Jazz Jennings - Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen

2016, English, Jazz Jennings,

Full title: "Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen" by Jazz Jennings.

Jazz Jennings has been in the public eye for a long time, drawing media attention when her family allowed her to transition at a very young age. In this memoir, Jennings (now 15) shares stories and experiences from her life as an openly trans girl. Battles to get her on the girls' soccer team, to allow her access to the girls' restroom at school, and to educate the public at large dominate Jennings's story.

The memoir shares a varied and anecdotal account of her life, offering a behind-the-scenes look at being an LGBT celebrity, navigating preteen romance, and treating depression. The narrative flow is choppy, but the voice and tone are genuine and provide an incredibly normalizing view of a trans teen's life. Jennings speaks frankly about things like anatomy and boyfriends, but mentions of her depression and struggles with peers are subtle.

It was amazing to read a comment from an anonymous reviewer on Amazon: "I bought this for my daughter and this is her review... Omg this book changed my life because I now know some of what Jazz has been through and how she never gave up and she should be proud of her and her parents and siblings because they helped her through some tough times! And I'm sure she is."

I also liked the comment from Eldweena: "My favorite part of the book is when Jazz recounts her friends gossiping about other kids at school, and she refused to take part. I'm in my mid-thirties and have really only just now started shutting my coworkers down when they bad-mouth each other and our employers. Unfortunately, it seems like high school never ends, but Jazz has her head on straight and proves in this book that she is a great role model... and not just for children! I'm taking her message to heart. She's going to be a great success in life if she just sticks to her values."

According to Wikipedia, Jazz Jennings was born in 2000, and she is an American YouTube personality, spokesmodel, television personality, and transgender rights activist, being one of the youngest publicly documented people to be identified as transgender. She caught national attention in 2007 when she was interviewed by Barbara Walters, which led to other high-profile interviews and appearances.

Her parents stated that Jennings was clear about her being female as soon as she could speak. Being known for her transgender advocacy, she is a co-founder of the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which she and her parents founded in 2007 to assist transgender youth.

In addition, in 2013, she founded Purple Rainbow Tails, a company selling rubber mermaid outfits to raise money for transgender children. She is a host of a YouTube series about her life, titled "I Am Jazz", and is a star of the TLC reality TV series, I Am Jazz, which focuses on her life with her family.

Available via Amazon

Photo via Facebook