BALLS

WONDERFUL book!!!!!!
It's impossible not to fall in love with Chris Edwards.  This is one of the best and most inspiring memoirs about the entire process in changing your gender that I've ever read!!!  It's an awesome story by an awesome guy!!!! 

Chris changed his gender from female to male. He grew up in Boston, graduated from Colgate University with degrees in psychology and sociology.  He began his award-winning advertising career as a copywriter at Arnold Worldwide. 

"The key to understanding gender dysphoria is realizing that sexual orientation and gender identity are two different and completely separate things. One isn't dependent on the other. This is where most of the confusion happens-- for everybody".  

"Brian's gender identity was completely separate from his sexual orientation.  Like me, his gender identity was male, but while I was "straight" ( attracted to women), he was 
"gay" (attracted to men). He still looked in the mirror and hated what he saw just like I did. The fact that he was attracted to men had nothing to do with that". 
   "Bottom line is, your gender identity has no bearing on whether you are  gay or straight.  Think of it this way: Sexual orientation is who you go to bed 'with'; gender identity is who you go to bed as".   
      The above distinction is what really made things "click" for Chris when he ( who had not yet transitioned), was struggling - with the support of therapy to understand the truth. He 'knew' he was a boy inside as young as 5 years old.  

But.... all this "UNDERSTANDING"....didn't make anything BETTER.  
He was still depressed - crippled - fearful of his future- with ongoing thoughts of suicide.   

When you read Chris's story - we begin to see the magnitude of how being born in the wrong body - has got to be one of the hardest - most painful - frightening- lonely - experiences for any human being. 

Chris was blessed with a supportive family.  It still wasn't a piece of cake coming out to his family -- and his parents accepting all the surgeries-- and fears etc. but his family would stand behind him.   He comes from a large Armenian family.... great parents -- two supportive sisters - lots of aunts and cousins -- which is critical to a successful transition.   Unfortunately many trans kids don't have the support which is why more than 50% of them attempt suicide before their twentieth birthday.  

When MY friend Steven transitioned - to DEBBIE .... SHE lost most of her friends.  The marriage ended - Their child was kept in secret for years - Debbie moved - changed jobs - ( from lawyer to nurse)-- Paul and I have been friends with Debbie for at least 25 years. It took about 10 years of watching Steven complete his transition to Debbie.   We are the only friends left from 'before' transition.    

What is so inspiring about Chris, is he is opening  up new doors of possibilities.  
His book "BALLS",  is a positive SUCCESSFUL TRANS STORY.  

Chris had great support from his therapist -sisters - father - mother - special aunt - doctors - close friends -- he WAS able to transition in 'front' of everyone ---rather than leave town.   
One of the most important guiding principles Chris got before and after his transition was: "I had the ability to control the way people responded to me--that the way I acted could actually shape the way others reacted. If I came off ashamed or secretive, people would gossip and rumors would spread. But if I handled myself openly with dignity and grace, people would treat me kind". 

Chris is a gem. He 'is' kind.... lovable, approachable, people feel comfortable being around him.  People adore Chris- 
When it came time for Chris to tell people the truth about himself to friends outside his immediate family- he had 87 names -( he has a lot of friends).  If he took each one of these people to dinner to break the news - it would also break his bank account!  -- but he was good at strategizing.... and figured things out. 

This is not only an important book for the  transgender community---but for the 
rest of us who 'were' born in our correct gender body. 

Chris covers the details thoroughly.  When the Doc asked Chris if he wanted hairy balls --- his mom jumped right in ... "no, you definitely don't want hairy balls". 
 Chris tells all ..... 
About.....
removing hair -flying out to Palo Alto to meet a doctor-- flying to Nashville to meet another doctor -the procedures --( 22 surgeries in 5 years) --other family illness -  mom making homemade paklava for the 'Doc' - hospital stays-- hospital bills--pain -nausea-scars - leaking boo-boo's - other set backs--and the BIG SURGERY ...building a penis -'wow' ( gives me a whole new kind of respect for modern medicine), --plus dating, desires, disappointments, joys, telling the truth, turning 40, sex, and love.

I wanted to stand up and cheer for Chris when I was done reading this story!   I love this guy and his cool sisters and parents - family and close friends!!! 

Chris has created something very special by writing this book.
It's exceptional & transformational. Great laughs to boot! 

......As his friend Marilyn told Chris before he transition ... "If you're gonna get a penis, make it a big one". 

Thank You Greenleaf Book Press, Netgalley, and *Chris Edwards*!!!!

