What Becomes You

Reviews / Votes

"Link tells the story with sharp emotion ... [and] often startles with his acute observations. Raz writes in a clearer narrative style and her careful introspection adds to this already nuanced story... [Link and Raz] continue to surprise and challenge us as they pull from their knowledge of biology and feminism, and fairy tales and psychiatry, to wrestle with understanding Link's transsexuality. The memoir welcomes readers into a study of the struggles and complexity of relationships in any family." The Bloomsbury Review "Scientist Link begins his fascinating account of gender reassignment by explaining scientific classification... Raz writes of her child with rare and moving candor... Mother and son's poignant account becomes one of steadfast maternal love in the midst of changes only partly physical. Both knowingly return, always, to the terrain of the heart." "A blend of essay, memoir and intergenerational dialogue, this title is stranger--and smarter--than the average transsexual memoir. Link narrates his transition from female to male over the first 200 pages... Link's mom, Raz, takes over for the next 100 pages, reflecting on her part in her daughter's transformation, her feelings and how they've changed, and her eventual acceptance of the son Link became ... oddly moving, more illuminating and memorable than a straightforward memoir could have been. (Apr.)