The trans generation : how trans kids (and their parents) are creating a gender revolution /

Whether due to a general lack of understanding or consistent misinterpretations of definitions, gender and identity can be challenging topics for many individuals. Travers (Simon Fraser Univ.) helps combat this confusion by exploring aspects of gender and identity research that are often perplexing for students. Travers presents an innovative exploration of the experiences of transgender children, offering concrete definitions of terminology and fresh approaches to discussing gender, sex, and identity. To some, these definitions and explanations might seem inconsequential, but they can be invaluable to those less informed about gender research. The text goes beyond simply discussing issues related to gender and children by listing resources for children, parents, lawmakers, and educators as well as providing policy recommendations for healthcare and education professionals. The book contains a complete list of references and notes for further details on claims and statements made throughout the text. Also included are a glossary, comprehensive index, and multiple appendixes that provide excellent source material for research on gender. This illuminating text will be an appreciated addition to any library collection, especially those supporting sociology, psychology, gender studies, or criminology and criminal justice programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.--Daniel Ryan Kavish, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

The overall purpose of The Trans Generation, Travers writes, is to make life better for transgender kids in particular and for all kids in general. To that end, she has interviewed 19 trans kids and 23 parents to enrich and humanize her all-encompassing study of transgender people, issues, and problems. A sociology professor at Simon Fraser University, Travers is careful to give equal attention to transgender circumstances in both Canada and the U.S. In this insightful evaluation of the lives of transgender kids, the author closely examines schools identified as places of psychological difficulties and physical danger spaces (especially bathrooms and locker rooms), parents, and healthcare. While Travers notes that the intended audience for the book is mixed, consisting of among others students, trans people of all ages, family members, and friends of trans kids, one suspects that, thanks to its many complexities of subject and language, the chief audience will be academics. The book is, nevertheless, an important addition to the growing body of transgender literature and one that all libraries will welcome.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2018 Booklist

Travers (sociology, Simon Fraser Univ., BC; Writing the Public in Cyberspace) brings their personal and professional experience here. The book, noted by the author as being for academics and individuals who wish to support transgender children, first introduces readers to the concept of transgender children and then walks readers through challenges that transgender children face in schools, in public spaces, with their parents, and navigating health care. A list of recommendations, resources, children interviewed, and a glossary wrap up the research. Travers provides many anecdotes and has a reasonably hefty bibliography but rarely brings statistics into the study. Few topics receive the attention they deserve owing to the vastness of this subject. Scholarship at large and Travers as an author still grapple with discussing gender in established patriarchal terms while also arguing for a postgender conceptualization of the world, which often results in seemingly contradictory semantics and philosophy. Verdict Overall a more useful text for scholars than the general public, this work contains valuable passages nonetheless and would be relevant reading for fans of CN Lester's Trans Like Me.-Abby Hargreaves, Dist. of Columbia P.L., Washington © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.