Baldwin's memoir is the only book I've read detailing gender dysphoria and transition for a trans man. Baldwin brings up a point I hadn't considered, but that rings true in my experience: trans men are not talked about nearly as often as trans women. When I consider my experiences with media and books, that falls in line. I've read Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, I've seen Laverne Cox on TV, even Caitlyn Jenner has come across my feed, but there are far fewer accounts of trans men that make it into the limelight of pop culture. I believe that in and of itself makes a case that we need to hear more and see more from trans men in addition to those we are finally hearing from trans women. We need those voices published and shared, not quieted.
Now for a deep dive into this book. Overall, I enjoyed Baldwin's memoir. I appreciated its importance in helping broaden my world view, I appreciate his courage to dive into his past and share his experience. That being said, this book is pretty sad. There are few moments of happiness to split up the horrible oppressive feelings that Baldwin had constantly. There are discussions of laws proposed to hurt trans rights that just continue to feel more and more hopeless. This does not make this a bad book by any stretch, but it does make it hard to read at times.
I value this experience, though. The experience of reading how hopeless someone could feel about their body for so long gives me a new level of empathy towards people suffering from gender dysphoria. The thoughts and emotions can be seemingly relentless, and Baldwin did an excellent job of translating that into his writing.
Another important piece that Baldwin is very clear about, is that he's not trying to write for all trans people, and not trying to extrapolate his experience onto experiences trans women face. He is rather trying to write his experience and share pieces of himself so that others might find solidarity. He's calling attention to the fact that there is not much attention by mainstream culture given to trans men, and he is putting his singular experience out there.
There were also times when he did ramble on about laws and then notice (in writing) that he was talking about legislation that primarily targeted trans women in their discourse. For example, talking about bathroom laws. Bathroom laws and bills, those billed to be exclusionary to trans women and prevent trans women from using women's facilities, often disregard the fact that in doing so they are simultaneously saying that trans men should only be permitted to use women's facilities. Baldwin draws attention to the backwards nature of many of these arguments.
Finally, I want to say also that although the section on male privilege is short, I am glad Baldwin wrote about it. He talks about male privilege as it relates to how he noticed himself being treated before his transition and after his transition. This gender binary continues to hold all of us down in so many ways.

I was unable to post a review when I first finished this book but upon looking now I am able to. First off, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this arc and I apologise for the late feedback on it.

This memoir discusses many trans issues that people may not know, from the transitioning process to society's outlook on the transgender community. It was very educational but also sometimes too statistical and too informative for me personally. Due to this, I felt some parts dragged on when reading.

This book is perfect for those who want to learn more and/or educate themself or someone they know on the LGBT+ community. The memoir itself is easy to digest, and I recommend it to everyone as a chance to read more about the community through this person's encounters.

Not Just a Tomboy by Caspar Baldwin is a memoir about the experience of being transgender and of transitioning.

4.5 stars I guess
It was a really interesting memoir and so many things hit home, but it was a bit dry sometimes. I appreciate all the information but iccasionally, the longer explanations of (entirely relevant) laws bored me a bit.

Full review to come soon.

this book was great! it informed me alot on trans issues and i would totally recommend it to those who are less informed.

I'm glad to read this and I'm glad it exists, as it's I've only really read about trans women. Saying this, I wish Caspar would have talked a little about himself, so I could relate to him outside his struggle to be who he is. Saying that, I'm a cisgendered women, so the book isn't for me. But it helped me understand body dysmorphia and the unnecessary drama that is faced for just using the toilet. The book was one note, as it was all about the struggle. But the struggle is real. And relentless. And for that my heart goes out to all trans people out there.

Some of my quotes and notes:

'I was the type of child who had to find space in their bed to lie down at night (good training for cat ownership)'

Look into The Gender Agenda (Ball and Miller 2017)

'After all, a hundred years ago pink was considered to be for boys and blue for girls (Boulton 2014) which excellently highlights how these rules are totally arbitrary and completely ridiculous.'

'But it wasn't because I hated pink or butterflies or flowers, just that wearing them was so inexplicably linked to the girl gender designation, I couldn't bear it.'

'Girls' trousers should be figure accentuating, contoured to your lines because it's all about maximizing your looks, even in your school uniform.'

'The girls in this class of seven-year-olds were almost all of the opinion that boys were better and really the only thing in which girls could claim to be top was in 'being pretty'.'

I would like to thank Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Not Just A Tomboy’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

A book that takes you on Casper’s journey through his life knowing that he was born the wrong body. It goes through the highs and lows of his life from childhood.

I was really hooked to this book, I wanted Casper to get some form of clarity and for him to be the person that he wants to be.

This is a really honest memoir, so well written, and so interesting to read.

I know someone who is going through a similar journey, and thought this book would give me really good insight into what it’s like for trans men.

This is a book that so many people should read, as there’s a lot of ignorance when it comes to transgender people. It would really give people a better understanding of gender issues, and even how we as a society view gender.

I found it facinating to read about his childhood, and it really highlights the gender stereotypes attached to things like the toys we assign to children, the clothes they wear etc. Hopefully as society becomes more aware of these issues, we will become more conscious of not putting boys and girls into categories purely based on gender.

His experiences as he goes through puberty really highlights the issue of puberty blockers, something that many people are uncomfortable about the use of.

It’s a thought provoking book, and I have no doubt that it would be an invaluable source of information for anyone who wants to know more about what it is to be trans, but also in terms of raising awareness of the issues faced by trans people, it would be great to see it more widely read.

In addition, it’s a very readable and facinating story of someone’s life. Highly recommended to anyone who would like to understand the trans journey better, or anyone who enjoys a good autobiography. A must-read.

Not Just A Tomboy is the memoir of a trans man growing up in England in the 90s and 00s, exploring gender identity, how gender is treated in childhood and adolescence, and accessing resources and support from the 90s until the present day. Baldwin predominantly reflects on his own life and experiences, but particularly near the end of the book he emphasises a lot of key points about transgender people. At the end, there are references and links for people, whether they need support or are looking to understand further.

The memoir is powerful and engaging, particularly for people who grew up in Britain in a similar time and understand a lot of the shared reference points. In light of current government work around Gender Recognition Act reform, it is important for trans people to share their stories and the importance around accessing services and resources; at the same time, it is always important for memoirs around gender identity to be written and shared, because they help people come to terms with elements of their own identity and force others to think about their and others' experiences.

Bland writing and not an engrossing addition to trans literature. Prologue begins "I thought, I'm not a famous person . Who would be interested in reading a book about my life?" This intro does not portend well and does not invite the reader to be interested either. Writing is disorganized.