BOOK REVIEWS

EMERGENCE-A Transexual Autobiography; Mario Martino, Crown, N.Y.

1977

Starting with Christine's book there have been a lot of books written by male-to-female transexuals. Most of them are pretty superficial and self justifying rationalizations. They all use the same phrases and explanations, so when you have read one you have pretty nearly read them all.

This book is different and is a first in more ways than one-it is literally the first written from the other side, female-to-male, and the first that really has the ring of authenticity and sincerity. I first met Mario in Palo Alto at the transexual conference in 1973. Last fall I had dinner with him and his lovely wife at their home outside of New York. On both occasions I found him to be a very perceptive, sincere and very "together" person. This seems to be one of the distinguishing characteristics of the female-to-male individuals in contrast to the male-to-female types, who in many cases, (not all, I hasten to add) seem rather vacuous, shallow and with a "what do I do now" kind of an attitude after achieving the surgery. Maybe it's because the models the latter shape themselves around is too often in our culture a very dependent, passive, helpless person. On the contrary men are supposed to be strong, capable, independent and assertive and since this is the role model that the female-to- male sex change strives for, "he" comes across as more in command of the situation. These observations are based on contact with a number of both kinds of people.

Emergence is a very direct, honest and sensitive story of the trials and' tribulations of someone who literally didn't fit into the social confines of womanhood from an early age. Mario—as Marie-tried desperately to fit in even to the extent of becoming a nun in a Catholic convent, but it didn't work. There were many pitfalls and heartaches from the unthinking cruelties practiced on her by fellow workers, doctors and even Catholic priests. The book comes much closer to letting an outsider into the inner world of those whose self image is not in conformity with their physical anatomy and thus with the world's requirements and expectations than most books written by sex changed persons. It is well written and worth reading.