What Becomes You

A blend of essay, memoir and intergenerational dialogue, this title is stranger—and smarter—than the average transsexual memoir. Link narrates his transition from female to male over the first 200 pages, interspersed with his views on everything from taxonomy to the difference between L.A. and Nebraska. His writing is hilarious, thoughtful and often poetic, but also frequently challenging. Discussing the general-knowledge concept that transsexuals feel “trapped” in their bodies, he points out that “If I'd dealt with my discomfort by getting rid of my body, I would now be dead.” He deftly avoids gender stereotypes at the same time he demonstrates the new chance at life his transformation has given him. Link's mother, the poet Hilda Raz, takes over for the next 100 pages, reflecting on her part in her daughter's transformation, her feelings and how they've changed, and her eventual acceptance of the son Link became. Even without the narrative hijacking two-thirds through, Link and Raz's book is a weird one; Link's looping narrative and lectures about gender theory see to that. The last 100 pages turn the book into a dialogue on any number of topics, including feminism, politics and, of course, the bonds of family. The result is oddly moving, more illuminating and memorable than a straightforward memoir could have been. (Apr.)