This is a beautifully curated collection of interviews with children and young people who identify as trans or non binary. There are also interviews with their parents/guardians.

It was really interesting to hear from children how they came to identify as trans or enby. It's definitely a group of voices that aren't heard from much.

The parents/guardians were so open and honest about the joy and the pain they felt watching their children's journeys.

As someone who doesn't have many people identifying as trans or enby around me and as someone who works with children and young people this felt essential reading for me.

*I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in return for an honest review*

4.5 stars

This is a fantastic collection of interviews completed by trans, gender fluid, and nonbinary children and teens, adults, and - at times - their parents.

In the introduction, Roche discusses personal experiences with identity, feelings of acceptance and being oneself, and both internal and external struggles. The vast majority of the work centers on two groups of interviewees, and Roche is the one to conduct all of the Q&A. Each respondent offers personal insight into their experiences at school, at home, and in the world at large. What's striking is how uncomplicated the respondents' answers are; they're just living their lives. When readers get expressions of angst or more in-depth conversations about pain, acceptance, and ongoing struggle, it always comes from the parents or the adult mentors. I love how clearly delineated these responses are since the overwhelming messaging is that regardless of the external obstacles they face, a person who lives as themselves is going to be happier and more functional in every way than a person who lives by others' expectations of who they are supposed to be. This sounds obvious, but I think the repetition of this pattern and message is one of the strengths of this collection as a whole.

The one space where I would have liked to see more is in the final notes. There are resources listed - which is essential - but some final impressions and reiterations there from Roche to round out the conversation would be ideal.

Overall, this is a compelling collection of insights from generally young gender explorers (as Roche terms the subjects). I'll absolutely be recommending this widely to students and everyone I know: especially, in my case, other folks working in academic spaces where we can impact individuals' feelings of safety and acceptance in more obvious ways.