This had educational bits but I was also getting so frustrated with how hard of a time Anne was having accepting Alex’s decision. But it’s Anne’s perspective, not Alex’s, so I guess that’s the point— to be educational for someone that may be going through something similar.

A unique perspective of the transition process through the eyes of a parent. An important look at the internal struggles and questioning that parent might experience when a child no longer identifies with the gender assigned at birth. The use of color and line is especially striking and drives home the process that the author's child and the parent are undergoing.

Someone on GoodReads called this “a book for straight people” and I have never agreed with anything more. I’d also say it is a book for cis people. It’s a book for, in my opinion, parents of trans children who have done irreparable harm to the person in their life they are supposed to love unconditionally, have since grown, and now want to be absolved of that guilt. People do make mistakes and grow from them, but most of those people don’t share that in a book. Holding yourself accountable is good. Writing a book in which you routinely misgender, deadname, and minimise transness? Less so.

There’s a moment where Alex says “Look, I can’t take care of every single person. I have enough to do as it is.” The response to this? Deadname. It’s moments like this that I just thought…This book wasn’t written for us, was it? It was written for parents who didn’t do the bare minimum to go “oh I did that too. It wasn’t just me.”

The truth is, the world at large is a dangerous place for trans people right now. The last thing we need is a book which basically says “it’s okay to be unaccepting at first - at the time when your acceptance is most vital - as long as you learn and grow.” In reality, the message should be this: trans children deserve unconditional love, and if you can’t provide that, it’s your loss that you don’t get to witness their metamorphosis. Someone else will be there when they emerge from their cocoon, and it will be like you’ve missed seeing Halle’s comet pass. You’ll never get the chance again to see them as their true self for the first time. Of course parents struggle, worry their child will get hurt. But that’s to work through in therapy, in your own time. Not in a book, and not to your child’s face.

Two stars purely because I’m at least hopeful it might convince a few parents holding transphobic ideologies to reconsider whether their loyalty to bigoted beliefs is worth waving at their child’s retreating back as they leave to find acceptance elsewhere.

As an enby I found this book to be really problematic and very triggering. I had a hard time getting through it. My mother has actually said some of the very upseting phrases that Alex's mother says in this book. The constant misgendering was a lot.

I do think there is room for books about the experiences of parents of trans kids. Books that empathize with the struggle to come to terms with something that can be so surprising, especially when one lacks the information and knowledge about LGBTQ+ life and identities that one's children may have more exposure to. When one is scared for the difficulties they know their child can experience due to their marginalization.

However, any such book really does still need to include significant accountability and a strong statement of reproach for the harmful behaviors that a parent of a trans child can engage in unintentionally.

This book includes almost no accountability for the harm that Anne's words and actions did to her son. It does nothing to illuminate a more informed and intelligent path towards navigating a child's transition and seems to want us to congratulate Anne for eventually seemingly getting some things right. Learning your child's new name and pronouns and not misgendering or deadnaming them are BASIC KINDNESS, not some kind of incredible, stellar accomplishment. Taking 6 months to do this is not a crowning acheivement, it's something you should be embarrassed to be so slow at figuring out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I think that this book definitely has an audience but I don't know if trans people are it. It's hard to read a story with almost constant misgendering and dead naming but at the same time you know none of it is malicious.

This is the journal of a woman who's son comes out as trans and her process of dealing with it. It's not pretty at the beginning and it takes her a while to really get there but she does and she eventually starts using the correct pronouns and the correct name and encouraging others to do the same and being the beacon of support that all queer and trans kids deserve in their parents.

This is a book that I want available in libraries and pflag meetings and queer community centers as a resource for parents of trans kids because it does a great job at highlighting how you very well could and probably will lose your child if you don't support them. And losing your child may be them going no contact with you or it could be much more drastic in terms of self-harm or suicide. The statistics do not lie when it shares that trans people are at a much higher rate of suicide attempts and self-harm mostly due to lack of support from those around them and through health care and government. This book doesn't technically discuss that but the child does kind of cut off his mom for a little bit because she can't get on board and I think that really will show parents just a hint of what could happen.

So this isn't one I will recommend universally but I do think it is an important book and I hope those that need are able to find it.

thank you to IDW Publishing and Top Shelf Productions for this arc in exchange for a honest review!

this novel is a story about a mother, Anne discovering what it means for one of her children, Alex to come out as trans and the difficulties and process she goes through to accept them.

I personally enjoyed this story, but it was frustrating reading from her point of view, but I get it. she is just worried about her child and what it means for their future. I loved the art work that went along with the story. it flips between Anne and Alex's story to research about what it is like being trans. I enjoyed the research, but not as much Anne and Alex's story. Anne was not a great character to read from in the beginning with the victim blaming and dead naming.

