If you have bought a Canon EOS 600D and you never move it off the AUTO setting it would be like buying a race spec rally car and only ever using it to drive it the three miles to tesco for the weekly shop - yep it will do it but you are missing out on so much fun.

So, for those who are moving up from entry level DSLR or perhaps have come from the world of compact cameras and who have not done any formal training in photography, this book is an absolute essential read. The owners manual that comes with the camera will explain what the buttons and menus do, but not how and when and why you would use such a setting. For novice or hobbyist photographers keen to develop their skill and make the most from this exceptional camera a few basics of photography theory will rapidly shift you in terms of the quality of pictures you take.

I love this book, in simple, straight forward and patient language the author communicates both a passion for the subject but also a desire to help others enjoy the joy and pleasure of creating truly awesome shots - let me tell you, within just a couple of hours you will start taking noticeably better pictures and by the time you have finished the book the potential of this exceptionally powerful camera will have been opened up to you. Clearly and concisely the author will help you understand the technical language of photography and explain how and when to adjust the "f-stop"; the shutter speed; understand the impact of "focal length", and know which lenses will achieve the shots you imagine in your mind. Digital SLR and especially the Canon EOS 600D make this so much easier than you might imagine.

The book is well illustrated and more importantly, all of the pictures are annotated with the settings the author used - this helps you make sense of how the theory relates to practice and it can be entertaining testing yourself by guessing the settings before looking at the annotation. As well as covering the how and why of each of the features the camera offers the author uses the latter part of the book to cover the basics of picture composition.

The author encourages the reader to experiment with some guided exercises at the end of each chapter to consolidate the learning - I found myself impatient and rattled through the book in about four hours and went out to play. Suddenly I was producing work in a whole different league and the theory just made so much more sense. This is a book one can revisit of course - the sections are set out so that you can start with your favourite types of shot and then gen up on the theory for the remainder as you grow in confidence.

The book gave me everything I hoped for and easily achieves the stated mission - move from snap shots to great shots. It's like having a best mate who is a professional photographer dropping round for a cup of tea and then sitting patiently with you explaining how to use your new toy. This book offers the ultimate in "Does what it says" technology.

To those unfamiliar with Gothic literature as a genre or indeed queer theory, the title would perhaps seem somewhat confusing, possibly daunting. I'd say, don't be put off - yes, it's a clever, rather academic title, but this is a book that actually offers a very readable and very well considered exploration of the representation of gay, lesbian and transgender identities in contemporary (gothic genre) literature. The author draws on a range of titles published between 1980 and 2007 - a significant time in the advancement of gay-pride and LGBT acceptance and awareness. Particularly poignant in this context is the author's consideration of the impact of what Freud referred to as 'das unheimliche/the uncanny'. The notion of 'The Uncanny' is an interesting one from an LGBT/Queer perspective: Chambers dictionary offers us the following, "uncanny: weird, strange or mysterious in an unsettling way, beyond what is considered normal". If heimliche translates as 'the familiar' then 'das unheimliche' offers us the opposite of what is familiar as a construct to position our understanding of, and relationship to, identities that differ from the majority or apparent 'norm'.

To make the most of this book I would suggest it is useful to have an appreciation or at least outline understanding of the motifs, metaphors and metonyms used in gothic literature - in a sense to understand the genre first. There are plenty of useful primers on the web and would suggest it might be helpful to trawl a few to get a good feel if you are unfamiliar with the concepts. An appreciation of the basic ideas underpinning queer theory and or post-structuralist philosophy can also help, since the book is seeking to explore how ideas about minority sexuality and gender identities are represented in what has been historically, and predominately remains a hetero-patriarchal dominated society. Language is everything here as words are merely symbols of ideas and those ideas are born of a social context. The ability to de-construct language therefore facilitates new understandings and interpretations of ideas that we might have internalised unquestioningly.

In giving consideration then to the way stories about, and referenced to, queer identities are presented, and the subsequent narratives played out, we see a reflection of our society and the cultural milieu that exists around those of us within the LGBT community. The book offers us a reflection of cultural tropes that exist around lesbian gay and transgender identities and importantly, highlights the way specific aspects and elements of queer narrative are brought to the fore or remain hidden, sometimes unacknowledged. As Palmer writes, "the queer individual lives in two interlinked but disparate worlds - the hetero-normative and that of the less immediately visible one of the lesbian or gay subculture" p13.

