Fairest: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-06-22 06:52:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Meredith Talusan
- ISBN：0525561323
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Summary
Finalist for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction
Talusan sails past the conventions of trans and immigrant memoirs。 -- The New York Times Book Review
A ball of light hurled into the dark undertow of migration and survival。 --Ocean Vuong， author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
A singular， beautifully written coming-of-age memoir of a Filipino boy with albinism whose story travels from an immigrant childhood to Harvard to a gender transition and illuminates the illusions of race， disability， and gender
Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism， a sun child from a rural Philippine village， who would grow up to become a woman in America。 Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U。S。 citizenship， Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother， a grounding force as she was treated by others with special preference or public curiosity。 As an immigrant to the United States， Talusan came to be perceived as white。 An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race， class， sexuality， and her place within the gay community。 She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender。 Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man， and transitioned to become a woman， despite the risk of losing a man she deeply loved。 Throughout her journey， Talusan shares poignant and powerful episodes of desirability and love that will remind readers of works such as Call Me By Your Name and Giovanni's Room。 Her evocative reflections will shift our own perceptions of love， identity， gender， and the fairness of life。
Talusan sails past the conventions of trans and immigrant memoirs。 -- The New York Times Book Review
A ball of light hurled into the dark undertow of migration and survival。 --Ocean Vuong， author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
A singular， beautifully written coming-of-age memoir of a Filipino boy with albinism whose story travels from an immigrant childhood to Harvard to a gender transition and illuminates the illusions of race， disability， and gender
Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism， a sun child from a rural Philippine village， who would grow up to become a woman in America。 Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U。S。 citizenship， Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother， a grounding force as she was treated by others with special preference or public curiosity。 As an immigrant to the United States， Talusan came to be perceived as white。 An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race， class， sexuality， and her place within the gay community。 She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender。 Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man， and transitioned to become a woman， despite the risk of losing a man she deeply loved。 Throughout her journey， Talusan shares poignant and powerful episodes of desirability and love that will remind readers of works such as Call Me By Your Name and Giovanni's Room。 Her evocative reflections will shift our own perceptions of love， identity， gender， and the fairness of life。
Reviews
Sloane Patridge
，
wow
Maria Castello
，
Completely absorbing and powerful memoir told from an absolutely fascinating perspective。 Really fantastic writing。 Highly work a read！
Alli Tripp
，
A candid and inspiring personal experience。 This is one person's gender discovery journey。 I hope it helps many people understand that gender is not a binary A candid and inspiring personal experience。 This is one person's gender discovery journey。 I hope it helps many people understand that gender is not a binary 。。。more
Ironman Ninetytwo
，
Stunning in its bravery and unstintingly honest eye at herself。 Meredith's book really resonated with me。 Given that honesty， how did it work out， Meredith？ Was it all worth it？ The answer "yes， no， maybe" is the honest answer and I couldn't ask for more， although it is frustratingly complicated。 A few highlights I have struggled with and continue to struggle with:"I realized how little of myself was really mine， when so much of me had been molded by my desire to be worthy of other people’s appr Stunning in its bravery and unstintingly honest eye at herself。 Meredith's book really resonated with me。 Given that honesty， how did it work out， Meredith？ Was it all worth it？ The answer "yes， no， maybe" is the honest answer and I couldn't ask for more， although it is frustratingly complicated。 A few highlights I have struggled with and continue to struggle with:"I realized how little of myself was really mine， when so much of me had been molded by my desire to be worthy of other people’s approval。""I wanted to be a woman because I wanted other people to perceive my qualities through the lens of that gender， but having molded myself to their expectations， I now understood how much of an illusion gender was too。""I wanted to be in his nun’s habit and not my suit， because a dress to me meant a release from the shackles of forced masculinity""It turned out my only impediment to manifesting the womanhood that lived inside me was not other people’s perceptions but my perception of myself。""I’d grown much less precious about how people gendered me， even though I still felt alienated from the toxic parts of manhood。" 。。。more
