interesting story about an amazing person, model and LGBTQ+ activist April Ashley, who I had never heard of before this.

Before reading this book, I had never heard of April Ashley but the description just drew me in and I am so glad I chose to read about this extraordinary woman.
April was born “into the wrong body” in Liverpool in 1935, and used to pray every evening that she would wake up the next morning a girl. Yet despite never feeling comfortable in her male body, she was desperate to conform and even joined the Merchant Navy as a teenager. None of these efforts ever made her feel happy and eventually April was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery in 1960. Upon her return to England, she registered as a woman and her striking looks meant that she became a successful model and also acted alongside Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the film ‘The Road To Hong Kong’. However, her career came to a grinding halt when a ‘so called’ friend outed her to the British press thus cutting off the many modelling and acting offers that had been coming her way.
This is just one of the many ‘bumps in the road’ that April had to endure in her remarkable life but her determination and character was never dented by any of the many obstacles she faced in her life.
This book is full of surprises and a fair bit of name dropping from Elvis and Micheal Hutchence to her unlikely ally and long time friend John Prescott MP, who was instrumental in April winning her long battle to finally be able to receive her authentic Birth Certificate in 2005. This in turn led to legal changes to our laws which have benefitted trans people throughout England.
I would like to thank Douglas Thompson, Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the amazing story of April’s life.

Born in Liverpool in 1935, April Ashley MBE was a Vogue model, author, activist and socialite. Her tireless campaigning for transgender equality made her an icon and inspiration to many. This is a fascinating study of her life and achievements. April, who died in 2001 aged 86, went through many tough and challenging times including being "outed" by the press in the 1960s, undergoing a public divorce and ending up with hardly any money. She still managed to keep a sense of humour and her advice was "chins up....be as brave as you can."

I didnt know anything about the life of this person.

Was interesting to find out about the life and obstacles of what April went through. So glad i got to read this and find out. Was interesting and will recommend people to read this.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This is a fascinating and lively account of the life of a remarkable person. Yes, there are stories about almost every famous person from the 50’s and 60’s ( and later - Michael Hutchence most notably perhaps!) and there is detail of the procedures April and others who underwent sex change surgery. But what I found most fascinating and engaging was how April kept so upbeat and bounced back from every challenge and setback that she faced in her life. How she stuck to her goals in life and how attitudes and support for the transgender community has changed over the years. I was aware of April previously but am so glad that I have now understood more about her from someone who knew her so well. What an amazing character. I would love to have had one glass of champagne with her!

April Ashley’s odyssey is full of difficulties, changes and self realisation. She had a traumatic childhood. In 1960s, when people were oblivion to sex reassignment surgery or they didn’t accept it, she took a brave step and decided to become what she always felt. She was born as a boy but she always knew she is a woman inside. She fought for herself and for securing her identity as a woman. She rectified it but the world didn’t accept her. But she didn’t give up and continued to fight for transgender rights. The trials happened, they turned her life upside down. And later in 2012, she received MBE for services to Transgender Equality. This is a must read

She is known for the efforts she made for securing Transgender people rights,

Many Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

This was an amazing story - the tale of April Ashley and her battle to be recognised as a woman. April’s life had many peaks and troughs but there was no doubt she was much loved and admired. When April was in court battling with Rowallan, she was subjected to horrendous medical examinations, and was diminished by old men who put themselves in the place of the all-knowing.

April Ashley’s lifelong battle for acceptance lead to legal changes which have brought positive outcomes for trans people today.

Thanks to #netgalley and # for this ARC.

This memoir tells the life of April Ashley. She’s a transgender woman who goes through so much to live as a person she wanted to be. Having to live through the struggle, ups and downs, and other things. It's a great read.

Thanks to Ad Lib Publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this memoir and do a review.

In a Shakespearean sense, April Ashley played many roles. Born in pre-war Liverpool, a victim of horrendous physical abuse from her parents and sexual abuse from a family friend. Sailor, cabaret performer, model, nightclub owner, activist and one of the first British people to undergo gender reassignment. She took her name from her birth month and the character in Gone With The Wind.

This is a long overdue biography (her autobiography no longer exists for legal reasons). It’s a compelling, uplifting read. Even in its darkest moments, especially with regard to the legal ruling that she didn’t actually exist, there is a sense of triumph and dignity.

There’s also that granular, gossipy detail that I love in biographies. Here we have being pursued by both Elvis and Macca; plus a one night-stand with Michael Hutchence (without actually knowing who he was, but he was ‘very nice’) and her penchant for sleeping with Welsh men; as ‘they’re very thorough’. Plus, her small role in Profumo (a fact explored more deeply in the author’s previous book on Christine Keeler).

The author was a friend of April and the close personal bond they had runs through this. Yet, I would draw attention to the odd phrase that makes me wince: IE ‘gender hysteria’ ‘pronoun fascist’. Three years after her death, her shadow grows both longer and more fabulous. This is the flowers she never really had in her lifetime. It’s published on 20th August by Ad Lib and I thank them for a preview copy.

This book was absolutely fascinating! I had never heard of April Ashley before, she was quite some woman. Reading this inspired me to research her life and what a life she had.
She was brutally honest and very much lived her life on her terms. She was wonderfully indiscrete and I loved all her life stories. She is someone I would have loved to have shared a few bottles of wine with! I did slightly question her account of her night with Michael Hutchence, in 1982 she would have been 47, he would have been 22. A bit unlikely perhaps? But hey if it did happen then all power to her as he was literally the sexiest man of the 80s!
There is an appalling backlash against trans rights at the moment, more people should read about women like April. She literally did not want to live if she couldn't live as a woman, this was no fad or phase, this was life or death. The surgery she underwent in 1960 was groundbreaking and certainly not something to be gone through on a whim.
This book is full or surprises, from Elvis trying to seduce her at a Paris club in the 1950s, to long time friend John Prescott helping her gain her authentic birth certificate in 2005. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

April Ashley was one of the Britain's best-known and in demand fashion models in the early 1960's,even being photographed in Vogue by David Bailey . Her burgeoning career as a model and actress crashed to the ground when with it's notorious disdain for wrecking lives Britain's gutter press of the time,in this case the Sunday People, "outed" her as a transexual. Born into poverty in Liverpool,and with "being born in the wrong body" only one of many of life's trials that she had to overcome she physically became a woman at the age of 25 in 1960.

This is the fascinating,and eventful,story of someone who lived life to the full and mixed with the great and the good (and not so good) in "swinging 60's London. April was no wallflower and, after the press had revealed all, throughout her life was open and proud of who and what she was.
Names are dropped liberally throughout the book and April's thoughts and feelings are laid bare. There's a lot of misunderstanding and prejudice about Trans people now, so imagine the reaction April,a very well-known public figure, received over 60 years ago.
There's no self-pity here,far from it, despite her many travails April loved life and carried on regardless.
As well as the life story of a fascinating and inspirational person, she received an MBE for services to transexual equality, the book gives a valuable first hand insight for those who "don't get" what being transgender means.

I didn't know much about April Ashley before reading this book so it was great to learn about her history and the journey she went through.