The artwork is lovely, although the story tends to be jumpy-- it moves backwards and forwards in time without a clear color scheme or other marker to clarify "that was then, this is now." Some novels and nonfiction works relevant to the topic get one-page summaries and these are more clearly marked but don't feel completely necessary; I didn't go back and count, but they felt unevenly spaced, as well.

The (narrator? main character?) is honest about her journey, warts and all-- including her experiences of misgendering and deadnaming her child. We see her growth in advocating for change with colleagues or in other spheres, while failing to adapt at home, at least at the speed hoped for by her child. While this is very realistic, it felt like something was missing-- what the parent, speaking now, wished she would have done then, or an overlay that helps explain with more nuance the different things she was working through at the time.

Useful for the parents of LGBTQ+ children (of any age): you do your best, which sometimes isn't very good, and other parents also struggle. As long as you're trying to move forward, the story isn't over.

eARC from NetGalley.

This was a beautiful graphic novel that dealt. with some important topics. I liked the illustration style a lot!

This graphic novel would be most appealing to adult parents and family members of someone who is transitioning, especially if it is a subject the person is struggling with.
The graphic novel portrays a mother’s journey in processing and accepting her adult son’s transition.
The inclusion of the biologist mother’s research about gender and science with infographics is a very interesting and different perspective that may be helpful to folks who are learning.
I loved how accepting and understanding Alex’s much younger siblings are throughout the story. In contrast to the mother’s reaction it adds hope and perspective about learned biases.
As a non-binary identifying person myself, I believe readers who identify as trans or non-binary may find the mother’s initial reaction to her son’s transition difficult to read and frustrating. I also think it is a very real perspective for a parent in facing their own biases and this book will be helpful to those who feel similarly.
Content warning: misgendering and dead-naming

4.5/5 ⭐️

Special note of acknowledgement to the translator, Evan McGorray, a trans non-binary person that translated this graphic novel that was first published in French to English. Without them it wouldn't be possible for more people to read this story.

This graphic novel gave me such conflicted feelings as I'm sure it will many within the queer community. I often found myself so very frustrated with the mother for not having immediate acceptance and understanding. For causing her son pain for just existing as he feels is right for him. Yet I also think it shows a very real and honest journey of a mother and both her battle with her internal bias and bigotry and the love for her child. I personally love that this work was done in collaboration with not only the mom but with her son who transitioned, "Alex" in the graphic novel.

I think the illustration style does a great job of being simplistic yet expressive in telling this mother's story. I think this story also does a great job of highlighting queer and more specifically trans history from around the world so as to inform throughout this story. This is a journey for the mother as well as for the reader. I also love how it showed that this concept is not something so confusing and scary for kids to understand. Adults push their own feelings of uncomfortability and assume their children, because younger, must be that much more confused. However in reality without preconceived biases these realities are much easier for children to accept as just another way of existing. It really shows the societal influence of gender and for people to conform to the gender binary versus some "natural" thing we know.

I also loved the ending message this story isn't really over. Deconstruction is never finished and we must continue to improve ourselves and learn. Also pointing to so many resources and additional works for learning more about trans and non-binary people, gender identity, gender expression, etc. you can tell this list was not just an afterthought. It has podcasts to memoirs to graphic novels and makes me eager to read more of these stories.

A mother learns to accept that her child is a transgender boy.
Before opening this book up, you must know that the mother misgendersand deadnames her child throughout the majority of the book. Only at the very end does she start using the right name and pronouns. It is a way of showing the mistakes she makes and her growth. But I know this can be very triggering and difficult to read for trans folks so please be aware of this.
The aim of this book remains parents of trans kids. It focuses on the parental experience. There is no place for the actual trans person here to have a major role in the story.
I would have liked to see the trans person at the centre of this trans book, all while acknowledging that the parental experience is also one we need to know and spread.

This is a very powerful testimony about a woman whose daughter becomes a trans man. We get to journey with Ann and see the impact of the transition on her, her son and the wider family. We also witness the family as they respond to society. It is a very moving memoir with suitable graphics that convey the emotions through pictures and words. There are parts of the story which are info dumping and I think that can disrupt the story telling but it is still a good book.