With a title like this, how could I possibly have passed on reading this. No way. I was not sure if I would like it but I am open minded and curious so I started reading. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Chris Edwards is an excellent story teller. Reading this memoir is like sitting on a comfy sofa with a drink and a snack talking to him. He does not hold back nor does he spin things as easy. I really liked how numerous times he admitted that he was lucky to come from well off parents who were willing to help pay for all of his surgeries. He says he is a lucky one who was able to go for the deluxe model that most people can’t afford. There was no arrogance involved with these statements. In fact, I found Mr. Edwards to be very humble.

I can not begin to imagine what it feels like to be in the wrong body. After finishing Balls I am proud to say that I understand a lot more than I did going in. I love this quote: “The fact is gender identity is not defined by what’s inside your pants; it’s defined by what’s inside your brain.” I laughed out loud in so many places and I will admit to cringing while reading about how a new penis is built. Transgender people are brave souls to be sure. I loved how Mr. Edwards faced everything with humility, grace and most importantly humor.

I have to say a big thank you to Chris Edwards for writing this book, bringing these issues out into the open where conversations can be started. Thank you for the laughs, the cringes and the education that I received from reading this book!

Highly Recommended

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me this book.

Growing up, Kris knew she was a boy ... until at age 6 she saw a friend peeing over a rail and realized she was missing some essential equipment. Still Kris believed that penis would eventually grow in ... until the day she hit puberty and realized that she was trapped in her female body. Kris changed from a laid-back kid to a depressed angry youth who eventually planned to go to college ... and party a lot ... and kill herself after graduation.

Kris finally shared her feelings with her family and they were 100% behind her decision to get gender reassignment surgery - a long process starting in 1992 with therapy, getting the diagnosis of gender dysphoria, coming out to family, friends and coworkers, changing her name to Chris Edwards, beginning testosterone injections, getting a mastectomy and hysterectomy, and finally the "bottom surgery" which took 28 surgeries to get everything fully functional.

Edwards does a wonderful job of telling his story with grace and humor. His therapist helped him realize "I had the ability to control the way people responded to me - that the way I acted could actually shape the way others reacted." Chris was open and genuine and encouraged questions from those around him every step of the way. I like how Chris explains it all: "Bottom line is, your gender identity has no bearing on whether you are gay or straight. Think of it this way: Sexual orientation is who you go to bed with; gender identity is who you go to bed as."

BALLS: It Takes Some to Get Some is a an amazing book, beautifully told with a great narrative flow. I highly recommend it!

A witty, hopeful and optimistic view on the struggle of a man to be who he was always meant to be. An important story with an important message that should be widely spread. 
Highly recommended.

Edwards reveals a poignant tale of becoming

BY LEX VOYTEK
Christopher Edwards certainly proves that he has a big pair with his memoir “Balls,” the story of his transition from female to male.
This memoir was both stunning and inspiring, filled with heroic honesty and laugh-out-loud anecdotes.
Edwards explains how he came out as a man, and began transitioning in the ‘90s – a time when the public was not just divided on transgender rights, but was wilfully ignorant of how transgender people were portrayed in the media.
Edwards gives insights from early in his life: Being humiliated when he was forced to wear dresses to church, and feeling like any prayer of being who he really was (a man) was shattered when he went through puberty and had his first period.
He talks about being suicidal, but how he couldn’t commit – a common thing within the transgender community, which he explains academically.
After seeing a few abusive doctors and therapists, he finally discovered one who accurately assessed his situation. His therapist realized that he had gender dysphoria and helped him, without judgement, to slowly come out to his friends, family and work colleagues. Edwards went into encouraging detail about the overwhelming support he had, and how he dealt with the initial shock his family expressed.
Edwards wrote a balanced account, giving credit to those people around him, while relating believable scenes of his family trying to talk him out of his stance – assuring him he was really a lesbian or a tomboy. Edwards explains how, eventually, his family had to give up their daughter – but with proper support, they embraced him as a son.
Impressively, Edwards recounts each stage of his transition with good humour and light-hearted readability – from using the men’s room in his office for the first time, which had me choke on my drink laughing, to his surprisingly readable details about the surgeries themselves.
I can be squeamish when it comes to gore, particularly medical gore, and Edwards wrote about the gruelling process of surgeries that took years to complete with palatable style. He talks about the multiple failures with his experimental new ‘equipment,’ and the story of how his second penis had to be put on life support – literally.
Edwards succeeds in helping to rewrite the mythology surrounding the transgender community. I was in tears by the end of this book, cheering for Edwards and his goal to use his story as a bridge for the community.