In the representation of queer identities in literature the reader is having a relationship with the narrative at both a personal and psycho-social level. As Judith Butler points out, our self definition is necessarily drawn out of the available understandings offered to us in the various cultural messages, literature being an important part of that: "an individual can only 'claim' his sexuality and gender if social norms exist that support and enable that act of claiming" p117. The author gives consideration to the relative invisibility of lesbian identities, the impact of homophobia on transsexual identity and also explores the impact of AIDS in creating a shift from the hedonistic representations of gay male lifestyle to new narratives around death and illness.

Overall, this is a fascinating book and one that would appeal to anyone interested in LGBT literature and queer studies. This is an author who writes clearly and unpretentiously and one who is able to illustrate complex ideas in straightforward language, presenting the points confidently: as a reader, one can also unquestionably feel that here is an author who very clearly knows their subject.

GrrlAlex -psychotherapist, author, academic, artist, artisan and social activist.

The Gender Frontier

This really is a beautiful book: a thoughtfully assembled collection of photographs from the lens of photographic artist Marietta Pathy Allen. Brief annotations explain the context of the images and there is additional narrative content from four leading voices in the transgender movement. It is a moving book to read - this is a book to engage with at an emotional level rather than an intellectual as the artist invites us to engage with the image, to move beyond the simplistic questioning of chromosomal sex and to explore within ourselves our relationship to the representation of gender; to our own identity even.

The book was produced in 2003 - an exciting time for transgender as it heralded a new era. An emerging generation of gender questioning individuals were starting to resist the medico-legal constraints of formal 'transsexualism', breaking the gender-binary and engaging in new ways of expressing gender, finding more diverse ways of communicating the inner self to finally live a more congruent life. In the subsequent years even greater diversity is becoming possible and I think part of my love of this book is my admiration for the people featured, courageous individuals who were there right at the beginning of a movement that makes it possible for those of us that follow to take the torch forward.

In the preface to the book, the author asks, "what changes and what remains the same when someone changes gender" - it's a reflexive point, more rhetorical in nature. The subsequent content illustrates that gender should never be constrained by the perception of genital arrangement - as a fabulous quote towards the end of the book illustrates, "Although it has been 17 years since Max transitioned, he has not had surgery.... I'm a man with my clothes on, and without my clothes. And that is what I project" p155.

The book really is a work of art, and although curiously the narrative content is written in both English and German (so written content is duplicated) for me that seemed to add to its aesthetic appeal.

This book offers the reader an experience, a journey of exploration. The reader who allows themselves to fully engage with that experience will come away enriched, undoubtedly with a greater appreciation of the diversity encompassed by a spectrum of transgender identities, having learned that more is possible in terms of 'doing transgender' than many would imagine. Buy the book, enjoy the book, be inspired by these individuals.

Recognising Transsexuals: Personal, Political and Medico-Legal Embodiment.

For anyone working in the field of transsexualism and indeed the broader domain of transgender I would suggest this book is a key text to have on the reading list. It takes a detailed and broad scoping look at the interface of transsexualism as a phenomenon within the individual, society, the medical profession, and law. A real strength of this book is that it is highly relevant to the UK position and more importantly that the author is showing how the definition of transsexualism has moved on, illustrating in the narrative the broad scoping possibilities offered by the more fluid and dynamic definition implicit in 'transgender'.

This is an informative book then, with its research and focus based predominantly in the UK but with direct relevance to Europe and other Western cultures. The author leads us through an exploration of the phenomenon of transsexualism, highlighting the way traditional medical and legal conceptualisations of gender were caught up in 'hegemonic and stereotypical cultural ascriptions of masculinity and femininity'. Diagnostic psychiatric manuals have themselves previously been framed from within the essentialist hetero-normative assumptions of the past, and thus historically, atypical gender identifiers were seen as some form of sexual inversion. However, new scientific knowledge and contemporary philosophical understandings are offering new ways of conceptualising the phenomenon, and, as an emerging generation of transgender and gender-queer individuals challenging the status quo we find the old medical models are simply no longer fit for purpose.

