I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW: sexual assault, fetishisation of trans and nonbinary people
As a nonbinary person, it’s hard to find books that represent my identity or my experiences, especially in a world that is still not very understanding of said identity. For that reason, I was so excited to read In Their Shoes by Jamie Windust, a memoir of Jamie’s early life up until now as they negotiate life as a nonbinary person, talking about relationships to family to work life and, more generally, how we’re perceived by those around us.
In Their Shoes is a fantastic memoir. The tone is relatable and reads like a friend telling you about their life, inviting you to share in their experiences. In that way, I loved this book. There were moments I laughed out loud, and moments I wanted to reach through the pages and give Jamie a hug. The only thing that didn’t really work for me were the list of tips in this chapter, as they didn’t quite fit with the tone of a memoir to me. Windust expresses several times within the book that their experiences are not universal to nonbinary people, and as a result these tips end up sounding quite generic. That being said, they are tips that I would probably have been very reassured to here in my earlier years. I do not doubt that for readers of this book who are earlier on in their journey to accept their own identity than I am, these tips will be a reassurance and affirmation.
It’s so nice to finally hear the stories of nonbinary people told through great memoirs like In Their Shoes. I hope it’s the first of many opportunities for nonbinary people’s voices to be heard, and more importantly, listened to.
Living My Dreams Through Fiction 