Review Detail

A nonfiction graphic novel. TRANS HISTORY is geared towards teens and young adults who wish to learn more about being transgender in the past and today. This graphic novel has been highly researched and presents topics and individuals ranging from a Roman emperor to a conquistador to profiles from people now. This book does discuss some harmful beliefs and behaviors that have occurred throughout history so I do recommend approaching this book with caution and setting it down if it begins to impact you in a negative way.

What I Loved:
There were so many people and topics discussed in this book that I had never even heard of before. Even topics that I had heard of were given more details than I had previously known about. It was clear through the art, text, and the references that the authors but their all into researching this book and trying to make it as accurate as possible. The details they included ranged from happy to sad to angering, but they didn’t rose-color the information. They provided a frank look at being transgender throughout history and whether certain historical figures may have been trans or if they were just products of their time.

The art in this book is wonderful. The people are drawn with care and, when reference pictures were not available, they are kept partially vague because the authors had nothing to base their image on. The artists’ clean cut lines and attention to detail were stunning and made the art just as engaging as the text.

While topics in this book can be heavy at times, I don’t believe the authors wanted the book to be just negative or saddening. There are illustrations that combine the time periods they are in, like Ancient Rome, and current day memes. This taste of humor allows readers time to relax. The book may discuss serious topics, but it’s not an entirely stone-cold serious book. Readers are free to enjoy themselves while reading, I know I did.

The last chapter of the book includes snippets of dialogue from people that the authors interviewed. These are individuals, most still living, discussing what it means for them to be trans or nonbinary or something else entirely. And what it means for them to be standing up for what they believe is right. These people are activists and professors, colleagues and artists. In a book primarily focused on the past, I appreciate the space given so that people today are also able to speak out.

The authors try their hardest to be respectful and honest in this book. I think many nonfiction readers will appreciate that fact. They hesitate towards using modern words for historical people since they cannot accurately say how those people identified. They also don’t hide the negative sides of history. The trans people who committed heinous acts and the doctors who relied too much on outdated principles. They showed the good and bad of trans history.

What Left Me Wanting More:
I did have a minor issue where at times the text was difficult to read. This could either be because the background was just a tad too dark or because the font was something I wasn’t used to reading. This was usually pretty easy to get over, but it may make it difficult for other readers as well.

Final Verdict:
At times heartbreaking, at other times empowering, TRANS HISTORY covered a variety of topics ranging from medical care to archivism to community support. This was an all-encompassing read that had me tethered to the book. The authors’ attention to detail in both their research and their art was captivating. There was an entire history that I had never been aware of and I left the book with a list of books and people to check out and learn more about.

Highly researched and full of clean art, TRANS HISTORY, is an engaging read that covers a wide range of historical times and how transgender people and history existed during those times.