The book considers the interplay of political, legal and medical systems of sexual and gender regulation, and looks at the ways that transpeople themselves have been interactive (and increasingly proactive) in shaping specific pathways and potentials. The book gives careful consideration to the social currency of the physical body - as humans within a social society we are all subject to visual-aesthetic judgement by others and it is naive to dismiss the importance (in terms of its impact on our social relations) of the physicality we present to others. This is of course particularly significant for a transperson in terms of how one is read and or understood by others. I felt a particular strength of this book is that it devoted a decent amount of space to drawing some distinctions between the relative importance of specific body surgeries between transman and transwoman. Another strength is that it also draws attention to the recent emergence of genderqueering - the deliberate deconstruction and troubling of gender norms by a new generation of predominantly younger transgender individuals who refuse to be constrained by old school definitions of how they should express their gender identity. These are exciting times.

This book comes at a time when new knowledge and information about transgender and gender-queering is increasingly shared over the internet as gender-queer individuals find connections with others who can validate their unique experiences and create new ways of knowing and defining their experiences. Outdated medical models no longer reflect the new diversity of this group as finally we escape the legacy of the early gatekeepers of transsexual realisation. In the past it is acknowledged that one needed to become a 'proper' or convincing 'man or woman' post surgery and to offer an a priori 'unambiguous developmental story'. Variously referred to as 'learning the script' these carefully rehearsed narratives reflected an anxiety about failing to convince the gatekeepers and therefore losing access to treatment: but this undoubtedly led to the distortion and indeed corruption of data, and increasingly now we are recognising that different developmental stories exist- each valid in their own ways. And equally significant, in terms of desired outcomes, there is increasing acknowledgement that there are differing stopping points with regard to transition.

In summary then, within the pages of this book, we find a well researched and neatly presented discourse on the phenomenology of queer genders that considers not only the historical contexts from which diagnosis such as transsexualism and transvestism were derived, but moves on to give the reader a more balanced and informed position of contemporary understandings of gender queering. It highlights the way in which the conceptualisation of these identities is continually evolving as a result of a complex interplay of scientific breakthrough, social activism within the queer community, and political evolution in legal systems (for example the Gender Recognition Act and Single Equality Act ). These factors are all influential in the way in which people may inhabit and embody gendered identities that are at variance with one denoted at birth.

If I had a criticism of the book, (asides from the cost which sadly will put it outside the reach of many who would benefit from reading it) it is that like so many in this field, the language structure is in places somewhat complex and the writing style leans heavily towards the academic genre, performing and reiterating an academic elitism that may afford it respect in that milieu, but then runs the risk of leaving it less accessible to others who would really benefit from the insights and observations. That said, I'd not wish to put potential readers off - even if you have to re-read the odd paragraph a couple of times, the effort really is worth it.

In conclusion then, I'd say this is an intelligently written, well researched and thoughtfully considered text that I believe will add very usefully to current understandings and thinking in this fascinating field. It would be fair to say that this book certainly has the potential to achieve its aim of affording a better recognition to the broad diversity of transsexual experiences and can therefore enhance the understanding within the psychiatric and psychology professions of this particular client group - a minority who have been so seldom properly researched in such depth or with such careful consideration.

People who are interested in this subject may also wish to consider "The Lives of Transgender People" The Lives of Transgender People

This is an enjoyable and entertaining read by a writer who conveys passion and conviction for her cause. Orenstein is a journalist rather than an academic (and her style reflects that), but she's done her homework and there are some fascinating and really interesting points made throughout the text.

As someone with a professional interest in gender studies I was keen to get my hands on a copy once it came out. So, one morning last week, the delivery arrives - and ripping open the Amazon packet excitedly I take in the front cover. The artwork is delightful, albeit of course ironic with its glitter appliqué, but this excitement is quickly tempered when one notes the low quality of paper the publisher has used. Maybe I'm a book snob but I felt the paper took the work down-market in a way that kinda does the content an injustice. *Just saying guys*.

