Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen

Seventeen-year-old Arin Andrews shares all the hilarious, painful, and poignant details of undergoing gender reassignment as a high school student in this winning memoir.

We've all felt uncomfortable in our own skin at some point, and we've all been told that "it's just a part of growing up." But for Arin Andrews, it wasn't a phase that would pass. He had been born in the body of a girl and there seemed to be no relief in sight.

In this revolutionary memoir, Arin details the journey that led him to make the life-transforming decision to undergo gender reassignment as a high school junior. In his captivatingly witty, honest voice, Arin reveals the challenges he faced as a girl, the humiliation and anger he felt after getting kicked out of his private school, and all the changes--both mental and physical--he experienced once his transition began. Arin also writes about the thrill of meeting and dating a young transgender woman named Katie Rain Hill--and the heartache that followed after they broke up.

Some Assembly Required is a true coming-of-age story about knocking down obstacles and embracing family, friendship, and first love. But more than that, it is a reminder that self-acceptance does not come ready-made with a manual and spare parts. Rather, some assembly is always required.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 09/30/2014
ISBN: 9781481416757
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.80w x 1.10d
Award: Oklahoma Book Award - Finalist
Award: Tayshas Reading - Highly Commended

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 07/21/2014
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2014
School Library Journal 09/01/2014 pg. 165
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2014 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2015 pg. 297

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 179327 / Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen
Reading Level: 6.3 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 10