Some Assembly Required
Page 20
“Welcoming Our Trans Family and Friends: A Support Guide for Parents, Families and Friends of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People” (Available for free download from www.pflag.org: http://community.pflag.org/Document.Doc?id=202. It’s not technically a book, but it’s an awesome resource. If you’re transgender, this pamphlet has everything you need to help explain you to your loved ones.)
The Transgender Guidebook: Keys to a Successful Transition by Anne L. Boedecker, PhD, published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011 (This book is just what it says it is—a guidebook, packed with a lot of information that you can pick and choose from when you are first getting started.)
The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals by Stephanie A. Brill and Rachel Pepper, published by Cleis Press, Inc., 2008 (My therapist, Taylor Burns, recommends this book to all of his transgender clients and their families.)
Helping Your Transgender Teen: A Guide for Parents by Irwin Krieger, published by Genderwise Press, 2011 (Again, this one is for the moms and dads out there and comes highly recommended by Taylor.)
The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace by Vanessa Sheridan, published by ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2009 (As I get older, I may have to deal with gender issues in the workplace, so I thought I would mention this one for the older teenagers and adults who might want some guidance for job-related matters.)
Be Who You Are! by Jennifer Carr, illustrated by Ben Rumback, published by AuthorHouse, 2010 (A great book for younger kids who may be trying to figure out about or cope with being a transgender person.)
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin, published by Atria Books, 2013 (You should never judge a book—or person—by its cover. The novel is about a guy who is intersexual, which is something not talked about very often. I really enjoyed this book.)
Movies
Ma Vie en Rose (1997)
Taylor Burns suggested I watch the movie—and I’m glad he did! It’s in French, and it’s a really great story.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
I’m just gonna say it, this one made me cry. It was probably the first movie I watched about being transgender. It definitely makes you think about your safety.
The Laramie Project (2002)
Supersad! The movie helped me realize how far the LGBT community has come . . . and also how much further we have to go.
Prayers for Bobby (2009)
I first saw this movie when I was questioning my sexual orientation. I really wanted my mom to watch it because of the religious aspects. We were struggling with some of the same issues as the characters in the film.
Websites
YouTube: www.youtube.com
YouTube! YouTube! YouTube! I can’t tell you how many hours I spent scrolling through story after story of those who had transitioned or were transitioning before me. After watching so many videos of folks who had recorded their journeys, I was inspired to do the same for those who needed to see the process and hear that they are not alone. You can find me at Rockclimber712.
Openarms Youth Project: www.openarmsproject.org
The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center/Oklahomans for Equality: www.okeq.org
National Center for Transgender Equality: www.transequality.org
Hudson’s FTM Resource Guide: www.ftmguide.org
Top Surgery FTM Surgery Network: www.topsurgery.net
Glaad Transgender Resources: www.glaad.org/transgender/resources
The Trevor Project: www.thetrevorproject.org
Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network: www.glsen.org
TransYouth Family Allies: www.imatyfa.org
TransActive Gender Center: www.transactiveonline.org
Gender Spectrum: www.genderspectrum.org
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays: www.pflag.org
Nancy Poole Photography
Arin Andrews graduated from high school in 2014. He enjoys hiking, camping, and motocross. Some Assembly Required is his first book. Arin lives in Oklahoma. Visit him on YouTube (Rockclimber712), Instagram (arinandrews), Facebook (Arin Andrews), and Twitter (@arin_andrews).
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An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a memoir. It reflects the author’s present recollections of his experience over a period of years. Some names and identifying details have been changed, and some dialogue has been recreated from memory.
Text copyright © 2014 by Arin Andrews
Jacket photograph copyright © 2014 by John E. Barrett
Jacket design and object sculpture by Laurent Linn
Photographs on page v copyright © 2014; pages 129 and 169 copyright © 2012 by Arin Andrews. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Photographs on pages 1, 143, and 148 copyright © 2012; page 15 copyright © 2002; page 23 copyright © 2003; page 39 copyright © 2006; page 49 copyright © 2007; pages 58, 72, and 91 copyright © 2010; page 105 copyright © 2011; pages 185, 203, and 212 copyright © 2013; pages 222 and 225 copyright © 2014 by Anissa Denise Richter. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Photograph on page 119 copyright © 2011 by Jana Andrews.
All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
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Book design by Laurent Linn
The text for this book is set in Aldine 401.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Andrews, Arin.
Some assembly required : the not-so-secret life of a transgender teen / Arin Andrews.
pages cm
Summary: “Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this winning teen memoir”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-4814-1675-7 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-4814-1677-1 (e-book) 1. Andrews, Arin—Juvenile literature. 2. Transsexual youth—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 3. Transgender youth—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. 4. Transgenderism—United States—Juvenile literature.
I. Title.
HQ77.8.A53A3 2014 306.76’80835—dc23 2014010948