (edition 2008)

by Pagan Kennedy

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1436189,831 (3.36)None
In the 1920s when Laura Dillon felt like a man trapped in a womanʼs body, there were no words to describe her condition; ʺtranssexualsʺ had yet to enter common usage. And there was no known solution to being stuck between the sexes. Laura Dillon did all she could on her own: she cut her hair, dressed in menʼs clothing, bound her breasts with a belt. But in a desperate bid to feel comfortable in her own skin, she experimented with breakthrough technologies that ultimately transformed the human body and revolutionized medicine. From upper-class orphan girl to Oxford lesbian, from post-surgery romance with Roberta Cowell (an early male-to-female) to self-imposed exile in India, Michael Dillonʼs incredible story reveals the struggles of early transsexuals and challenges conventional notions of what gender really means. Also includes information on Roberta Cowell, Christine Jorgensen, Institute for Sexual Science (Berlin), estrogen, testosterone, etc.… (more)
Member:SexGeek
Title:The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution
Authors:Pagan Kennedy
Info:Bloomsbury USA (2008), Edition: 1st, Paperback, 224 pages
Collections:Your library
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The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution by Pagan Kennedy

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Imperfect writing about trans people, but not awful either. Book was neither heavy nor too lightweight---medium-weight? Very interesting stuff about the history of plastic surgery in all its forms. ( )
  caedocyon | Feb 22, 2024 |
This book was really interesting. Throughout I was struck with the difficulties of using the correct pronouns and currently accepted terminology when writing about one of the first documented trans man who underwent hormone treatment as well as surgery to pass. In the western world, at least, I don't know much about the history of trans people in other areas of the world! An interesting biography of an interesting man. ( )
  katebrarian | Jul 28, 2020 |
Kind of interesting, but a bit colorless. The source material Kennedy was working from couldn't have been easy - it was contradictory and spotty. I did like learning something about the history of treatments for trans-people, painful as it is. It was mostly about Michael Dillon, a trans-man who managed to stay out of the spotlight and almost out of history. ( )
  cindywho | May 27, 2019 |
The story of some truly remarkable people, starting of course from Michael Dillon himself. I also discovered a lot about the early history of plastic surgery, and I was surprised by some attitudes to Dillon's sex change, much more accepting than I would have guessed, especially given the period.
I am left with the impression that the author didn't do justice to Dillon/Jivaka's seriousness in his spiritual seeking and committment -- but even so, a book I would recommend, and definitely a story worth knowing about. ( )
  AnnaOok | Feb 17, 2013 |
Michael Dillon had an amazing life. I don't think I would have liked the guy, but his story was absorbing. I read this almost completely in one sitting. Good book. ( )
  SwitchKnitter | Jul 23, 2012 |
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In the 1920s when Laura Dillon felt like a man trapped in a womanʼs body, there were no words to describe her condition; ʺtranssexualsʺ had yet to enter common usage. And there was no known solution to being stuck between the sexes. Laura Dillon did all she could on her own: she cut her hair, dressed in menʼs clothing, bound her breasts with a belt. But in a desperate bid to feel comfortable in her own skin, she experimented with breakthrough technologies that ultimately transformed the human body and revolutionized medicine. From upper-class orphan girl to Oxford lesbian, from post-surgery romance with Roberta Cowell (an early male-to-female) to self-imposed exile in India, Michael Dillonʼs incredible story reveals the struggles of early transsexuals and challenges conventional notions of what gender really means. Also includes information on Roberta Cowell, Christine Jorgensen, Institute for Sexual Science (Berlin), estrogen, testosterone, etc.

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