D2 from Start the Wave - Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story

Big Queer Book Club Podcast

This week is part one of another super sized episode! Kendra and Amanda brought back D2 from Start the Wave to read and discuss the novel Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia. This book is on the Start the Wave resource list so we talk more about that resource list, the purpose and the content you'll find there, as well as the first book we read but didn't record an episode about.

Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia
As a young child in North Carolina, Jacob Tobia wasn't the wrong gender, they just had too much of the stuff. Barbies? Yes. Playing with bugs? Absolutely. Getting muddy? Please. Princess dresses? You betcha. Jacob wanted it all, but because they were "a boy," they were told they could only have the masculine half. Acting feminine labelled them "a sissy" and brought social isolation.
It took Jacob years to discover that being "a sissy" isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a source of pride. Following Jacob through bullying and beauty contests, from Duke University to the United Nations to the podiums of the Methodist church--not to mention the parlors of the White House--this unforgettable memoir contains multitudes. A deeply personal story of trauma and healing, a powerful reflection on gender and self-acceptance, and a hilarious guidebook for wearing tacky clip-on earrings in today's world, Sissy guarantees you'll never think about gender--both other people's and your own--the same way again.
Part 2 of this amazing discussion will be released in two weeks.