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Dotson

My Journey Growing Up Transgender

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A memoir about what it's like when they think you're their daughter, but you know you're their son.

For as long as he could remember, Grayson has known he is a boy, not a girl. While his identical twin sister wore princess dresses and danced ballet in a tutu, Grayson preferred his Spider-Man costume or sweats. He was uncomfortable in anything considered "girly." People called him a tomboy, but he knew that wasn't right either. He explained to his mother, "I know I'm supposed to be your daughter, but I feel more like your son. I guess I'm your... Dot-son."

Grayson is now twelve years old. This is his story about what it's like growing up transgender—from small moments, like getting a new haircut or playing football, to the big life events, like choosing a bathroom, coming out to his friends, and picking a new name. Filled with humor and joy, Dotson is a thought-provoking and honest story of one boy's journey to becoming his best and truest self and sharing that with the world.

The book also includes helpful resources for transgender kids and families.

  • Creators

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 10, 2023
      Transgender 12-year-old White details his challenges navigating his transition in this affirming autobiographical debut. Beginning with the doctor’s appointment where he would receive his first hormone blockers, White recounts his story through a series of vignettes that chronicle his life, detailing how he knew he was a boy in toddlerhood and spanning to the present day. While recollecting a conversation he had with his mother when he was two years old, he recalls asking her if she could “ask God to make me a boy please?” (To which his mother responds, “Girls are amazing!”) Subsequent events outline his joy at his parents gifting him a shirt from the boys’ section, his emotional tumult at being forced to perform in a tutu for a dance recital, and his euphoria after receiving his first gender-affirming haircut. Concise and youthful prose accompanied by full-page illustrations by Sisson (Persuading Miss Doover), rendered in soft washes of color, portray each triumph, making for a compassionate exploration of one trans child’s experience and the invaluable impact that support has had on his life. White and his family are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 8–12.

    • Booklist

      March 24, 2023
      Grades 3-6 In this memoir of his experience growing up trans, White offers a very matter-of-fact account. From a young age, White knew he was "not a daughter" and maybe more of a son--so he coined the term dotson, a portmanteau of daughter and son, to name his identity. Through accessible chapters and with gentle illustrations of his transition, White's story helps make the lived experience of trans children approachable. White's experiences are mostly positive, and his narrative from his tween perspective looking back on his experiences at six and seven might help other children better understand trans issues through a lens they can relate to. While the narrative can occasionally feel a bit stilted, overall the story's easy-to-read, relatable text and the book's style will give readers the sense that they're getting a peek in the author's diary. Hand this fans of Alex Gino, Kyle Lukoff's Call Me Max (2019), and Schuyler Bailar's Obie Is Man Enough (2021), and any questioning or transitioning readers who want some gentle encouragement or solidarity.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:780
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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