Man Alive is a fantastic book. McBee’s prose is casual and down-to-earth yet poetic at the same time, and I really like the recurring use of ghosts as a metaphor. The author has an excellent feel for pacing, recognising that some chapters should be short and quick while others can be allowed to linger and build tension. The subject matter can be pretty heavy and emotional so I couldn’t read it all in one go despite its low page count. Discussions of child sexual abuse are frequent and candid – just a heads-up.

My only major issue with the book is some of the phrasing. I can’t really say that the way McBee describes himself is inherently problematic or incorrect – he’s writing from his own experiences as a trans man and describing his own identity, after all. I must admit, however, that I did wince when he stated he was “born female,” and later in the book there are some implications that pre-T trans men aren’t really men, they’re just “passing” as men. These concepts have used to deride me and undermine my own identity as a trans person, so I found it quite upsetting to see them presented in such a matter-of-fact way here.

Again, I can’t really fault McBee for describing his own identity in a way that doesn’t sit right with me, but I have my own sensitivities, and this aspect of the book really struck a nerve and somewhat soured my experience reading it.

I still think Man Alive is excellent overall, though, which is why I’m giving it four and a half stars. It’s definitely something I’d recommend.