I got an ARC of this book.

After the first few gut punches, I figured the best way to review this book was using the teens' and Lang's words. Quotes taken from the ARC, not the final copy. Grammar and spelling issues are mine, especially the quotes within a quote issues.

"I don't think anybody that isn't trans understand how genuinely painful it is. I could have been doing kid's stuff - like going to parties - but instead I was staying home feeling sick about what my future might be" (p. 28, 13%)

“I don’t think anybody’s losing anything,” he says, his voice rising with a touch of anger as he clutches both hands more firmly to the steering wheel. “You’re gaining somebody who’s happy and you’re gaining somebody who feels safe enough in their identity to share it with you. That is a privilege” (p. 48, 22%)

“I’m just so drained all the time from thinking about these things that other people don’t have to worry about” (p. 56, 26%)

“Since there’s an extraordinarily high suicide rate among trans youth who don’t have access to gender-affirming care, this bill might just succeed. The bottom line is this: I would rather have a live daughter than a dead son” (p. 79, 37%)

“I will have to walk through a field of corpses of my friends,” her child had told her, “Because some politicians decided to impose their transphobia on the rest of us.” Nicki, a nonbinary college student, fears that they personally wouldn’t survive if a medical care ban were to be signed into law. “If you pass this bill, you will be subjecting thousands more to violence, thousands more like me,” they say. “If this bill passes, you will not only have multiple people’s blood on your hands, but mine as well” (p. 79, 37%)

“I know you probably don’t care, but listen to me when I tell you my community is strong. We are powerful. We are resilient” (p. 103, 48%)

“While it feels strange to laugh so hard when so much is at stake, Ruby says the joy I hear is not just the terms of her survival but an act of protest. “Trans happiness is subversion,” she explains. “I think we are just supposed to sit down, be quiet, and disappear. I tried to force myself into a box. I tried to make myself what I think people would want me to be, and we saw how that worked out. It didn’t. So I am who I am because I don’t have a choice.” (p. 112, 52%)

“If they knew the lengths we went to to save our kids, no one would accuse us of abusing our children” (p. 124, 58%)

“In thirty-three states, it’s legal to use a transgender woman’s identity in court as a defense tactic in a homicide case: to clam that she is a swindler and a trickers and that those alleged lies justified lessened punishment for taking her life.” (p. 129, 60%)

“Like any teenager, you don’t think people understand you,” she says, “but it was taken to such an extreme, where the government doesn’t understand you so much that they want you eradicated.” (p. 162, 76%)

“Transgender kids want the same things that all other kids want, and that begins with the ability to make their own decisions and choices, to find their way through trial and error, to feel validated and seen for who they are and what they desire. They want to be loved with the same compassion and care that was so freely given to the children they recently were, but they also want to be respected as the adults they are very rapidly becoming. They want to know that they matter – that their thoughts matter, their voices matter – and that others will listen when they choose to speak.” (203, 95%)

I was a trans teen. I was 15 when I started taking testosterone. I was 16 when I changed my name. I was the first openly trans person in my high school. I was the first for so many things, which is a lot of put on a teenager. I had my face on literal posters, becuase at 15 I had to teach the adults around me how to be decent people. At 15, I was forced to convince doctors that I did not need to wait to 18 for help (there was ONE endocrinologist in my home state that would even make an appointment with a trans person at that point). I am incredibly thankful for Lang for writing this book. People need to see that trans kids and trans teens are not just political talking points, they are in fact real people. The laws being pushed harm real people. These kids might not survive. I barely survived and I wasn't a constant target by lawmakers. I just didn't exist to them. I will finish with one last quote, but it is from Lang's facebook, because it turns out that every trans person knows each other or has a wild number of mutual friends:

"When I was selling books at Pride Frisco, a guy came over, heldup my book, and declared "THis is the most banned book in America!" This is not true, but who am I to argue with a potential buyer? So I looked at him and nodded, "Yes, that is correct." He bought two. Today I learned about sales." (October 6th, 2024)

A powerful book that has a place in libraries all over the country. These stories will make you laugh and cry and build your emotional intelligence beyond measure.

American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era is not the first thing I've read from journalist Nico Lang. In fact, over the years, I have found myself seeking out Nico's work, as they are not only a trustworthy seeker of truth, they also find beauty and meaning in places where others would overlook, showing depth and insightfulness too often lost in contemporary journalism.

Bringing together a series of in-depth stories, not just about the struggles of being a transgender youth in America in a time where trans people are being scapegoated wholesale is not an unexpected move. Building narratives around individuals and their families where transness is one aspect of a whole person--that's bold.
American Teenagers transcends literary and journalistic categories, stepping into a liminal space where the storyteller is as pivotal as the narrative itself. This is not a book but a direct link, a glimpse into the lives of the upcoming generation of transgender youth whose lives are being simultaneously shaped by intense love and tortuous hatred–and their resilience and authenticity shines through both because and in spite of all they endure.

From the youth surrounded by acceptance and love to those whose battles have been hard-won and often public– Nico steps into the realities of these youth reveals what no TV talking head or political spokesperson (for any “side”) ever could: humanity–real, raw and resilient.

Having followed Nico's work for quite some time, American Teenager is both exactly and so much more than I expected. There is no arguing with the veracity of the stories they've compiled here; the juxtaposition of a great many things come together to the beat of an eclectic playlist where the resulting anthem transcends and comes down to one familiar refrain for our community: We are here…..and we aren't going anywhere.

This is such an important book, and I can't wait for more people to read it.

This book is essentially a slice of life as the author follows 8 trans teenagers for a few weeks at a time. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it's written. It's not a clinical reporting of the realities of these teens' lives. Instead, you get a real sense of the author and how they experienced being with these teens. It’s written in a way that is so alive and rich and real, which makes it so compelling and interesting to read.

Another thing that I loved about the book is that the author portrays the teens as they are. These kids were not perfect by any standard. Instead of being polished for show and to teach us something, they were messy. They didn’t say the “right” things, they were sometimes bratty, they were teenagers. I love that the author let them shine through in that way. We need to know that trans people are human, and they can be bratty messy teens and deserve every bit of happiness and safety that everyone does.

I'm so grateful that this book will soon be out in the world! It is so full of gems that I think many people will benefit from.

American Teenager by Nico Lang opens a window into the lives of several transgender teenagers. The teens and their circumstances vary widely.