Thanks to Booksparks for the free advance copy of this book.

Jeremy was assigned female at birth. His parents thought he was a tomboy because he showed no interest in "girly" childhood things. But as he grew older and withdrew from social relationships where he was expected to act like a girl, they began to suspect something larger was at play.

ONCE A GIRL, ALWAYS A BOY is a "family memoir" - the book not only features transcripts of Jeremy's video diaries but first person writing from his parents and siblings, recalling their thoughts and experiences as Jeremy came to realize he was transgender and sought transition.

I'll be completely honest. At first, I was a bit annoyed at this book for centering the feelings of all the straight cis people in Jeremy's life. I usually take the stance of "too bad if it makes you feel uncomfortable, that's not really my problem" when it comes to straight people understanding and accepting queer lives. But as I worked through the book, I realized most of why I felt that way is because this book isn't for me. It's for all the parents of trans kids who are having a hard time understanding their kids; parents who aren't well versed in gender theory and don't know where to start. And I do think that is important. It's important for family of trans folks to have a guide who isn't their kid so the burden of teaching isn't on the marginalized person.

I do want to flag this, though. If you are a trans person, particularly one who has struggled with body dysphoria and social/family acceptance, take special care with this book. While Jeremy's family did come around, they had a hard time grasping the situation at first and cycled through a lot of transphobic thoughts and feelings, even when outwardly supporting their child. This is not to say the book itself takes a transphobic stance, just that in the process of debunking these ideas, they are stated pretty plainly in the writings of his parents.