So - to the text:

The author draws on her experience of raising a daughter in the 21st century to illustrate concerns that trouble many of us with pro-feminist values. It's as if there is some kind of backlash against the whole 1980's 'dungarees and crew-cut' image of second wave feminism that had ordinary women recoiling in horror and making sure their daughters would become 'proper girls' (ie: not lesbians) - and as if to make the point the definition of girl-approved identities suddenly becomes strangled in pink tulle, as girls are schooled in the notion of looking pretty and attracting a handsome prince.

Orenstein explores the images and imagoes that our daughters are exposed to and reminds us that the whole 'pink' thing, where malls and toy-shops become gender delineated by strict colour ways is actually a relatively new phenomenon: back in our generation yes girls were coached in the ways of becoming proper house-wives and encouraged to play with dolls but there were also gender neutral toys like Lego (which sadly more recently succumbed to the whole 'girl-market=pink/lilac" zeitgeist). As she points out, play was more open, more creative and less fixed by script or branded characterisation. If you wanted to be Cinderella or Snow White, mum had to make the costume on the Singer sewing machine or you adapted pieces from the dressing up box and pretended.

Any analysis of the social meta-messages pummeled into young girls these days has to consider the pre-sexualisation of girl's bodies and the notion of the female body as a commodity: and this is a theme that is weaved throughout the text. There is an interesting chapter looking at the child beauty pageant, and the family Orenstein highlights in the text have to balance the emphasis on how 'beautiful [and normal]' their daughter is in contrast with their son who has severe disabilities: it's a poignant narrative. In another particularly thought-provoking chapter, "Just between you, me, and my 622 BFF's", Orenstein explores the use and impact of social networking, and offers the notion that having 622 'friends' is in a sense to have created a quasi-audience for the pseudo-celebrity performance of the [gendered] self. She is right to raise the concern as the feedback from the peer group has the tendency to reiterate dominant [hetero-normative] messages and stifle individuality -particularly within teen peer groups where fitting in is often at the cost of expressing the true self.

I do have some disquiets with this book (cheap paper aside) - I felt the use of promotional quotes at the start of the book was a little over-done - this book doesn't need a hard sell, its value can stand in its own right and again it started to put me off - why the need to shout so loud if the book is that good: surely I'll work that out a few pages in. That's a publisher issue I suspect. *just saying guys* . And, there are places where the author's natural ebullience and irreverent tone jar a little and in a couple of instances I suggest, slipped towards the distasteful (in particular here, I'm thinking of her reference to the David Reimer case by way of example, or in her reference to Lindsey Lohan)

We might wonder who the book will appeal to: academics may find it lacking in gravitas but then it is written for a broad audience and needs to follow a different convention. Parents of daughters of course is the primary audience but I suggest that these will split into two - those who collude unquestioningly with these constraining norms, who don't consider the subtle but powerful messages influencing the mindset of the next generation of women (a generation more concerned than ever about youthful looks and impossibly unattainable physical ideals), and those parents whose own feminist beliefs has had them pushing Tonka toys into the hands of their daughters in desperation (for whom this book will no doubt resonate powerfully - albeit we are preaching to the converted here).

In writing this review I wanted to summarize my experience of reading the book by likening it to Big Mac and fries. It has a very American feel to it and the tone can feel a little brash on this side of the pond. That said, I enjoyed it. McDonald's don't make an outstanding burger but what they produce is consistently good enough to meet a particular market. I hope its not unkind to suggest that what Orenstein offers has that same broad market appeal and it's not pretending to be academic any more than McD claims to be haute-cuisine. This book adds a worthy voice of concern to the way we raise girls and for these reasons I offer a 4 star rating and hope others will be encouraged to give consideration to the points raised in this work.

