Surviving Gender

What does it feel like to be trapped inside a body that doesn't feel like your own? How do you build your own sense of self when everyone insists who you are is wrong? What does gender dysphoria feel like?

Through my own experience struggling with my sense of gender, I hope to shed some light on these questions. Although I cannot tell you where or how gender dysphoria enters the life of a child, I can show you how it impacted my own.

In this book, I trace the steps of my life from my earliest memories to present day. I explore how my experiences were influenced by the constant, relentless burden of gender and how my environment shaped that burden. Through recounting my life's journey, I hoped to find meaning and peace for myself, but also purpose for others. Perhaps the stories contained here will speak to someone who will find peace as well.

From the earliest moments of my childhood, desperately wishing and praying to wake up as a girl, to seeking answers in my faith, to defiantly redefining my identity and finally arriving at a place of surrender and understanding, I take the reader along a journey, exploring the world that created those experiences. My own in every sense of the word, I hope to give the reader the opportunity to share my journey and come away with a better understanding of what gender dysphoria is like.

This autobiography was the most difficult challenge I could have given myself and I came away with a deeper appreciation for who I am today. I love the life I have with my husband and I wouldn't change anything that might have prevented that joy. I am grateful for those who would choose to go along this journey with me. I hope it helps you answer some questions of your own.

~ Chad's book brings you to the angst of gender confusion and helps the reader understand the issues a child experiences through adulthood. If you've never experienced gender confusion, Chad brings you to his world as a child, teenager, and adult. And he doesn't disappoint. ~
~ Kimberly Morin

~ Few among us don't know the temptation and allure of wanting a quick medical fix for our problems, whether surgery or medication. In his heartbreaking memoir, Chad Felix Greene shows us that those options don't fix us, they often break us, and being true to yourself is far more about acceptance than change. '~
~ Libby Emmons

~ Touching, wry, raw and wise, Chad Felix Greene's memoir is a must-read and an enormous contribution to the public conversation on gender identity. ~
~ Abigail Shrier

~ Gender dysphoria is obviously a complex topic with a lot of layers. In this book, Chad Felix Greene does an excellent job of taking readers through his story and how life experiences can play a critical role in developing one's identity. Aside from providing an interesting account of his life, Chad also leaves the reader with several relevant lessons to consider in determining how they think about Gender Dysphoria and potential responses to it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to better understand how someone with gender dysphoria may feel, how those feelings can be affected by the society around them, and what are the potential implications for the various solutions that are now considered the norm. ~
~ AG Hamilton