I think this book is good for the older generation to understand that your child or anyone coming out as trans is not a bad thing. it provided lots of resources about being trans, sex/gender, etc.

Honestly going into this I was pretty worried because I wasn't sure what direction it was going to take, but in the end it was not only informative on so many levels from biology to cultural to language (especially being a work translated from French, a gendered language), but the uncomfortable parts were unfortunately realistic. I'm really glad the book started talking about the facts of the normalcy of gender variance pretty much straight away, so we see where Anne is headed toward, before getting into her personal struggle with her son's changes.

I think this would be a good book to give a parent or a relative or even a friend who's not having an easy time understanding what it is to be trans to learn both that there is a lot out there (without getting overwhelmed like other books on gender identity I've read that won't be so good for beginners) and also that they are not alone in having a hard time adjusting. When something is new to you, it's natural to have to adjust-- but you have to decide to put in the work to do what's right.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing/Top Shelf Productions for the eARC (even though I messed up the date and ended up checking it out of the library to fulfill my promise!).

"Transitions" by Élodie Durand is a groundbreaking nonfiction comic that explores the transformative journey of a family when Anne discovers her 19-year-old child is a transgender man named Alex. The graphic novel navigates the emotional complexities of identity, acceptance, and the evolving dynamics within the family. With honesty and vulnerability, Durand's work provides a compassionate roadmap for allies and families navigating the challenges of transgender experiences, offering a must-read exploration of personal transformation.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'm always on the lookout for books about how others experience the gender transition of a loved one. I have never experienced a child of mine transitioning, but I have seen parents go through this experience before. I have seen them have a hard time and really work to transition their language because they love their kid more than anything. This book showed the struggle and the effort, particularly by the end of the book. I thought there was some good education about aspects around queer culture as well. It wasn't just about sharing an experience, but about giving some background as well.

I was really hung up on how the mother in this book handled her son's transition. Since this book was largely written with the narrator having already gone through this experience, I resented her use of feminine pronouns and constantly dead-naming her son. Yes, her language changed by the end of the book, but it took so long for this to happen that it felt disrespectful.

I'm glad I read this, especially because I don't know what it's like for someone to transition within the French government and medical systems, but I would encourage others to read this with caution. Perhaps not as the first book they read on the subject with no background.

This one was hard for me—I’m a bit of a black and white thinker, so reading all of Anne’s thoughts and misgendering was rough. I was very frustrated by her slow progression and the clear ways in which she was hurting her son.

That said, I understand the world is shades of gray. Gender and sex are very gray, especially. And Alex’s transition was very new to Anne so she took it personally. Change is hard. I did appreciate how far Anne came from the first page. And how much research she did—even speaking with colleagues and changing course materials. I just wish change happened faster, especially in cases where one person’s struggle to change is hurting another (Anne’s struggle hurting Alex fyi).

Insightful, sad, and rewarding read. An interesting and perplexing account that makes you question how you would respond as a parent. Enjoyed this.

I loved this book. It's rare to find a book like this, and it's so refreshing to see a book that's focused on a parent understanding and being vulnerable. As a trans person, this is book I might consider giving to someone in my life who might need some help understanding what it's like. A super important, rare, vulnerable book.

I'm really glad I read this book. This story was incredibly moving, and at times, brought me to tears. Élodie Durand did a beautiful job with Transitions; telling a mother's story, a mother who has to overcome her own prejudices and reshape her understanding as her son comes out as transgender. This graphic novel does a wonderful job at showing the multifaceted nature of a parent-child relationship and how transitioning can affect and adapt that. The mother's journey is not linear nor simple, but she is constantly trying to understand her son, and at times is consumed by emotion because of how much she loves her son, but has not yet understood. I will definitely be recommending this book, and it is one of my favourites that I've read this year!

"Norms are impregnated with unconscious stereotypes, they are perceived as givens and unchangeable."

Transitions is one of those books which I will recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to understand more about gender, sex and stigma attached to it and around it. It swiftly teaches you how to overcome that.

I considered myself open minded but no I'm not. Not in real sense anyway. This book made me contemplate my own thoughts and views about many things. It taught me a lot many things. LGBT community in itself is diverse but the complexity of it can be unimaginable. Transitions helped me understand the essence of it, If not whole but in parts atleast.

I myself could not comprehend the gravity of this being grown in a small town , not being exposed to it. It is not that I was taught homophobia or transphobia, it's in what environment I grew up. One where something which is not normal is considered bad or even worse, a crime. We had taboo around so many little things that sex, gender was never discussed but that needs to change. We need to change our views towards the whole ideology of gender and sexuality.

Gender and sex are not the same. But sadly they are considered same. We have grown up with such strict and strong belief that changing the conception will shake our lifelong roots, hell might uproot the whole structure of hierarchy. People are scared of change atleast the orthodox ones are.

