P. CARL

 “Carl writes with the directness and intimacy we yearn to encounter in conversation. Becoming a Man is a memoir that is jolting, honest, passionate and beautifully written.”

“Raw and honest, probing and skeptical, P. Carl’s Becoming a Man is thoroughly compelling—a deeply moving meditation on love, loss, and what makes a self.” 

“In Becoming a Man, P. Carl movingly and incisively conveys experiences that range from self-perception to mortality itself; experiences that matter to all of us, regardless of our sexual identities.  Becoming a Man is a profound human story.” 

"Becoming a Man is a fierce and thoughtful memoir of a transitioning body. In grappling with his own biology, gender theory, politics, and relationships, P. Carl has proven himself an indispensable voice in the conversation around gender identity. His story is a galvanizing call to action: to love, embrace, and fight for transgender lives."

“This book is both is devastatingly honest and a joyful triumph. P. Carl communicates empathy on a cellular level. Everyone interested in gender, the body, and the resilience of the human spirit should read his book. It is rare for a book to equally address the gut, the mind, the heart and the body with so much insight, honesty and love. Not only a memoir of a transition, this book is a searing look at what it means to be a man in America in 2019.”

"Trans writers helped him understand his feelings; Page saw himself reflected in P. Carl’s memoir Becoming a Man. Eventually 'shame and discomfort' gave way to revelation. 'I was finally able to embrace being transgender,' Page says, 'and letting myself fully become who I am.'"

—Time Magazine's Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment 

"His reflective memories often read like poetry…This moving narrative illuminates the joy, courage, necessity, and risk-taking of his gender transition and the ways his loved ones became affected and eventually enriched by it. A passionate, eloquent memoir about how 'complex stories of humanity [and] our capacity for imagination are what give us hope.'"

—Kirkus

"Carl’s honest, timely musings illustrate the deep ruminations that can arise about one’s assigned gender at birth and the gender one becomes. Carl’s thoughts about sexuality and his compassionate feelings for sexual assault survivors will captivate readers from the first page to the last."

—Publishers Weekly 

"...P. Carl bravely charts his gender transition journey. A memoir that asks big questions about self, relationships, and the world we live in, it is deeply personal, yet wholly universal."

—Popsugar's 22 of the Best Books this Winter has to Offer 

"In a scrupulously honest memoir, P. Carl examines how his transition upended both his marriage and his notions of white masculinity."

— O Magazine's The 42 Best LGBTQ Books of 2020

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— O Magazine's 16 of the Best Books to Read this January

"P. Carl has written a candid, intimate and moving memoir about his gender transition in our current cultural moment and how it affected his relationships, his inner and outer identities and his place within the world."

— MS Magazine's Reads for the Rest of Us: Feminist Books Coming Out in 2020

"In this way, his debut memoir isn’t just the story of his transition but also an origin story."

— Coming Out as a Trans Man in Trump's America, Interview in MelMagazine 

"Carl tells the story of his own awakening, at the age of 50, after living as a queer woman for decades. He gives thoughtful insight into the effects of patriarchy on masculine identity. "

— The New York Times, 10 New Books We Recommend This Week