Wow. What to say about this incredibly eye opening memoir of trans athlete and Olympic hopeful Cece Telfer. I am an ally, but still found myself facing my own biases as I read Cece Telfer’s story. Put your personal opinion of trans athletics aside, and read this book.

Cece has known her whole life what her true gender is, but her culture, fear of the loss of her mother’s love, fear for her safety, and rejection kept her living a double life. Her story is full of prejudice, fear, perseverance, heartbreak, discrimination, and an amazing support system she built despite the odds.

Cece does a wonderful job articulating her mental health struggles amidst her experiences, sometimes more clear through her telling of events than discussion of her mental health specifically. Although a few moments feel a bit repetitive, for a story about running and the trans experience, it is gripping and insightful,

A heartfelt and emotionally tugging account of CeCé's coming of age and continuous overcoming of adversity. She does not spare the reader her feelings and puts you in the uncomfortable, but necessary, perspective of her struggles. She provides a humorous, witty, and frank account that many people would struggle to speak of, let alone put in print. This is an excellent work that is worth not only a read, but a discussion in open spaces as well.

If you follow lgbtqia rights at all, you've heard about the battle facing trans athletes about participating in sports. This story follows the life of CeCé Telfer, the first trans athlete to compete as a trans person and become the first trans Olympic runner. We follow their struggles, triumphs, and life. Make It Count is a must read for anyone who's invested in the trans movement and wants to understand more about the struggles and triumphs of trans athletes. I loved this book, its unflinching and poignant writing, and will definitely be recommending this book to everyone I know.

Content Warnings: Transphobia, Homophobia, Homelessness, Gender Dysphoria

Telfer’s memoir is vivid, poignant, and compelling as it moves through each stage of her life and the challenges she has faced, and continues to face, as a Black, trans woman athlete. From her childhood in Jamaica and Canada to her time in college and beyond, she skillfully describes how she navigated from living a double life to building an authentic self and supportive network. She never shies away from describing her difficulties, but also throughout maintains a positive, forward looking mindset.

Most of all, Telfer recognizes the transformative potential that a sports narrative can provide. She purposefully uses her work to not only share her lived experiences but also to call out the blatant discrimination trans athletes face. Her section describing her attempts to compete internationally revealing how the testosterone testing guidelines are vague, if accessible at all, the difficulty in finding good medical and athletic care, and the long term effects of managing her testosterone levels were eye-opening to me, but powerful in how they clearly laid out the varied barriers to reaching her goals.

I read through this book in one setting because of how invested I was in Telfer’s experiences. I think many will find inspiration and representation in this narrative that are needed, particularly in light of the contemporary spike of anti-trans sentiments. Telfer embodies the ideals of being the change one wants to see in the world. I highly recommend this book and am glad I read it.