This was such a beautiful fictionalized graphic memoir!

I loved how this portrayed a mother's journey into understanding her trans son. Maybe it helped that the mother, Anne, is a biologist and was open-minded when it came to changing her views on sex and gender (and sex vs. gender).

I also loved how both Anne (and the immediate family to a greater degree) and her trans son, Alex, were open to understanding each other's experiences. It was definitely understandable that Anne was in a state of confusion and denial in the beginning, making Alex angry towards his mother. That entire situation felt extremely realistic.

And the ending, after both sides made a conscious effort to still keep in touch, it was great to see Anne actually taking suggestions from her son when he emails her resources on the trans community, while also finding resources on her own.

Maybe it's because this topic is personal to me (so I'm biased), but this graphic novel shows one of the better outcomes for when a child comes out as trans.

Thank you to Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley for this arc.

I picked this graphic novel up because i found the blurb interesting! You don't see everyday stories centered on the side of the parent of a trans/lgbt kid (maybe there's many but i haven't come across them personally).

So me, being the queer kid, read this book as a way to be inside the pov of said parent and understand where their unexpected unsupportiveness for their child comes from.

When reading this, i identified many talking points my own mother has regarding my identity and it was great to see how someone got over these by turning their fear of their kid suffering in an hateful society into finding way to make society more kind for the people that don't fit the binary setup constructed by the majority.

The art style is what i call "very french" so there's nothing to write home about tbh. But the content is valuable for anyone who want to connect with other parents of queer kids that are having a hard time accepting one member of their family is part of the community.

Beautifully told story about a mother coming to terms with her transgender sons gender identity and the growing pains she went through to accept him. Gives good insight on gender identity and explains how the LGBTQIA+ has been so impactful in laws overseas.

A powerful depiction of a mother’s journey to understanding and acceptance of her transgender child. Explores the complexity of gender and sexuality; of the relationship between mother and child; and of the decision to transition. The graphic novel format provides an additional layer emotionality and intimacy. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy.

"Norms are impregnated with unconscious stereotypes, they are perceived as givens and unchangeable."

Transitions is one of those books which I will recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to understand more about gender, sex and stigma attached to it and around it. It swiftly teaches you how to overcome that.

I considered myself open minded but no I'm not. Not in real sense anyway. This book made me contemplate my own thoughts and views about many things. It taught me a lot many things. LGBT community in itself is diverse but the complexity of it can be unimaginable. Transitions helped me understand the essence of it, If not whole but in parts atleast.

We can not comprehend the gravity of this being grown in a small town , not being exposed to it. It is not that we are thought homophobia or transphobia, it's in what environment we grew up but that needs to change. We need to change our views towards the whole ideology of gender and sexuality.

Gender and sex are not same. But sadly they are considered same. We have grown up with such strict belief that changing the conception will shake our lifelong roots, hell might uproot the whole structure of hierarchy.

The story is about a family, rather from POV of a mother -Anne who's daughter - Lucie is transgender and wants to be recognised as Alex onwards.

I loved the idea of it even more. I understand how difficult it must be for someone who has grown up with a certain identity but they do not themselves identify same. We have seen and read their struggle in many works and although I appreciate it very much , I appreciated transitions even more coz the struggle of family matters too.

Transitions is a sympathetic, moving and informative story of Anne's struggle to accept her 19 years old's new identity.

With grace and sensitivity, award-winning graphic novelist Élodie Durand captures the unique journey of well-meaning loved ones who struggle to reconcile new gender identities with their old assumptions. What I loved the most is how Deeply researched and drawn from true experience the whole book is. Transitions is a must-read companion for allies and families navigating trans issues and a compassionate roadmap to acceptance.

Thank you Netgalley and top shelf productions for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, IDW Publishing, Top Shelf Productions, and Elodie Durand for the opportunity to read this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Transitions is a non-fiction memoir about a mother named Anne whose only daughter decides "she" is actually "he". Anne struggles with the switch when it comes to memories of her daughter and eighteen years of being female, when all of a sudden, she has a son named Alex. She see different therapists and tries her best with her son, using literature and podcasts to understand transitions, hormone therapy, and how to support her son through the sharing of his identity.

