Faking It

Mewburn, a celebrated children’s author, tells her story with directness and humour. She transports the reader back to the stifling conservatism of suburban Brisbane in the 1960s and ‘70s to meet the little boy who felt like ‘‘strawberry jam in a can marked spinach’’. There’s real pain here as Mewburn recalls the secrecy, repression and violence running beneath the surface of family life, dynamics that shaped the psyche of the young ‘‘boy Kyle’’ and taught habits of detachment and shame that would prove hard to break. But she also finds comedy in the ironies offered up by that era and culture. . . . Ultimately, this brave and revealing story asserts that no life should be constrained by lazy, simplistic binaries. When no-one has to fake it –when everyone can be real, complex, and contradictory –we are all of us the better for it.

Renata Hopkins, Sunday Star-Times

I really enjoyed this biography - Mewburn is adept at describing moments in her life few of us have experienced, or can even imagine; and her humour and resilience shines through, even in the worst moments of her life. . . . Highly recommended.

Jenny Nicholls, Waiheke Weekender

A heartfelt, enlightening story that gives one insight into the transgender world. A beautiful, easily digestible tale.

Eileen Merriman, Goodreads

A wonderful writer with an enlightening story to tell. I loved the inclusion of small details . . . My heart ached in that moment of experiencing a man being aggressively sexual. The closing lines that to be unapologetically yourself is the best and hardest thing to be finished the memoir beautifully

Susan Wilson, Goodreads

I’m not entirely sure where to start. Kyle Mewburn is quite a fascinating person. Her journey from Queensland suburbia to the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand by way of… well, the world is a captivating read equal parts sad and hopeful. Biographies can be a mixed bag at the best of times, but occasionally you come across one that is so unabashedly honest and raw that you feel like you’ve been granted access to someone’s soul and it has the power to touch you more deeply than you expect. In Faking it: My Life In Transition, Kyle doesn’t cover anything up… there are moments where she states quite matter of factly that she behaved in an unpleasant way, there’s no hiding the downs to suggest that she was always in the right or that things were easy… quite the opposite. I should say that if you feel like you yourself may be the opposite gender to what your outward appearance suggests, if you know someone who is trans and want to have a better understanding of what they go through or if you are just curious about what it means to be trans then this really is a great book! I think in many ways this would be a good book to have in the school curriculum because it certainly doesn’t suggest that gender affirmation surgery or being trans is easy… but it does show it is an option and (as you will learn by reading Faking It) that can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The old adage that if even just one person is saved/helped etc by reading this book is actually quite apt here. Though there is far more visibility around trans issues now than even just a few years ago… the easier it is for people to access information and personal stories of trans experiences, the easier it will be for people who feel it may relate to them on a very personal level to not feel the need to “fake it”. A very moving and worthwhile read.

Chris O'Connor, Impulsegamer.com