Conundrum

This is an intriguing memoir, beautifully written by an author who has written numerous other non-fiction books. Jan Morris, formerly known as James Morris, was the correspondent for the London Times assigned to cover England's historic summit of Everest. The author actually accompanied the expedition to the Himalayas and did on site dispatches of the historic event. It would be as James Morris that she would write the wonderful book, "Coronation Everest", which chronicles the events leading to the historic summit of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the eve of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The author would eventually become a celebrated writer of many travel books, journeying the world over. This very personal book is an autobiographical narrative of the author's own gender dysphoria, as she, a biological male at birth, had always felt that she had been born into the wrong body. Elegantly written, it is not a book for those who are seeking tabloid sensationalism. Rather, it is, at times, somewhat anachronistic in feel, as it was written by someone who lived through a time when actual gender changes were still in the nascent stages. Passing historical references are made to those transsexuals who paved the way for others.The author's account of her early life is fascinating, as much of it was spent in traditional male pursuits of the time. A stint in the army as a member of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, years as a well-known foreign correspondent, as well as husband and father, were all roles in which the author found some satisfaction but never total fulfillment, as her gender dysphoria continually intruded upon her happiness, a dark cloud hovering over all that she did and all that she was. The author's recollection of her lifelong, personal conundrum over gender is graced with self-deprecating wit and humor. It is a first rate autobiographical account of the author's journey across the shivering sands of gender dysphoria. Born in 1927, the author, with the support of Elizabeth, her wife and best friend, crossed the gender frontier at the age of forty five, after having spent thirty-five years as a male and ten additional years in androgynous transition as a hormonal chimera.It was with her surgery in a clinic in Casablanca in 1972 that the author felt that she finally was able to live her life as she was meant to live it. Her account of her surgery, however, is enough to make one take pause at the sheer desperation to reconcile one's inner self with one's outer self. Still, notwithstanding the seemingly primitive approach of the clinic to such a complex surgery, James Morris crossed the gender frontier and surgically metamorphosed into the woman that she had always felt herself to be, surmounting the last hurdle to self-realization. Thus, Jan Morris was born.This is an extremely literate account of a very personal journey by a gender dysphoric individual. It is a beautifully realized book that is sure to b

Conundrum is a classic of the small but powerful field of transgender writing. What places this book at the top of the list are the fame of the author, the stellar prose, the non-sensational style of the telling, the humor, and the many layers and levels of love that carry Morris' passage from man to woman through to completion.A tour de force in every way.

On many levels, this is one of the most revealing books I have ever read. Regarding transsexualism, it reveals that as different we may be as people, much of the journey that we share is not unique. Some may be put off a bit by the command of the English language that Miss Morris exhibits, but I found this to be a profound statement about the poor quality of education that we recieve today. Having attended private schools through High School, and having attended varioius colleges, I still found myself referring to the dictionary on numerous occasions. I do not attribute this to an attempt at showmanship on the part of Miss Morris, but to a decline in the past decades of real education. Regarding the concept of femininity and womanhood described in this book, I would think that modern women of any sort may be offended. I remind the readers to remember the time, culture, and place in which Miss Morris comes of age. She experienced life in a culture which for the most part, no longer exists. Thank you, Miss Morris, for paving the way, and opening my eyes.

I just read this book and had no idea who Jan Morris was until today! This book is not only about transexuality, it is about becoming one with oneself, becoming what one truly is, in body and in spirit. THANK YOU, Miss Morris!

It was after the Guardian review when the book was first published that I bought the book and as a transitioning transsexual I can identify quite closely with what Ms. Morris writes. Her style is very lucid as one would expect from the author of Venice and gives a realistic description of the transsexual condition, though each human experience is unique.