grrlAlex - author, academic and social activist

This is a confounding book in many ways: the author is well respected in the field and broadly speaking this is indeed a well written book which takes a good overview of the phenomenon of ADHD in young people. The author is clearly passionate about the injustices he sees in the way society treats and relates to young people diagnosed with ADHD and ultimately through this book is offering a clarion call to our society to take a more holistic view of the problems and issues. And I wanted to really love it, but somehow found frustrations in the author's approach. I've put off writing this review as I struggled to know what my difficulty is with this book - finally it came to me - this is a book about people with ADHD and not in a sense a book for people with ADHD. The author is (like myself) a former educator; an academic; a researcher, and in fairness to him, he is clearly well placed to discuss and comment on the issues he raises - he is nonetheless approaching the phenomenon from the outside. I'd like to think this maybe offers him more objective analysis but in my re-reading of the book and in writing this review I am returned once again to a place of frustration: for me the author may have sympathy but he lacks true empathy and insight. For those of us who made it to adulthood and found the symptoms don't go away, there is a real need for greater acceptance and understanding of the true nature of this condition. ADHD not only compromises one's ability to learn at school, for many it will continue to act out in work situations and in intimate relationships throughout the lifespan. To the book then...

The book starts with a useful overview of the history of the diagnosis and goes on to explore common myths about the condition. He makes some useful observations about the influence of media representations of ADHD on society and on the young people coming to terms with a diagnosis. I would concur that the media tends to sensationalise ADHD unhelpfully - focussing on challenging behaviour (which is more likely to be ODD -oppositional defiant disorder not ADHD although they can be co-morbid) and on the 'we're drugging our kids: controversy' argument - although when a child has diabetes they don't seem so worried that we are 'pumping [them] full of drugs'

Prosser is an advocate for a more holistic approach to dealing with and managing ADHD and clearly strongly favours behavioural interventions and social adjustments in preference to medication. I would suggest that in places his argument comes across as an 'anti-drugs' message which I found both frustrating and at times unhelpful. It is clear from current research that some children really do benefit from appropriate medication and I'd be concerned if people reading the book took meds away from children who really do need it. That said, I concur with his call for a multi-modal approach and agree there is a strong case to argue for better training of teachers and for the provision of behavioural interventions with young people to help them overcome the difficulties: medication will never cure ADHD, only mitigate the worst aspects.

Although the book makes some very useful and interesting points, in places the arguments lean towards slightly simplistic assertions and can lack depth: his "100 helpful hints for teachers" for example really felt more like a space filler - he has not evidenced the claims with research and as someone who has ADHD and who taught secondary for many years I was a little unconvinced at the universal application of these ideas. I would argue that the book fails to fully explore and draw distinction between the different types of ADHD and or offer an in depth analysis of the differences between boys and girls in terms of how the symptoms manifest and enact: this insight would have been particularly useful for people involved in education as so many young people slip under the radar because their symptoms do not cause the school sufficient distress.

As the title makes clear, the book is very much focussed on ADHD in young people - Prosser is drawing on his work with adolescents to be fair, and for me perhaps the disappointment with this book is that it might have been stronger were there more inclusion of adult narrative (particularly retrospective). His use of quotations and illustrations from teenager case studies has only moderate value -on p156 for example, he asks a 12yr old about the role of politics in ADHD - not surprisingly he gets a bemused response. In Chapter 4 he features 'Teenager's Stories' - a selection of quotations, extended narrative pieces and poems from his research participants - the idea seems kinda sweet but the implementation lacked something - even as someone with ADHD who had real struggles in school I just didn't feel a connection in the way the stories were presented and for me, the poetry's naivety was little short of irritating.

Although an interesting and certainly useful read, I conclude this review somewhat ambivalent. There are numerous books out there on the subject of ADHD - from the highly academic and slightly depressing ADHD: a handbook for diagnosis and treatment by Russell Barklay to the somewhat overly enthusiastic You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder by Kelly and Ramundo, So, good factual objective information written for people who need an informed overview of the condition and how to work with it, are a precious commodity. This book is an interesting read and should certainly be on the shelf of anyone seriously interested in learning more about the issues around ADHD, particularly the socio-political issues- but it's not the first book to read. For that I continue to come back to and recommend to my clients ADHD (The Facts) by Mark Selikowitz.

How to Invest in Property (Using Other People's Money) is an easy to read and informative book that would be a helpful starting point for people toying with the idea of investing in property. The book outlines some key basics of becoming a professional property investor and mercifully points out a few of the common pitfalls that the unwary might unwittingly be seduced into and find themselves financially injured by.

