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Becoming Nicole

The Transformation of an American Family

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Becoming Nicole

By: Amy Ellis Nutt
Narrated by: Amy Ellis Nutt
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About this listen

 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The inspiring true story of transgender actor and activist Nicole Maines, whose identical twin brother, Jonas, and ordinary American family join her on an extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all.

Nicole appears as TV’s first transgender superhero on CW’s Supergirl

When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But by the time Jonas and Wyatt were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt’s insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. In the years that followed, the Maineses came to question their long-held views on gender and identity, to accept Wyatt’s transition to Nicole, and to undergo a wrenching transformation of their own, the effects of which would reverberate through their entire community. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Amy Ellis Nutt spent almost four years reporting this story and tells it with unflinching honesty, intimacy, and empathy. In her hands, Becoming Nicole is more than an account of a courageous girl and her extraordinary family. It’s a powerful portrait of a slowly but surely changing nation, and one that will inspire all of us to see the world with a little more humanity and understanding.

Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by People • One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review and Men’s Journal • A Stonewall Honor Book in Nonfiction • Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction

“Fascinating and enlightening.”—Cheryl Strayed

“If you aren’t moved by Becoming Nicole, I’d suggest there’s a lump of dark matter where your heart should be.”—The New York Times

“Exceptional . . . ‘Stories move the walls that need to be moved,’ Nicole told her father last year. In telling Nicole’s story and those of her brother and parents luminously, and with great compassion and intelligence, that is exactly what Amy Ellis Nutt has done here.”—The Washington Post

“A profoundly moving true story about one remarkable family’s evolution.”—People

“Becoming Nicole is a miracle. It’s the story of a family struggling with—and embracing—a transgender child. But more than that, it’s about accepting one another, and ourselves, in all our messy, contradictory glory.”—Jennifer Finney Boylan, former co-chair of GLAAD and author of She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders Biographies & Memoirs Gender Studies LGBTQ+ Studies Parenting & Families Relationships Social Sciences Maine Superhero Fantasy
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Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would like to see a more direct introduction to how the story would progress. I was quite lost in regards to what was going on for the first few chapters.

What did you like best about this story?

I felt it covered an incredible amount of information succinctly, all while developing a deep relationship and attachment to the characters.

Did Becoming Nicole inspire you to do anything?

I was deeply moved by the story presented and have incorporated additional audiobooks and reading material to learn more about gender diversity.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I had a little trouble getting into this audiobook, however, I did find that after a short period I had developed an interest not only in the character development but the additional tidbits of information throughout. As mentioned I finished this book and found it to be deeply moving and inspiring. I would recommend it to others.

Informative and Moving.

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This was an interesting book about a topic that fascinates me, It was told in quite a journalistic style, which is not surprising since Amy Ellis Nut is a journalist. It told a story, and gave some interesting facts, and told us what people were feeling. This book doesn't really deeply explore those feeling though, it focusses on actions. While i enjoyed it, and am glad i listened to it, I thought This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel covered similar ground in a more engaging manner. That said, I think Nutt does what she set out to do, and did it in a competent way.

Interesting story

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This is a typical biography of a transsexual person by a cissexual person. It's made to be all about Nicole's cis family. Nicole is misgendered hundreds of times.

Typical.

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So interesting, loved this transgender story, an amazing family willing to take on the authorities to help their kids & others like them!

Awesome book, couldn't wait to find time to listen

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