Rating: 
Summary: A honest journey that hits so close to home....
Review: Donna's story is both typical and atypical at the same time of the Transsexual experience. Her experiences serve to provide real life examples of "how to" and "how not to" regarding gender transition. As another traveler on the transitioning journey, Donna's honest revelations of her experiences and feelings were refreshing, joyful and yet often so painful to read. I was captivated from the beginning and couldn't put the book down. There were times when I caught myself saying things out loud, trying to warn her that what she was about to do was obviously the wrong thing, wanting desperately to remove the pains and struggles that I so related to.I highly recommed this book to any male-to-female transsexual, as well as to their friends and family members. Although Donna doesn't capture every single aspect that any transsexual might experience, she touches on so many that anyone can benefit from reading her life story. Thank you Donna for being so brave and courageous to survive long enough to be living your life fully and for sharing that journey with us all.
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Summary: For those wondering and wandering
Review: For those of us out there wandering and wondering their way through life, dealing with or refusing to face the innermost issues of the self, Wrapped in Blue can be a wonderful and useful tool in our journey of self discovery and hopefully, of self acceptance. I truly thank whatever powers lead me to find such a work at the time when I did. Donna's honest and detailed account of her struggles and methods toward achieving true inner peace are nothing short of amazing. As we worry and face issues in our lives that seem so big we cannot even begin to grasp them, we tend to get wrapped up in our ever-churning minds and can become paralyzed by the enormity of it all. Wrapped in Blue reminds us that we each can face the challenge of self-discovery, regardless of the monumental hurdles we think life is placing before us. Although as a slowly blossoming transsexual this book resonates profound chords of hope within my soul, I also feel this book tells a wonderful story for anyone from any walk of life who struggles with issues they feel are so enormous and heavy that no hope exists for true inner peace. Agree or disagree, understand or cringe in revulsion at the thought that there are human beings who face the issues of transsexualism, if one keeps an open mind, he or she may just find that this is not merely the story of a man becoming a woman, but a tale of self-discovery, self-acceptance, courage and perseverance. For myself, Donna's tale has provided an emotional release the likes of which I had never before known, both positive and negative: swelling joy and ringing triumph that us humans can indeed achieve the impossible; deep sorrow and dire fear of that which such achievement can and often does unleash upon ourselves and the ones we love. As Donna said in the text, "I had a lifetime of questions and frustrations to unload and I felt I would find no comfort or peace until I had some answers." Wrapped in Blue will not provide us with our answers, but maybe, just maybe, it can help us on our journey to seek them.
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Summary: Most moving book I have read on transition
Review: Having read Donna's book and meeting her in person. It is must reading for anyone on this difficult journey, we call transition.
Rating:
Summary: Honest and candid presented in an intelligent literary style
Review: Having traveled the journey myself I have become bored with many of the biographical accounts of gender transformation that are out there. HOWEVER: Donna's story is not one of those. Her honest and candid details combined with an intelligent literary style presents the story in a manner that makes one laugh at a humorous incident one page then brings tears at the sorrow on another.
Donna's sharing of her families dynamics over the transition situation are the most interesting. She has a spouse who is not only unsupportive but is to such a degree that she tries to prevent Donna from seeking help in the early "questioning" days. While spousal acceptance of Gender Dysphoria is rare, Donna is taken to the extreme of pain and hardship in this case. In contrast, Donna's extended family accept her with little fanfare and turn out to be supportive and loving above and beyond...another rarity.
Reliving Donna's account of these opposites combined with an excellent overview of the processes involved in a sex change transition make this book difficult to put down until one is at the end at which point left me with only more questions. With the feeling of "knowing" Donna because of this excellent detailed book I now wonder "what has happened since." What happened to Elizabeth, her son, her career etc etc.
Good luck to you Donna and I recommend this book to anyone interested in Gender Dysphoria, be it to find information for oneself or on what the journey can entail. It is also just dam good reading to for anyone who enjoys a dramatic story.
Linda A. Simpson
Linda.Simpson@Comcast.net
Webpages:
Linda's Peaceful Garden: http://www.lasimpson.org/LASimpson.html
Linda's Transsexuality Retreat: http://www.lasimpson.org/
Linda's Gender Reassignment in Montréal: http://www.lasimpson.org/LindasGRSinM.html
Rating:
Summary: Following in you Footsteps
Review: I am Transgendered and in transition. I found the book to be a valuable educational tool for me. But beyond that it is a story of courage beyond all reason. I cried when she cried and I was lonely when she was lonely. It is a riveting yet compassionate story of 4 years of David/Donna's life in which a frustrated male tosses all odds to the wind and despite intiial misgivings transforms into a beautiful woman. Her explicit details of her day to day transition is must reading for anyone contemplating a gender change. I applaude her for her honesty and integrity. Bravo. Donna
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Summary: Excellent
Review: I have read alot of transgendered bios , This one was the true language of the heart .Sharing all her pain , but giving hope at the same time.Knowing that there had to be light at the end of tunnel even if at some times it seemed like a train .I know first had also how hard this road is , but as Donna says in her book, we all need each other with help along the paths in our lives .anyone could benifit from this book. God Bless .
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Summary: A real page turner
Review: I learned about this book during a discussion about intolerance. Donna Rose's memoir is so well-written that I literally could not put the book down. I am not personally connected to anyone in the transsexual community. Beyond her very honest account of the physical challenges of her journey, Donna's insightful comments on intolerance and her ability to negotiate those rough waters with grace and dignity should make this book an essential reference for anyone teaching courses on diversity. I will read this book again. "Dignity is not negotiable" has become one of my affirmations.
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Summary: Captivating and Eye Opening!
Review: I really loved Donna's book! I found it completely captivating and really had a hard time putting it down in order to get some sleep at night! It was very eye-opening for me on a subject that I did not realize I had previously been very close-minded about. I am truly glad I read this book and would highly recommend it to everyone. Donna's experience puts a whole new spin on the true meaning of diversity in our world today and will leave you seeing all people from a very different and much more open perspective.
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Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I've read and enjoyed quite a number of TS and transition-related books, and this is my favorite. While Donna Rose is not the polished, professional, and humorous writer that Jenny Boylan is, her story somehow comes across as more down-to-earth and heartfelt than Boylan's She's Not There in many respects. She's Not There is to a large extent All About Jenny, whereas Wrapped in Blue, while certainly about Donna's life and transition, is also about All of Us, and offers many insights of a broad nature on transgenderism and transition, which have helped me understand myself better. Highly recommended for all transgendered folk and those interested in them.
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Summary: RE: Courage with life & people in it
Review: If you ever considered SRS in your life this book is a roadmap to what one goes through with Donna about her thoughts and decisions that affect the people that were involved in her life. The long road to were one hopefully becomes at peace with themsevles. Reading this book it was like being with Donna through every stage she goes through. The highs and the lows and pains and the enjoyments in becoming Donna. I never meet her but I can say honestly she is one woman that repersents the word COURAGE.Also she is the queen of emails as well.She had a plan and once she committed to it she follow it.It is a learning curve for everyone to understand for the roadmap to gender issues that led one to consider SRS. Thank you Donna for your honest story that you wrote.
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