The book is written in a light and easy way, the style is informal and the author's coaching approach very much to the fore: its almost as if she is chatting over coffee with you. Indeed, I'd offer this a one of the elements that might make the book appeal to many - the writing seems designed to be inclusive to all, there is a warmth in her tone and my lasting impression of the book was that she wants others to enjoy the kinds of success she has.

The book starts with an introduction to the author and her personal story, setting context for what follows. Quickly then it moves on to discussing the blocks to change that hold many people back from making change in their lives. Although it might frustrate some that we are not getting into the nitty-gritty of property deals at this stage I can see her perspective here - there is no point reading the book if you are approaching it in a closed or negative mindset and what she is doing is using motivational strategies to help the reader become ready to make the most of the content.

The middle section of the book then explores some of the practical aspects of property investment. There are useful sections on sourcing finance, which you will note from the title is key to the model. She offers useful caveats about prudent use of credit cards and the so called `no-money-down deals' that might lead the inexperienced into deep water. The author illustrates some near miss disasters she experienced to make the point that this book is a starting point that will hopefully lead the reader on to taking further education and business coaching. There are also some useful illustrative case studies and to her credit she explains the maths bit with real clarity. She ends the main body of the book by returning to a coaching approach and invites the reader to recall their motivation for reading the book and challenges them to take the next step towards finding the strategies to move forward - `finding the why'.

If I had a criticism of the book, it is that it tries to cover a lot of material in just 167 pages and for my part I found I was left a little frustrated by a lack of depth to some of the ideas she presented. In fairness, no one book can tell you every thing you need to know in a field as complex as property investment and this book really is well placed for the novice contemplating dipping a toe in the water. Re-iterating a point from earlier, it should help the reader see the potentials out there in property and encourage those who have the right mind-set to seek out further education and start moving towards the kinds of rewards that the author and many like her now enjoy.

I recommend this book and similarly would also recommend the CD series by Robert Kyosaki for those interested in seeking alternatives to the 9to5 of the rat-race. see [...]

This is a great little book, a lovely story, nicely told and a perfect book to share with youngsters of all and any genders to help them question and explore the apparently binary nature of gender identity and to help them start to develop understanding that not everyone fits in simple binary definitions. Its especially useful if you know a boy who would prefer to be a girl.

Princess boy ".. likes pretty things, Pink is his favourite colour, he plays dress-up in `girlie' dresses and dances like a beautiful ballerina." -In just twenty two words the first page of the book has set out everything a boy needs to know about how not to be a boy - indeed that first page could be read as a kind of hegemonic check-list of quintessential girl identifiers - implicitly setting out in stark contrast, the binary world; black and white: the difference between boy and girl. But of course, since this is a book about a princess identity its not black and white: here its purple ink on pink paper, but we are talking girl-world symbolism here.

We go on to learn that Princess Boy likes wearing: `a tiara; sparkly dress; green ballet leotard'; and `dancing with his friends' which of course are further identifiers and identities from which he finds himself effectively barred, by virtue of apparent anatomy. This a sweet book and in a very simple but effective way it describes the struggle facing a gender non-conforming boy. I can feel great sympathy with the protoagonist here and indeed his parents, and I'm pleased that the book identifies the prejudice they need to face. This book has far more reality and credibility to it than David Walliams' `The boy in the Dress' which for me lacked the often-times harsh and painful reality of a queer identity in our heteronormative school and social system. Walliam's book is fantasy of course, whilst this book is actually based on a true story: Dyson Kilodavis - the lad who is the inspiration for Princess Boy was four years old when his mother recognised that she was really struggling to reconcile her own internal rules about gender and her son's natural leanings towards a female identification rather than male. As part of her journey she wrote the book `My Princess Boy' to try to help challenge people's prejudice, in a simple way to get people to question the need for the discrimination. What I find interesting is that by four year of age he has worked out that there is a gender identity from which he is technically excluded but its one to which he wants access. We know that around this age boys and girls increasingly learn that their gender is apparently immutable - you are a .....[boy/girl] and therefore...[strict rules apply]

Clothes form the core theme of this book - the idea that he likes dressing up as a girl can only be achieved in the context of girl clothes being distinct. Of course its harder for a girl to dress as a boy - dresses can be `girlie dresses' but trousers are just trousers.

