Wrapped in Blue: A Journey of Discovery

I've read and enjoyed quite a number of TS and transition-related books, and this is my favorite. While Donna Rose is not the polished, professional, and humorous writer that Jenny Boylan is, her story somehow comes across as more down-to-earth and heartfelt than Boylan's She's Not There in many respects. She's Not There is to a large extent All About Jenny, whereas Wrapped in Blue, while certainly about Donna's life and transition, is also about All of Us, and offers many insights of a broad nature on transgenderism and transition, which have helped me understand myself better. Highly recommended for all transgendered folk and those interested in them.

Donna's story is both typical and atypical at the same time of the Transsexual experience. Her experiences serve to provide real life examples of "how to" and "how not to" regarding gender transition. As another traveler on the transitioning journey, Donna's honest revelations of her experiences and feelings were refreshing, joyful and yet often so painful to read. I was captivated from the beginning and couldn't put the book down. There were times when I caught myself saying things out loud, trying to warn her that what she was about to do was obviously the wrong thing, wanting desperately to remove the pains and struggles that I so related to.I highly recommed this book to any male-to-female transsexual, as well as to their friends and family members. Although Donna doesn't capture every single aspect that any transsexual might experience, she touches on so many that anyone can benefit from reading her life story.Thank you Donna for being so brave and courageous to survive long enough to be living your life fully and for sharing that journey with us all.

For those of us out there wandering and wondering their way through life, dealing with or refusing to face the innermost issues of the self, Wrapped in Blue can be a wonderful and useful tool in our journey of self discovery and hopefully, of self acceptance. I truly thank whatever powers lead me to find such a work at the time when I did.Donna's honest and detailed account of her struggles and methods toward achieving true inner peace are nothing short of amazing. As we worry and face issues in our lives that seem so big we cannot even begin to grasp them, we tend to get wrapped up in our ever-churning minds and can become paralyzed by the enormity of it all. Wrapped in Blue reminds us that we each can face the challenge of self-discovery, regardless of the monumental hurdles we think life is placing before us.Although as a slowly blossoming transsexual this book resonates profound chords of hope within my soul, I also feel this book tells a wonderful story for anyone from any walk of life who struggles with issues they feel are so enormous and heavy that no hope exists for true inner peace. Agree or disagree, understand or cringe in revulsion at the thought that there are human beings who face the issues of transsexualism, if one keeps an open mind, he or she may just find that this is not merely the story of a man becoming a woman, but a tale of self-discovery, self-acceptance, courage and perseverance. For myself, Donna's tale has provided an emotional release the likes of which I had never before known, both positive and negative: swelling joy and ringing triumph that us humans can indeed achieve the impossible; deep sorrow and dire fear of that which such achievement can and often does unleash upon ourselves and the ones we love.As Donna said in the text, "I had a lifetime of questions and frustrations to unload and I felt I would find no comfort or peace until I had some answers." Wrapped in Blue will not provide us with our answers, but maybe, just maybe, it can help us on our journey to seek them.

Why would a person spend over $75,000.00, risk losing family and friends, undergo emotional abuse and endure the limit of human torture, just to "change sex"? Because after decades of pretending, the agony of continuing the pretense is an even worse choice.I have read a number of autobiographies of transsexuals over the years. But Donna Rose's autobiography is FAR beyond anyone else's that I've read. There's a high Shakespearean quality to it, such as her early chapter entitled "A Metaphor" and her many journal entries. She frequently depressed me (such as when she "pulled the plug"), and then sent me soaring (when she met Kate, and her physical and psychological triumph at Neenah).Some of Ms. Rose's journal entries were so poignant and so haunting ("we need love and compassion and companionship more than anyone could know, but we're trapped with secrets of a second life that will haunt us until we die") that they seared my soul. Her book rattled me for several days afterwards that I couldn't write about it. It moved me THAT much.I have read many descriptions about facial feminization surgery (FFS), but no one ever described the unbelievably intense pain associated with it. Similarly, no one EVER described the TORTURE that she willingly but necessarily subjected herself with electrolysis of the scrotum. I've had six surgeries in my life, but I'm certain that the pain of all six combined did not equal either the pain of any transsexual's FFS or electrolysis. She shook me to my core. But it helped to free her to become Donna.I agree with another reviewer that it would have been nice if Donna had spent more time discussing her life since SRS (she only devoted 10 of the 356 pages to it.) But her 10 simple tips are timeless to everyone at any stage in their lives.Post-op male-to-female transsexuals are the most oppressed, least understood, and most courageous people on the planet. They have far more courage than most of us so-called "normal" people. I salute them for it.Ms. Rose has a rare gift to be able to express in words what she feels, sees, hears and does, so that others can share those same feelings, sights, sounds, and experiences. It's as if we've been there too. This is a gift so few humans have. The book is wonderful and highly worthwhile reading.

As my title indicates, this book is a must read for everyone, and especially those with ties to the transgender community. As a pre-op MTF transsexual, I found this book to be the most honest and straight-forward accounting on the subject to date. Donna's ability to offer up and express her most personal feelings and experiences is incredible. Speaking as someone whose life closely parallels hers in many areas, I can honestly say that bearing the most intimate details of my life to all is something I'd doubt I could do. Donna has the courage and stamina it takes to do this without editing or sugar coating the parts that we tend to keep most private and secure throughout our lives. Regardless of what the reason may be, when any person is placed in a situation where he or she has to do an in-depth self-examination of their very existence, the end result will usually produce some earth shattering observations. When dealing with topics such as gender identity and transsexuality, it can be an utterly horrifying experience. To take the information you've discovered in that self exam and offer ALL of it to the general public for their scrutiny takes an uncommon form of courage that never surfaces in a lot of us. Human beings in general, especially those born male, tend to covert our most private thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc., and hold them far from the public eye. More times than not, we keep the most private of this information away from even the people we're closest to. Imagine having thoughts and feelings that you've been taught, and learned, throughout your life that are considered to be abnormal. Would you reveal these to the public? Most people would say never! Donna has taken the information she compiled throughout her period of self discovery, coupled it with her entire life's journey, and placed it out there for all to see and hopefully learn from. She brings to the forefront the simple and undeniable fact that we in general, are just average people who through a quirk of nature have been placed in an emotional and mentally exhausting battle for nothing more than our own true identities. This is a battle that most of us will continue to fight throughout our lives, even after the final physical changes have been made. My hat is most definitely off to Donna!So, again, if you are transgendered, if you know someone who is transgendered, or if you'd just like to broaden your horizons and learn about a topic that effects more people than you could imagine.......this is the book to read. After reading a lot on the subject I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this book has had the biggest and most positive impact on me. Going forward, I'll continue to read more on the topic, but I doubt that another book will affect me the way Wrapped In Blue has.