#bookreview The Gender Games by @junodawson

Format: E-book (Kindle)
Published: 1st June 2017
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 368 Pages

The Blurb
Why we are all being messed up by gender, and what we can do about it.

‘It’s a boy!’ or ‘It’s a girl!’ are the first words almost all of us hear when we enter the world. Before our names, before we have likes and dislikes – before we, or anyone else, has any idea who we are. And two years ago, as Juno Dawson went to tell her mother she was (and actually, always had been) a woman, she started to realise just how wrong we’ve been getting it.

Gender isn’t just screwing over trans people, it’s messing with everyone. From little girls who think they can’t be doctors to teenagers who come to expect street harassment. From exclusionist feminists to ‘alt-right’ young men. From men who can’t cry to the women who think they shouldn’t. As her body gets in line with her mind, Juno tells not only her own story but the story of everyone who is shaped by society’s expectations of gender – and what we can do about it.

Featuring insights from well-known gender, feminist and trans activists including Rebecca Root, Laura Bates, Gemma Cairney, Anthony Anaxagorou, Hannah Witton, Alaska Thunderfuck and many more, The Gender Games is a frank, witty and powerful manifesto for a world where what’s in your head is more important than what’s between your legs.

Purchase the book: Amazon UK | Book Depository

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The Review

Well, ain’t this book a big ‘f##k you’ to all those gender stereotypes.

I thought The Gender Games would primarily be about Juno’s transition and although it largely is, it’s also a story that shows you the trials and tribulations of gender as a whole.

Have you ever been treated differently based on your gender? I know I have! The amount of times in my professional life where I’ve not been listened to because I’m a woman is scary. I’d say one thing and it would be “no, no”, yet a male colleague would say the same and their response is usually ‘oh yes, here have some praise’. It loosely happens now in all areas of my life, not just work and it’s bloody annoying. If I’m wrong or don’t know something I admit to this fact, I’m not one to make stuff up so you can imagine it’s frustrating!

Can’t you tell I’m passionate about this subject? Anyway, let’s take it back to Juno. You learn about her life pre-transition and her journey from male to female. It’s an honest and true account of her life with all the funny moments thrown in too. It’s lovely to read. To me, Juno is a strong, beautiful woman who deserves all the happiness.

I’m a firm believer in the whole, who cares who you are, who you love or what you do as long as you’re happy. If (a massive if) I have children all I’d ever want for them is to be happy. I’d support them and love them. People are very quick to judge and put others down and sadly, the amount of comments I’ve seen about transgender is shocking. What gives them the right to be so mean? Nothing! If you’ve got nothing nice to say then don’t say it!

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