I gave my copy to a friend who works in a primary school as a contribution for their library - a few weeks later she told me that it was used in circle time by one of the classes and had helped a teacher and a class understand one of the boys in the group who himself felt like he'd rather be a girl.

I'd love to see a copy in every primary and junior school!

If you are the kind of person who is interested in interesting people then this book might well appeal. It's an intriguing read and Goulian is certainly a complex character with a unique story to tell. Goulian is a bohemian - a free and yet troubled spirit, whose story tells of a life that seemingly offered such great potential and yet somehow sadly perhaps, became one that has been more 'existed in' rather than 'lived in'. In a life seemingly filled with chronic anxiety and repeated failures to achieve, much of the text explores how his neuroticism found its roots in the influences of various family dynamics. His was by all accounts a quite extraordinary family and its members clearly each contributed through their own complex psychologies a part of this enduring legacy.

It's a very human story and yet, I struggled to find real empathy with him and for me there is a poignant sense of loss in that. Goulian has the nerve to buck the system - as the title infers, his unconventionality finds voice in his choice of clothing: albeit his choice of female array seems more about escaping the demands of masculinity than any particular female identification per se. That said, there is more to his sartorial choices - but I don't want to spoil the read by saying more here.

Overall it is an engaging read but if I do have a criticism of the book I'd say the narrative tends to jump somewhat disjointedly in places, skipping in time, and between different life stages - the author is prone to running off on tangents and then tangents of tangents before you realise, perhaps as you near the end of a chapter that - oh yes, we were only half way through this story about... and finally the story we started the chapter on is properly wrapped up.

I wanted to love this book - for me, the arrival of a parcel from Amazon always carries an excitement and degree of anticipation - and in this case I was particularly keen to get started on the book since the publicity material suggested something that looked truly fascinating. If it feels that I damn it with faint praise then I don't mean to - I came away glad to have read it and I do recommend it but there is something subtly present in the style of writing that keeps the reader engaged at an intellectual level and maybe then lacks the depth of emotional connection to fully engage the soul. Perhaps there is a parallel process hidden within the book and ultimately in what the story offers us: throughout the book he chronicles how the way he lives his life has invited chronic disappointment in the eyes of others; family and friends, who saw a gifted individual fail to fully deliver and were then left frustrated by the sense of unrealised potential - so perhaps this is the cleverest aspect of this book - that as reader we might find ourselves empathising with the others in his life and not him as author. Perhaps this is the truly Freudian aspect of the book - that he reiterates the familiar and plays out the old script one more time.

I hope others buy the book and take the time to write reviews. It deserves a decent audience - it is an interesting story.

Readers interested in curious life stories, transgender identities and gender-blending will enjoy my book Queering the Tranny: New Perspectives on Male Transvestism and Transsexualism

I normally only read non-fiction as a rule - however, I made an exception for this book and I'm glad I did. The story is sweet and touching, and the book full of 1970's and 1980's nostalgia - if you had Kate Bush and Blondie on your compilation cassette tapes you are in the zone! I particularly like the descriptive quality of the text - Ronald is a word-smith and no mistake, there are some lovely turns of phrase and the images form easily in the mind as the words pass before your eyes. I'd love to see this book studied as a class text for GCSE - it says so much about being a teenager, about falling in love, about the experience of being in school and of life more generally.

A book about teenage love could so easily have been over-sugared - I find myself thinking about cake as an analogy - I'd put this as a Victoria Sponge - which is my fave btw - its not heavy and stodgy like Dundee, nor does it rely on thick icing to make it palatable; its not trivial like a cup cake, or bland like a Maderia. This book has perfect texture and balance of flavours and its the kind of book you can munch a slice with a cup of tea and feel all the better for the experience. And if the intention was to make it last all week - one slice at a time -then just like a good Victoria Sponge its easy to find oneself scoffing several chapters at a time. The calories in this case are guilt free.......

bon apetite mes amis.