Kelly Grice - My Journey from He to She and How to Transition

2017, English, Kelly Grice,

Full title: "My Journey from He to She and How to Transition" by Kelly Grice.

 

Kelly Grice’s debut book, My Journey from He to She and How to Transition, is more than a memoir, it is a courageous, intimate guide through the emotional and practical realities of transitioning within the UK’s NHS system. With warmth, honesty, and grit, Kelly brings her personal story to life, offering both a lived narrative of gender dysphoria and a lifeline to other transgender women navigating their own journeys.

 

Drawing on her own experiences growing up on a Manchester council estate, coincidentally the same one where the Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame lived, Kelly delivers a portrait of trans life rooted in realism, struggle, and hope. In her 2017 interview with The Heroines blog, Kelly discusses the challenges she faced from a young age while dealing with gender dysphoria in a working-class environment where being “different” meant being targeted. Her book expands on this, shedding light on what it was like to grow up feeling alien in one’s own skin, hiding her truth in a world that offered little understanding or support. What makes Kelly’s story resonate so deeply is her ability to speak directly to other trans women, especially those navigating similar social or economic pressures. The title, My Journey from He to She, signals more than just a physical transformation. It encapsulates a layered personal evolution, psychological, emotional, and social.

 

Her writing reflects a voice shaped by both adversity and resilience, a woman who survived the hardest parts of coming into herself and now reaches back to help others do the same. One of the book’s most valuable contributions is its plainspoken walkthrough of transitioning within the UK’s NHS system. Kelly breaks down the steps she took, from GP referrals to gender clinics, from hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to eventual surgery, with an honesty that balances informative guidance with cautionary tales. She doesn’t romanticize the process, instead revealing the bureaucratic delays, psychological toll, and emotional labor required at every stage. Yet, despite these hurdles, Kelly remains a fierce advocate for the accessibility the NHS system offers. In her interview, she reflects on feeling lucky to live in the UK, where her transition, though far from easy, was ultimately possible through public healthcare. Her book serves as a kind of roadmap for those just starting out, offering advice, reassurance, and a sense of community that many trans people desperately need.

 

Beyond memoir and manual, Kelly’s book ventures into theory as well. She presents a brief exploration of what may cause transsexualism, drawing on both scientific ideas and lived experience. This section is not meant to offer definitive answers, but to spark thought, validation, and perhaps a sense of understanding for those still questioning their identity or struggling with internalized stigma. Kelly also includes practical tips and red-flag warnings for those navigating transition, covering everything from hormone effects and social adjustments to wardrobe tips and mental health management. Her goal is clear: to help others avoid the pain points she encountered, and to arm trans girls with both knowledge and confidence.

 

Although My Journey from He to She and How to Transition was Kelly’s first published work, it marked the beginning of a prolific writing career. Now 52 and living in Lincolnshire with her husband, Kelly has gone on to write sixteen books. Two of her major series, Jane Halfpenny, a historical fiction saga, and Devil’s Pike, a supernatural thriller collection, have captivated readers across genres. Each series spans five and six books respectively. More recently, she’s turned to writing standalone novels, applying her storytelling gifts in new and diverse directions. Still, it’s clear that her first book remains closest to her heart. It is not only the story of how she became the woman she was always meant to be, it is an offering of sisterhood, survival, and solidarity.

 

In her Heroines interview, Kelly jokes that she’s not a political activist, despite having strong views about the LGBTQ umbrella and trans representation. But it’s impossible to read her memoir without seeing its quiet, powerful activism. By telling the truth of her life without apology or embellishment, Kelly gives visibility to trans lives outside of urban, affluent, or media-glamorized contexts. Her story is real. Her path was hard. And her message, to push through, to stay hopeful, and to believe in life after transition, is one that continues to light the way for others. For anyone curious about transitioning in the UK, anyone navigating their own identity, or anyone simply interested in the human capacity for change, My Journey from He to She and How to Transition is essential reading.

Available via Amazon

and The Heroines of My Life

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