My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely

Queer Theory for Beginners

Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw, pens what can be seen as essential reading in queer theory, a postmodern social theory that lacks any rigid definition, which is perhaps why it is not the easiest to understand—read Judith Butler and you'll know what I mean. But Ms. Bornstein does a wonderful job and a fashion that engages the reader through multiple quizzes, games, and of course her humor. While her theories themselves are questionable (and what theory isn't), Bornstein lays out a foundation quintessential for understanding the way gender works and elicits discussion about power and definition. An entertaining read, this is an absolutely must read for anyone who never felt like they fit in, anyone show more interested in queer theory, or any one who wants to open their minds a bit and question the very assumptions they stand on. show less

Read in college, for leisure. A lot of other books and blogs I was reading referenced My Gender Workbook, so I was excited to finally get my hands on a copy. Sadly, it's not really what it says on the tin. Rather than presenting different options and asking difficult interesting questions, My Gender Workbook has a strong agenda, all the exercises push you towards that agenda, and there's not a lot of other interesting stuff, especially if you're already familiar with the (101-level) arguments. I ended up skimming it.

tl;dr: Good for people who haven't ever thought about it before; less good for people who already have significant trangst.

This book is a must for people with an interest in gender, nature vs. nurture, queer issues, trans issues, fabulosity, and introspection. If you've ever colored outside of the lines, read this book. It deals with difficult issues with a deceptively light touch. You'll find yourself being introspective when you thought you were just playing with quizzes.

I really like this book as an introduction to studying gender diversity. However, I didn't learn anything about myself that I didn't already know, but I suppose that's because I've already dine a lot of soul-searching on this subject. For someone new to the subject I highly recommend it.

For anyone who is personally questioning their gender this book is a great interactive introduction to gender theory and its fun too.

this book literally changed my life drastically. it basically served as an introduction to being a queer gender freak. it is an amazing book by an amazing author.

Zeer smakelijk werkboek voor een zoektocht naar je eigen unieke gender, voor wat het waard is - very tasty workbook into the search for your own unique gender, for what it's worth