This graphic novel has references to many other works, including those that discuss gender in other cultures. It talks about factual information regarding gender in the animal kingdom. Really, this is a very immersive graphic novel on an educational level for those who want to know more about transitioning, want to understand gender, or just want to read something that may help them with a similar event in their lives. This book is a work of brilliance.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I was not sure what I was going to find in Élodie Durand’s Transitions, but now I think it is a very interesting book for any kind of reader and extremely informative for parents who have transgender children.
I really enjoyed the transparency and honesty of it all. From the mother’s point of view, we see that at first, she is not ready to accept the future transition of her child; she fears for what the future may bring and she also thinks she may even be guilty for what is happening.
But even inside that culpability, she knows she wants to be there for her child, so she starts looking for information. And she shares them with the reader: while advancing in the story, there are diagrams, terms, data, even some documentaries that could be useful. And I think that is simply brilliant, because it adds another layer to an already very complete story.
In the end, as a character in the book says, gender identity refers to the gender that a person’s deep feelings belong to.

"Transition" is a book I wholeheartedly recommend to parents who have transgender children. This graphic work provides a unique perspective by shedding light on the less often explored aspect: instances when parental acceptance is not immediate or unconditional. It underscores the reality that parents' reactions can vary widely, ranging from swift understanding to hesitant acceptance. This book effectively captures the complexity and diversity of parental responses in the context of transgender experiences.

This book was hard to read but important to show that people can change. People CAN learn about gender and begin to respect people for who they are.

thanks netgalley for the arc.
An interesting graphic and very informative, this story is important to read for parents of people who have coming out to them, but also for people who coming out.
It's the first time I've read the pov of the parents, their feelings and their experiences regarding these changes.

the art and color is really nice.

I really loved Transitions. It is a beautifully drawn tale of a mother learning to accept her son's gender transition. It did not sugarcoat the thoughts and feelings of the mother, as well as its impact on her child.

An interesting and very educational graphic memoir concerning a mother coming to terms with their transgendered child's identity. Interesting art style and choices.

Thank you !

This book is really really important. For parents of people who made their coming out to them, but also for the people making their coming out. Coming out is complicated to do, a lot of fear and insecurity. But it's a lot for parents too even if they love their child and want to support them. We don't talk enough of how we change rules by coming out to our parents, but just as we need time to come out our parents needs time to adapt to this news rules. New name, new gender... Of course we're still the same after coming out, but we ask a lot to our parents, give them time to adjust.

I read a lot of graphic novels by trans/non binary authors and I thought it was an interesting (and a risky) idea to tell a parent’s POV for once. As a parent myself I was intrigued. I think it’s easy to say that we would adapt well and easily to our own kid’s transitioning but it must take some time to get used to it as the person who raised this child.

This mother’s journey was moving to follow but my heart broke for Alex since his mom kept deadnamed him for so long. I can understand that it’s harder for a parent as you’re the one who named your kid in the first place but in the end I felt more emotions for Alex than for his mom. I guess it was intentional to have him appear less since it’s focused on the mother’s reaction but I’m glad the book ends with a letter from him. I love the brothers’ reactions and the grand parents, proving that people are full of surprises and not always what you’d expect.

The mother’s inner thoughts were cut by lots of interesting pages about other cultures and about how gender norms changed over time in society, language,…I learned a lot through that!
And I really loved the cursor analogy at the beginning. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen the spectrum explained in this way and it helped me understand some things about myself (at almost 40!) more than other books in the past so that’s a great + for me!

I’d recommend to anyone interested in this subject. In a way Anne’s journey could be used as “what NOT to do when your child come out to you”, especially for parents who never thought they’d react like this. You see her go through a lot of thoughts and doubts and hear a lot of BS from friends and doctors, but like I said all those conversations made me sadder for Alex in the end. But it’s a good way to start a conversation I think. I’m glad in the end they managed to fix their relationship and that Alex was so strong.