Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition

What do you do when, from an early age, you find yourself trapped in the identity of a male while you know deep inside that you are female? Well, Katie Rain Hill went through her own version of Hell and came out on the other side as the amazing young woman she is today.

Katie describes each step in her journey, having to learn for herself that she was transgender (in fact, learning what the heck transgender even means) and how she can finally be happy inside her own skin. There is a great deal of sadness involved, but she comes through it beautifully. I think the moment I would have lost it was when she is bullied not only by her classmates (because we all know how cruel and ignorant kids can be), but also by her teachers! These people show more are supposed to provide a safe, welcome environment for learning, not tease a child in their care because they think that child is strange and different.

Seriously, the teachers at Bixby disgust me right now.

A touching story well told. I teared up on several occasions.

At the end, Ms. Hill also features a few resources that helped her during her transition, as well as a series of tips for talking to transgender people. Although, she also is sure to state that the tips she provides are based on her own experiences and preferences, and might not be true of everyone. Still, it feels like a good overall guide for anyone who wants to be respectful. show less

Have you ever worried that you'd never be able to live up to your parents' expectations? Have you ever imagined that life would be better if you were just invisible? Have you ever thought you would do anything--anything--to make the teasing stop? Katie Hill had and it nearly tore her apart.
Katie never felt comfortable in her own skin. She realized very young that a serious mistake had been made; she was a girl who had been born in the body of a boy. Suffocating under her peers' bullying and the mounting pressure to be "normal," Katie tried to take her life at the age of eight years old. After several other failed attempts, she finally understood that "Katie"--the girl trapped within her--was determined to live.
In this first-person show more account, Katie reflects on her pain-filled childhood and the events leading up to the life-changing decision to undergo gender reassignment as a teenager. She reveals the unique challenges she faced while unlearning how to be a boy and shares what it was like to navigate the dating world and experience heartbreak for the first time in a body that matched her gender identity. show less

This is the story of Katie, born Luke, and the struggles she went through in her conservative town and school as he came to terms with the fact that he was a girl trapped in a boy’s body. While it was tough for everyone to accept, Luke became Katie and is now a strong voice in the LBGT community. She describes her journey from dealing with bullies to dating. She also gives the reader sound advice on how to treat transgender people as well as other resources to consult. She has an interesting story to tell.

Fascinating. I read this in one sitting, and need to look for Arin's book now. I'd like to think this gave me more insight into transgender people, but Katie's caution that every trans person is different is good, too. I definitely have more sympathy for people dealing with transgender issues.

Katie Rain Hill, a college student at the University of Tulsa has bravely penned a very candid memoir about her transition from Luke to Katie at the age of 15. Thanks to journals, stories, and other materials she kept as a child she was able to recall much about her younger self and share the story of what it felt like to be in the wrong gender. She talks about the discomfort she felt in her body from a very young age, her attraction to boys, and the ever widening gap of understanding between herself and her parents, particularly her father. She maintains her searing honesty as she talks about the teasing she experienced in elementary school, dating in high school and later in college, and her friendships with other girls. Katie walks show more the reader through her first tentative steps toward living as a girl, through gender-reassignment surgery, and ultimately to her life beyond her parents’ home. show less

Rethinking Normal is a memoir written by a young woman who transitioned from male to female during her high school years. It's an interesting memoir in that it captures the experience of transitioning at a young age, and the impact that has on school, friends and family. Many of the issues are the same as what you'll read in memoirs by Janet Mock or Julia Serano, but undoubtedly things are different when you're dependent on family and have to go to school every day.

That said, Katie Hill writes this memoir as a 19-year-old, so other than the transition narrative and the pretty awesome outreach she's done, there's not an awful lot of life experience that gets captured in this memoir. Lots of the book is caught up in the drama surrounding show more the few relationships she's had, which gets a bit tired by the end. show less

A great memoir about growing up transgender. Katie, who was born and raised as a boy named Luke, was aware of her difference early on, though it was years before she found the word to describe herself. Now a college student, Katie, is open and honest about the bullying, pain and heartbreak she's had to endure, the unconditional love and support of her mother, and her own personal imperfections. Readers struggling with gender identity or sexual orientation will find comfort and inspiration in Katie's story. Readers seeking a better understanding of what it means to be transgender and what it's like to live in what is still a society largely unsympathetic to it will find this memoir enlightening.