Thomas Beatie

A provocative autobiography by a transman. The central question Beatie raises is what makes a person a man. This is often a major theme in memoirs by trans people; the twist here is that Beatie carries a child after having transitioned to being male. This gives the question of gender a very interesting spin and a particular urgency: How does the medical establishment respond? What privacy and control do Beatie and his partner relinquish in order to have a child? Should medical forms for show more pregnancies not assume that the person giving birth is female? How does the reader understand a pregnant man? I was much more taken by this autobiography than I thought I would be. The title and summary concerned me, in that it seemed like a schtick. a way to distinguish his book from those of other trans people. It's a measure of Beatie's ability to describe his experiences and decision-making that by the end I largely admire this narrative. show less

Although not as well written as I had hoped, I still am glad I read Beatie's story. What a life. It is too bad that since having three children with his wife, Nancy, they are now separated, apparently due to his wife's alcoholism and violence associated with it. It is a bittersweet story, and certainly shows how one person's chosen path in life can unwittingly offend others. Even the transgender community was not as supportive as I would have thought they should have been when his story show more broke in the news. I hope his continuing life path is better. show less

I really enjoyed this fast paced, well written book, which explains why Thomas Beatie and his wife, Nancy, decided to bring a child into this world, using Thomas' reproductive organs, after he had transitioned from a woman to a man. From teenage beauty queen to muscle-bound young man, learning about his gender identity journey was interesting. I wish this family nothing but the best and have no doubt that all of their children (I believe they have 2 now) will be well taken care of and loved.