I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I feel a certain responsibility about reviewing this book due to to its sensitive content. I loved how the different case studies were different and gave an alternative point of view, but, I loved that they were true. Each person has so much going on. I did not know how bad it is to be transgender particularly in the USA. It is a complete contradiction by a country whose national anthem states “the land of the free”. I believe there will always be issues within the church but when is used for presidential gain it is horrendous. This treatment and these bad events that happen to these kids is against the central tenets of humanity. I hate that people with bad opinions hide behind their religion when they have no idea how their spouting of propaganda affects each transgender child or young adults. “It’s just a phase” makes my blood boil. As a queer woman I had my own issues with my mum hiding behind her religion. I was brought up in a Christian home so I tried hard to not be gay but this was not about me it was for her. I think religion has nothing to do with gender. Man will be “brought up in Christ’s image” the bible states so if we are made this way surely it’s his fault and not ours but as per usual Christian people will hide behind their religion to justify their hatred. This book provoked so many emotions for me and I have a new found pride in how these young adults can be real with themselves in the face of all this hatred.

"What are you supposed to say when your kid tells you he's trans, so you don't screw him up for life?"

This book is a collection of parents of trans teens sharing their experiences concerning their teens 'coming out' and how life changed afterward.

I picked this book off NetGalley because I am a parent of a trans teen and I wanted to see how other parents handled things. Obviously as parents, we're just trying to do what's best for our kids and I think this book is nice for showcasing acceptance.

"When Loving Your Kid is a Crime" provides first-hand accounts of several families with transgender children. They live in different states of the US and the children transitioned at different ages, but they all have fear in common. Fear that their children will be harmed for being themselves and fear of what might happen to the parents because they are providing a loving and supportive environment for their children. It is an important story to tell since this is happening all over the country, as people are introducing legislation that would prohibit people from living as their authentic selves, and parents and medical practitioners would no longer be able to provide essential healthcare for transgender people.

Each chapter told a different family's story, from their perspective. It did not appear that the author and editor made any attempts to edit the stories, which at times made it confusing as there were jumps in the timelines and repetition of phrases and parts of the story. While I understand the importance of letting the story be authentically told, it did make it difficult to read.

I received this book as a digital ARC thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

This book is about how children who are transgender are being attacked. Some of these attacks are from the legal world. Parents feel they can handle the local (like their kids being bullied), but now they don't know how to handle the new attacks. How do you love and parent a child in a world where getting your kids the correct medical treatment can lead them to losing their child because they are being charged with child abuse. This is a terrifying look at this new world we live in.

3 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

This book was a very fast read and quite interesting to read. Did expect a little bit more from it when I started reading this book, but maybe I didn't read the description properly... Would still recommend it to other people tho!

This short book packs a serious punch in its interviews with parents and their transgender children that highlight the challenges transgender youth in America face today. Wilchins and Howell have compiled a list of powerful young transgender people from across the United States who were willing and brave enough to share their stories with the world, and these young people are incredibly brilliant, powerful, wise beyond their years, and so, so, brave. The world that these young people live in is brutal, and they and their parents articulate their efforts in the face of these struggles, emphasizing how much work needs to be done for these young adults and for countless young transgender people like them in the United States and perhaps around the world. Wilchins and Howell have done a magnificent job in curating these interviews and connecting so many stories together to create another larger narrative. This book is a powerful must-read for all ages to understand the current political and social climate in the United States towards the transgender community and become better activists and allies for this historically marginalized community. When Loving Your Kid is a Crime is an incredible, powerful book with a strong, clear message.

Thank you for this book, it's an important read. I suggest this book for anyone trying to understand what our kids are going through.

There were things I loved about this book and things that drove me a tiny bit mad, but through it all, it is one I would highly recommend and I'll tell you why!

When loving your kid is a crime is a collection of stories which the author weaves together about parents of Transgender youth in various stages of transition. Each story starts with an introduction of the parent(s) and child(ren)'s gender and sexual orientation, as well as their ages. The story is then told from the parent's perspective and in most cases seemed to be verbatim what was shared in an interview or written submission format. There were grammatical errors and inconsistencies that made it at times difficult to follow or slightly annoying to readers who expect a more consistent tone and professional voice. That being said, this also allowed each parent to share their story in their own words, the feelings, fears and beliefs were raw and unaltered and that was clear from page one. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly when you think about the current state of affairs we find ourselves in, there were more similarities between the stories than there were differences, regardless of what state, age and family make up (religion, culture, single parent vs couple etc.) were sharing their story. This proves that the title holds true, no matter where you are, if you are in the United States (or other countries) loving a transgender child can be a crime. This awful fear can also become a reality at sometimes a moments notice when suddenly a new law is passed or someone new comes into power. This is a story that I feel should be required reading for many groups of people. The parents of LGBTQ youth obviously being the first, but also politicians, law makers, conservatives, right wing groups, anti-LGBTQ protestors, teachers, community members, medical professionals, social workers... the list goes on and on. Where else can you find real case studies this easily accessible and easy to compare?

So is it the most well-written book I've read, no? But it's also not the worst, and it deserves to be read because the messages are important and the voices speaking are ones that need to be heard. So read this book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

This book was kind of a bummer for about 2/3 with some hope in the last 1/3. It might be better to mix the stories up a little to give readers hope for the future throughout. Otherwise, some people might be too bummed out to finish and read the hopeful parts.

This book was both heartfelt and heartbreaking!! Such a good read! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am so glad that I read it.

This was wonderful. I loved hearing these families talk about supporting their kids. Its incredibly sad that this book needs to exist. But everyone did an incredible job on it.

I started this book this afternoon and couldn’t put it down. The parents relate heart-wrenching and often hopeful stories about supporting their children through a gender identity discovery and the transitions that come in their children’s body, lives, relationships, and their experiences coping with all of the discrimination they face just for loving their child and keeping them safe. There are a range of perspectives, all the parents react differently and have different backgrounds and experience prior to the story. The interviews are from scattered places around the US, and the children range in age from young toddlers to college-aged adults. I found it to be very educational and uplifting, with a necessary call to action for readers. Whether you are a parent of a transgender child yourself, or even if you’ve never met a transgender person, this text is important.

Wow, this book was just wow
I for one, don't have any children
But you could just imagine what it would be like to have a child in that time
The pain they would have to go through all because you love someone you brought into this world
I'm very grateful to have something like this published
Because It makes you come back to earth and be grateful for things you do have