Hailed as "the greatest cabaret artist of [V's] generation" in the New Yorker, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond makes a brilliant literary debut with this candid and hilarious coming-of-age tale. Bond recalls in vivid detail how it looked and felt to first discover Mom's lipstick (Iced Watermelon by Revlon), and how dreary it could be for a trans/queer kid to join the Cub Scouts. Always haunted by the knowledge of being "different," Bond began to create intimate friendships with girls, and to feel increasingly at risk with boys. But when the bully next door wanted to meet secretly, Bond couldn't resist. Their trysts went on for years, making Bond acutely aware of how sexual power and vulnerability can be experienced at the same time. With inimitable style, Bond raises issues about LBGTQ adolescence, parenting trans/queer children, and bullying, while being utterly entertaining.
"[A] witty and touching memoir. . . [A] frank discussion of the ways in which [V] felt compelled to suppress [V's] emotions, [V's] sexuality, and [V's] true identity growing up. [V] suffered a great deal, and yet [V's] tone is never self-pitying."
New Yorker
"A story that is personal, yet undeniably universal at the same time."
Lambda Literary
"Bond's fabulosity is matched by a trenchant wit, and [V's] over-the-top stories are smartly edged with politics, sexual or otherwise."
