Rating: 
Summary: An engrossing read
Review: Once I picked this book up, I found I could not put it down. How could someone put themselves through what Donna Rose has gone through? What are the motivations/drive for doing so? As I read through the pages it became more clear to me of the struggle within this human being to find inner peace and serenity that cannot be resisted. To do so only brings more heartache, frustration and a life less lived and enjoyed, only endured. Does one merely continue on, in a half twilight of existence, or strive to live life with vibrancy and passion, as your true self? I recommend anyone interested in the human condition and search for answers to inner questions to buy and read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Wrapped In Blue
Review: The book, "Wrapped In Blue", by Donna Rose offers a somewhat different perspective on the transsexuals' odyssey. Where many other biographies of this type are typically more preoccupied with relating the fact-based chronology of their transition whilst interpersonal details are simply side-stepped; Donna opens all the doors on her personal experiences as well. Within the pages of this book you will learn what it means to be born with this type of birth defect, the painful effects of "testosterone poisoning", the mental and emotional scars one suffers through, and the difficult quest to put everything "aright". From Donna's earliest questioning and wonderment as a child, throughout her school and college years, onward to marriage, parenthood, and beyond, you are afforded a powerful panorama charged with emotion as the drama of her life unfolds. The effects her transition has on familial bonds, her struggles with employers and her work, and most all of the other relationships that make up ones' life are all chronicled well, so as to afford a nearly 360 degree view on all her experiences. "Wrapped In Blue" provides the reader with an incredible understanding of the turmoil and grief, as well as a substantial measure of the heartache and loss that goes hand-in-hand with the transformation process. It portrays the full gamut of emotion, from angst, to sorrow, to joy in a very accessible and human manner. I found myself freely empathizing with her as she openly relates her hopes, dreams, failures, struggles, trials, and triumphs. The book is well written, and I feel anyone searching for deeper understanding of what a male-to-female trans-person must cope with during the arduous and expensive task of finding the balance point in her life will find this book a interesting, informative, and a moving account of Donnas' journey toward finding inner peace. The only criticism I have, is that the book could benefit from an epilog. After journeying with Donna through so much, it would be interesting to know more about her post-transition life, though she may be saving that for another book.
Rating:
Summary: this is how it feels to be transsexual
Review: There have been many books written about the difficulties that come with being transsexual, some from psychologists and sociologists, and a handful from the people who have endured a gender transition. It isn't easy to convey the gut wrenching decisions that a transsexual has to make in order to survive, but Donna does it superbly. She has beautifully conveyed all the raw emotion to the reader to share with her, as she struggles to reach the promised land.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Yet About the Transsexual Experience
Review: This book is sensitive, honest, comprehensive, and personal. It is a must-read for anyone dealing with gender/transsexual issues, and it is very good reading for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Journey of Self-Discovery
Review: This is the most personal book on this subject that I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with this issue. Donna does not mince words or "sugar" coat the pain, the frustration, anguish,anxiety and the sheer physical pain of the surgeries one must endure to save oneself. Families and friends of transsexuals should go out and buy this book today. Donna Rose is a brave and beautiful woman who is also a vulnerable person who had doubts but faced all her fears and persevered to find true peace and her true self. She is of the most amazing persons I have ever read about and I greatly admire her perseverence and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.This is a fantastic book and I cannot do justice to it with my review, I just hope that every transsexual and her family and friends buys this book, but it is also not just for transsexuals. This book is about being a human being and trying to live as yourself and being a good person, rather than living a lie and being miserable and possibly ending your life in suicide. I hope this review does some justice to this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Journey of Self-Discovery
Review: This is the most personal book on this subject that I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is dealing with this issue. Donna does not mince words or "sugar" coat the pain, the frustration, anguish,anxiety and the sheer physical pain of the surgeries one must endure to save oneself. Families and friends of transsexuals should go out and buy this book today. Donna Rose is a brave and beautiful woman who is also a vulnerable person who had doubts but faced all her fears and persevered to find true peace and her true self. She is of the most amazing persons I have ever read about and I greatly admire her perseverence and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.This is a fantastic book and I cannot do justice to it with my review, I just hope that every transsexual and her family and friends buys this book, but it is also not just for transsexuals. This book is about being a human being and trying to live as yourself and being a good person, rather than living a lie and being miserable and possibly ending your life in suicide. I hope this review does some justice to this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Wrapped in Blue: A journey of discovery
Review: We live in a society that urges us to be true to ourselves, find the true self and live accordingly. Donna Rose has personifed that the self does matter in her riveting memoir. Not only did I enjoy the honest, humor and openess of her narrative, I soon realized that this is not just a book about a transgender, it is about about human nature. I applaud Donna's courage. From her picture she could have chosen just to hide her identity and live a "normal" life. Instead she has chosen to share her story and encourage all of us, to thine own self be true.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most realistic depictions of gender transition
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: Wonderfully written and a good sense of humor... Thank you for sharing your journey....
| 
