Amy Ellis Nutt

"The Maines were a middle-class, hard-working, politically conservative New England couple whose lives felt complete when they adopted identical twin sons. As toddlers, Jonas was the son Kelly and Wayne Maines expected, but Wyatt was only interested in girls' clothes and toys. By age five, this conflict was tearing Wyatt--and the family--apart. Today, Wyatt is Nicole. She and Jonas are now graduating from high school. This is the story of a journey that could have destroyed a family, but instead united them"--

The Transformation of an American Family

Becoming Nicole

Jeff Sexton

For what it is, this is a fascinating book using one family's journey to look at a broader issue currently being discussed anywhere discussions take place. It lacks knowledge, and thus presentation of the pertinant points, that government hurts transgender people as much as it helps them, but that doesn't overly detract from the overall tale told here. Highly recommended.

ximena leon

The only thing I can say is that I'm so proud of Nicole and her family

Izza

'Becoming Nicole is a powerful and illuminating book about one couple's journey in coming to accept and nurture their transgender daughter. It's a page turner and a heart opener. I couldn't recommend it more highly.' Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But it wasn't long before they noticed a marked difference between Jonas and his brother, Wyatt. Jonas preferred sports and trucks and many of the things little boys were 'supposed' to like; but Wyatt liked princess dolls and dressing up and playing Little Mermaid. By the time the twins were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt's insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. Becoming Nicole is the heart-wrenching story of a mother whose instincts told her that her child needed love and not disapproval; of a conservative, army-veteran father who overcame his deepest fears to embrace his new daughter; of a loving brother who never gave up supporting his twin sister; and of a town forced to confront its own prejudices. More than that, however, Becoming Nicole is the story of an extraordinary girl who fought for the right to be herself.

The Extraordinary Transformation of an Ordinary Family

Belle

This story gives an insight into the struggle of growing up as a trans girl, and looking after your daughter as she transitions. Following the progression of Nicole's dad's feelings about her being trans and her brother's struggle to figure out his own identity within the family make this a well-rounded exploration of how discrimination against trans* people affects them and their families.

Naty Corbett

Loved this book! It's best read with a box of tissues nearby as there are many times you will find yourself crying, or at least I did.

I am so happy for Nicole that she had and continues to have such a supportive family and friends that helped her through her transition. So many trans people don't have that. I saw a lot of myself in her especially the childhood of always wanting to wear pink and sparkly things and always playing the girl, I'm just so happy she womaned up and didn't wait until her twenties to transition like I did.

Vivian

4th book for pride month. 

What I really liked:
1. Telling a transgender story from an individual and her family's perspective. It really helped me to understand how it may feel like to be in the wrong body, how parents can tell if their children could be transgender, and why it is such a huge deal for transgenders, especially kids, to be able to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. It's been very educational. 
2. The author inserted several chapters in between discussing science/stats related to LGBTQ+ to educate readers. I found it helpful.
3. It is not just Nicole's story, but rather her family's. We got to see how the mother struggled to love and support her son/daughter when nobody knew how, how the father refused to face the reality and then gradually transformed into Nicole's biggest defender, how the twin brother struggled with his own identity besides being the brother of the transgender kid. It all felt very authentic. 

What I didn't like:
1. The writing is so plain, detached, and boring, for such an amazing story... I would have bailed halfway through if not for the story. I wish to hear more directly from Nicole and Jonas. The kids' voices in the book are the most touching & powerful part.
2. Amy Ellis Nutt wrote this book through a very "white and middle class" lens. Defaulting a white and middle class experience as a universal experience for an American family. That's simply ignorant and insensitive, especially for a book aimed to raise awareness for marginalized group (LGBTQ+), pretty tone deaf not to address other marginalized groups might face a lot more difficulties (imagine a white trans-boy with poor, uneducated parents, what if he's black, and Muslim..). I was very much appalled when Kelly and Wayne went to court and the judge agreed to change Wyatt's name to Nicole and keep it private, and Amy wrote, "Perhaps it had to do with hearing that Wayne and Kelly weren't some screwed-up parents who really wanted a girl and so were pressuring their boy into a girl. They weren't. They were a white-collar middle-class couple. Upstanding citizens. Regular Maine folks." Well, what if the parents are screwed-ups, criminals, not your regular Maine folks, do their transgender children not deserve the same rights? The author needs to educate herself on Intersectionality 101.

All my discontents above direct to the author, not to Nicole and her family. It was an extraordinary story, and I'm very happy to see that Nicole is playing the first transgender superhero on TV! I peeked at her Instagram and she just looks amazing. Such a confident and vibrant young woman. You go girl!

Brian Hill

Jen Sorenson

Courtney

Erin moore

Taylor Thompson

Helene Utterback

Maggie Horikawa

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The inspiring true story of transgender actor and activist Nicole Maines, whose identical twin brother, Jonas, and ordinary American family join her on an extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all. Nicole appears as TV’s first transgender superhero on CW’s Supergirl When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But by the time Jonas and Wyatt were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt’s insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. In the years that followed, the Maineses came to question their long-held views on gender and identity, to accept Wyatt’s transition to Nicole, and to undergo a wrenching transformation of their own, the effects of which would reverberate through their entire community. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Amy Ellis Nutt spent almost four years reporting this story and tells it with unflinching honesty, intimacy, and empathy. In her hands, Becoming Nicole is more than an account of a courageous girl and her extraordinary family. It’s a powerful portrait of a slowly but surely changing nation, and one that will inspire all of us to see the world with a little more humanity and understanding. Named One of the Ten Best Books of the Year by People • One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review and Men’s Journal • A Stonewall Honor Book in Nonfiction • Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction “Fascinating and enlightening.”—Cheryl Strayed “If you aren’t moved by Becoming Nicole, I’d suggest there’s a lump of dark matter where your heart should be.”—The New York Times “Exceptional . . . ‘Stories move the walls that need to be moved,’ Nicole told her father last year. In telling Nicole’s story and those of her brother and parents luminously, and with great compassion and intelligence, that is exactly what Amy Ellis Nutt has done here.”—The Washington Post “A profoundly moving true story about one remarkable family’s evolution.”—People “Becoming Nicole is a miracle. It’s the story of a family struggling with—and embracing—a transgender child. But more than that, it’s about accepting one another, and ourselves, in all our messy, contradictory glory.”—Jennifer Finney Boylan, former co-chair of GLAAD and author of She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders

Becoming Nicole The Transformation of an American Family

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