To My Trans Sisters

While I am not the target audience for this book, I feel like it was a significant read. Awareness of and being a casual ally toward a community is different than empathy and more authentic alliance. These letters are an excellent way for any self-proclaimed ally to learn how to listen. Learning how to listen is not always easy, and I found some of the letters affecting me in unexpected ways. I didn't expect to have any emotions out loud while reading, but I both laughed and cried. I sincerely hope that anyone who picks up this book gives it a chance - there is something to learn, whether it is practical advice or greater empathy, or learning to be a better listener.

This book is a very eye opening look at the transgender community as we learn of different stories of struggles and growth from coming out and transitioning to their true selves.

Many famous people have donated a letter to the book and so in here you may recognise names featured, especially if you're from America in my opinion. I personally have a friend who came out and started treatment to transition from 2010 and I wish this book had existed back then. For support to that one person out there who may need it, this provides words of encouragement and strength to know you are doing nothing wrong and everything right for you which is all that matters.

Many writers in the book work with various charities listed inside and they could also help or if you are curious about learning about trans issues as am I this book is a necessary read straight from the people dealing with this issue themselves.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I am so glad this is the first book I read this month; actually, I'm just glad I read this book, period. To My Trans Sisters is a collection of letters written by trans activists, entrepreneurs, models etc to their trans sisters, filled with advice and words of encouragement, as well as poems and personal stories.


What makes this book really special is that it's a book written by trans women for trans women; their honesty and authenticity are striking and they never try to appeal to a cisgender audience. Their words of kindness, love, and encouragement are bound to help a lot of people, as well as their practical tips and advice.


I, myself, am cisgender. And the reason why I read this book is because trans people (especially trans women) are often side-lined and neglected; I wanted to hear their voices loud and clear, and I wanted to learn. This book was not written for me, or for people like me (aka cisgender people). But we have so much to learn from it. A hundred letters are included in this collection; and the experiences described in them, the stories told through them really highlight the fact that gender identity (much like sexual orientation) is not a monolith, is not a universally shared experience.


I believe this book to be a very important read, for trans and cis folk alike. Highly recommended.


**An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review**

5* An amazingly forthright, heartwarming and yet painful at times, book full of inspiration, help and support.

This book consists of a series of letters that convey what it is to be a transgender woman. It's a collection of words that will touch anyone, and it's humbling and a labour of love.

I'm a straight woman with a transgender female friend who's just detransitioned after 5 years living as a female, and I so wish that this book had been available a couple of months ago. I'd have bought it for him and perhaps it might have made a difference. A lot of what I read resonated with me in conjunction with what my friend has talked about, and he has now stated that he's realised that gender is unimportant, which also featured in one of the letters.

The cross-section of letters is amazing and it's heartwarming to see the courage and the 'be true to myself' belief that the writers have, irrespective of age, race, nationality and occupation. The message was overwhelmingly that they are women, that that knowledge is soul-deep and that their journeys are lifelong and courageous. I am humbled by the read.

This is an invaluable book for anyone who is transitioning, or even struggling with gender identity and not yet decided whether they are ready to transition. Full of inspirational letters to the reader from a huge range of notable trans individuals, this I’m sure will be a great source of comfort and support to anyone in a similar boat.

Thank you for these words of inspiration by trans women and for trans women. Thank you because they were eyeopening to the cisgender females I shared it with.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a little unsure how I feel about this one? I was really looking forward to falling in love with it; a collection of letters by trans women to their trans sisters, edited by a trans woman, sounded fantastic. What this book does offer is a <i>wide</i> range of experiences, in terms of age, nationality, general life stories, etc.- which I thought was really amazing. It was also interesting to see where these experiences intersected with and deviated from one another. I was surprised to see that India Willoughby was included in this collection- I've heard from some trans women that she's a bit problematic. I was also a little uncomfortable by some of the judgement over fashion choices, makeup, etc. in a couple of the letters. I did also find myself skimming through some of these- there's definitely a lot of repetition of the narrative of the journey itself (super important, but the similarity in the language choices made it hard for me to remain hundred percent engaged with the text some of the time). I think this would be a good read for trans women looking for solidarity, love, inspiration, and advice. I'd honestly be more interested to read reviews of this book <i>by</by> trans women.