Elliot Page

CW: sexual assault, rape, eating disorder, gender dysphoria, gay and trans bashing

3.5 stars. I was not a fan of Page's nonlinear narrative style, and the comma splicing drove me crazy. But given the recent hate legislation and vitriol towards trans people, I give him all of the stars for putting his story out there. Thank god he has a strong support network of friends, because I'm sure the release of this memoir will awaken more trolls.

Most of the news coverage I've seen about the book show more foregrounds the gossipy parts. Who is the world-famous movie star who told Page that "gay doesn't exist" and that he was just afraid of men? Who is the still-closeted actress with whom Page had a two-year affair? However, Page's memories of her childhood with an abusive stepmother, narcissistic father, and well-intentioned but still hurtful mother ("No, you can't be a boy. But you can do anything a boy can do!") are the most interesting and chilling to me. Similar events are likely happening right now to millions of other kids who don't feel right in their own bodies, but lack the support and perhaps even the language to openly express themselves. show less

I loved the movie Juno and thought that Page was a fine actor in it. I hadn’t known that much about Page’s personal life. I remember them coming out as gay and I knew that he was trans but that was about it.

I really enjoyed this memoir. I loved the back and forth in time, with his personal memories and also with the world at large such as some interesting Canadian history. When in Los Angeles, New York City, Nova Scotia, Oregon, etc. etc. I felt as though I was there.

All the “name show more dropping” makes sense here since this the author has been an actor since childhood and these are his friends and the people that he knows. He acknowledges his privilege as well as his struggles.

I was outraged on his behalf not only of the difficulties he faced to be able to be himself and to be accepted for who he is but also of the treatment he experienced by some adult (and same age) family members he faced when he was young. Friends too. I appreciated his honesty about so much. I could feel his pain and joy on the pages.

This is a well written and at times poetic book. The descriptions of people, places, relationships, and to himself are vivid and well said.

He does a good job describing his gender dysphonia over the years from a very young age until well into his adulthood. I was both surprised and not surprised about his feelings of confusion and his levels of awareness.

I think this is a valuable book and hope that it will help people have empathy and more understanding for trans and queer people and maybe for themselves for whoever they are and whatever they’re going through.

I hope when he reaches an older age (maybe much older) that he writes another memoir.

A personal aside: His smoking drove me crazy but tobacco smoking always drives me crazy. I hope that he no longer smokes or will stop.

I have to add that I am appalled at the treatment of the author (and other trans/queer people) by others, those they know and people in the public they don't know. We are a sometimes cruel species. Give me dogs any day. show less

This raw celebrity memoir was made even more impactful by the author’s narration. Elliot’s vivid descriptions made it easy to picture being there during key moments of his life. The pace of the memoir fell off a bit for me. I was interested, at first, but the non-linear timeline occasionally lost me, especially when looping back to childhood or high school. It sometimes felt like I was hearing the same moments multiple times. This memoir is not for the faint of heart, as Elliot describes show more some deeply upsetting instances of maltreatment and bullying. His journey of self-discovery and self-appreciation is a story worth sharing. The struggles with his family, the movements within the industry, and the horrific influence of media scrutiny all shaped how Elliot saw and understood himself growing up and what he felt allowed to want and be. One particularly heartbreaking moment was hearing about his father supporting the Twitter bullying against him. I appreciated the emphasis on indigenous land management and cherishing natural ecosystems. Elliot’s introduction to different places, like Halifax, came with a historical context that enriched my understanding of the present landscape. Elliot makes it clear that while his story is a transgender and queer one, each person is unique, urging readers to seek out diverse stories. I recommend this memoir. It isn’t an easy listen, so it may not be for everyone, but it is both educational and moving. show less

In this memoir, Elliot Page tells the reader about many different experiences throughout his life so far, and about his long way to finally living as a trans man. There is so much heart break in this, so many dark times, so many instances of cruelty, equally from his family, his surroundings and the acting industry, that this is a truly heavy read. It was easy for me to empathize with the author, though – not only because he simply is a human being explaining his suffering, but also show more because even as a straight cis woman, I share some of his experiences, especially when it comes to the behaviour of his father.
I have seen many reviews that criticize that the memoir is not structured in a linear way, but I did not mind that. It even felt more natural to me, like sitting down with a friend. In natural conversation, you don’t recall your life from beginnings to contemporary times in an orderly fashion either.
One thing I did not understand was the inclusion of so many ex partners and crushes in the book. It became a bit repetitive and some parts were less interesting because of that.
Apart from this, though, I appreciate this raw and honest description of Elliot Page’s life. show less