I kept having to remind myself that FOR TODAY I AM A BOY isn't a memoir.

It felt so real. The details. The pain. The loss. The sheer amount of time it took the MC to pull themselves out of the patriarchal, heteronormative gunk they grew up in. Their brief anger at the younger generation for knowing much, much sooner. The father's gross cruelty, especially, felt like a nightmare version of reality, but a reality nonetheless. Kim Fu had this family down pat: everybody was so recognizable, like I could spot them out of a crowd. I wanted to hug and cheer them on so bad.

The tragedy of the MC's predicament got to me sometimes, where I had to put the book down and cry a bit. Their longing to be a woman was heart-wrenching, especially when they focused on some of worst aspects of being a woman: the constant evaluation and objectification, aka the male gaze. If the MC thought beauty and being sexually wanted was the best a part of being a woman, there's so much joy for them to learn. Woman don't need men's approval to be themselves. They can be so much more.

A very beautiful, almost elegiac book. If you're looking for a read during a rainy autumn, FOR TODAY I AM A BOY is it.