The story is about a family, rather from POV of a mother -Anne who's daughter - Lucie is transgender and wants to be recognised as Alex - a man here onwards.

You fear that Alex will be marginalized but first and foremost marginalization is family rejection.

I loved the idea of it even more. I understand how difficult it must be for someone who has grown up with a certain identity but they do not themselves identify same. Their struggle starts from their homes. I have seen and read their struggle in many works and although I appreciate it very much , I appreciated transitions even more coz the struggle of family matters too. And in no way they should be underestimated.

Because in transitions Alex "experienced" the change in his identity and it took him sometime to be firm about it but for a person like your mother or father or anyone from close family who have always seen you in a certain way, they can not really experience what you are experiencing, it would not be easy for them to understand what is happening.

Transitions is a sympathetic, moving and informative story of Anne's struggle to accept her 19 years old's new identity. A road to new realisation and change of perceptive.

With grace and sensitivity, award-winning graphic novelist Élodie Durand captures the unique journey of well-meaning loved ones who struggle to reconcile new gender identities with their old assumptions. What I loved the most is how Deeply researched and drawn from true experience the whole book is. Transitions is a must-read companion for allies and families navigating trans issues and a compassionate roadmap to acceptance.

Thank you NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and Top Shelf Productions for this arc!

4/5 stars

This was an informative and emotional journey. There is so much educational information in this graphic novel, it is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to educate themselves on either beginner basic information on trans people and their rights and then expand that information with a deeper understanding of the struggles and roadblocks in place that harm trans people.

The mothers journey was pretty hard to read for most of it, but that was the point. Anne had such a hard struggle letting go of the daughter she's always had and accepting Alex as he truly is. Anne took us on her messy, uncomfortable, painful journey and showed all of her raw, ugly thoughts. She was very open in how she felt, and in this graphic novel shares all sorts of information along the way as she learnt them too. She was honestly really transphobic for a lot of this. Thankfully she eventually comes around and accepts and loves Alex for who he is, and I understand this is a real family and real people, but oh man it took so long for Anne to learn to love her son and child for who he is, not who she always thought her child was.

Miigweetch NetGalley and IDW Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This graphic novel about a mother’s journey to understand her trans child failed to connect with me. I requested it because I thought it could potentially be a valuable resource to share with parents in my community, however, it was more a memoir than a guidebook. I expected a lot more, and was willing to hold space for the mother’s journey. Nevertheless, I found the protagonist difficult to empathize with.

I did not finish title this as it failed to capture my attention. 2 out of 5 stars for me.

#Transitions #NetGalley

This book is so essential and so important! We need more stuff like this to come out so everyone can be understood and feel safe. The artwork is so great and the story is inspiring and beautiful. Highly recommend to anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community or anyone looking to have more information about this beautiful community!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was intense! It showed the perspective of a mother seeing her trans son come out and decide to transition and being very firmly against it, even to her own surprise. It really goes into her own internal journey and struggle to accept her son for who he is.

This seems like an important graphic novel for parents out there just like her, or even family members, who are struggling to understand their own child/family member. They can put themselves in her shoes and also come to understand and accept their own child thanks to this book. It provides an educational lens as well as her emotional and internal struggle as she tries to understand her son’s transition more over time.

It was definitely difficult to see her deadname and misgender her son for over half the book, and I was shocked and frustrated with how long it went on and how much worse she got. Like for someone who went “I’m not transphobic, am I?!” in the beginning to then become so blatantly transphobic for a majority of the book was very… hard to read.

One part that really stood out to me was when the mother visits her son’s therapist and shares her concerns and the fact that she rejects it all, expecting the therapist to be on her side, but in response, the therapist says, “You fear that [your son] will be marginalized, but the first and foremost marginalization is family rejection. That is in your hands.”

That alone felt like such an important point for doubtful parents and family members alike out there to read and process.

Overall, some parts were visually a little confusing – at points I wasn’t sure what they were trying to visually convey and at other times, the seemingly deliberate color choices felt confusing. The timeline also felt confusing here and there as it jumped between events and pages with info dumping.

Otherwise, a very raw and difficult perspective to read and definitely useful for parents who need help accepting their child for who they are.

In this graphic novel we follow a mom as she learns that her child is a transgender man and see her come to terms with that.

This graphic novel was amazing. I think that this is one of those books that everyone should read. It really shows how the author struggled to accept her son's transition. I loved how the book showed this struggle because I know a lot of older people struggle with the correct terms, pronouns, and names of trans people. I think that this book shows how someone can love you and yet not fully understand you. Although, I was heartened to see that in the end the mom was able to do the work on herself to understand her kid and fully support him.