Carol Laforteza
，
I knew Meredith。 No， not personally， but because she was on TV when I was younger。 And she amazes me。 Her story amazed me。Then， it didn’t。 Somewhere in her narrative， she lost me。 I felt a disconnect。 Somehow， and maybe because I’m just really uneducated or limited in my understanding， her transition story seemed shallow unlike those whom I know。 It felt more like because she could， she did。 It seems like an afterthought more than a conviction。I don’t know。 I wonder if she just didn’t have anyth I knew Meredith。 No， not personally， but because she was on TV when I was younger。 And she amazes me。 Her story amazed me。Then， it didn’t。 Somewhere in her narrative， she lost me。 I felt a disconnect。 Somehow， and maybe because I’m just really uneducated or limited in my understanding， her transition story seemed shallow unlike those whom I know。 It felt more like because she could， she did。 It seems like an afterthought more than a conviction。I don’t know。 I wonder if she just didn’t have anything else to say or she lost courage after a while so it seemed “shallow” or “inauthentic”。Sayang。 。。。more
Heather
，
An honest and unapologetic memoir。 It is not very pensive and Meredith doesn't seem to have any self doubt as she describes the plot of her life （I audio booked）。 Example: very frank descriptions of her sex life。 I'm left with a lot to think about: how appearance can shape reality， how culture defines gender （America vs Philippines）。 Not necessarily what the author is trying to highlight， but she also leaves a wake of familial， romantic， and friend relationships in imperfect states。 I'm thinking An honest and unapologetic memoir。 It is not very pensive and Meredith doesn't seem to have any self doubt as she describes the plot of her life （I audio booked）。 Example: very frank descriptions of her sex life。 I'm left with a lot to think about: how appearance can shape reality， how culture defines gender （America vs Philippines）。 Not necessarily what the author is trying to highlight， but she also leaves a wake of familial， romantic， and friend relationships in imperfect states。 I'm thinking about that as well。 。。。more
Natalia Weissfeld
，
This is such a moving and profoundly inspiring memoir。 It is the story of an albino Filipino transgender woman and her transition。 She was born as a male in Talacsan， a rural village where albino people are called anak araw， or "sun child。" She was raised mainly by her grandma and was destined to emigrate to America， where she would prosper by passing as a white person。 Once in America， she graduated from Harvard University。 After finding her place and feeling the profound vulnerability of being This is such a moving and profoundly inspiring memoir。 It is the story of an albino Filipino transgender woman and her transition。 She was born as a male in Talacsan， a rural village where albino people are called anak araw， or "sun child。" She was raised mainly by her grandma and was destined to emigrate to America， where she would prosper by passing as a white person。 Once in America， she graduated from Harvard University。 After finding her place and feeling the profound vulnerability of being a feminine gay man in America， she decided to have gender reassignment surgery。 After a series of formative experiences， we watch her gradually becoming the woman she was always supposed to be。 What I liked the most in this book is that she is conscious of her privileged place。 She is perceived as white， she is an ivy league graduate， and she can have the surgery she needed and deserved to have。 She uses her voice and artwork to express her true self。 I find Meredith extremely lovable and inspiring。 Her writing reveals her cleverness without being distant nor patronizing。 It was a great reading， and I would recommend it for those who want to educate themselves about the transgender experience in a setting as uniquely safe and intimate as the one that creates an honest memoir。 。。。more
Jessica Gordon
，
I really expected to love this， but。。。I find Meredith to be a person I wouldn't want in my life for a multitude of reasons， and I didnt like her as a "charecter" in her own book。 The self-congratulatory attitude， the strict emphasis on her whiteness and her thinness， the betrayal of her friends， the using people to boost her self esteem and the scene where she bought a sex worker called "boy" just turned me off on her completely。 I also noted the rampant fatphobia in this book， which was another I really expected to love this， but。。。I find Meredith to be a person I wouldn't want in my life for a multitude of reasons， and I didnt like her as a "charecter" in her own book。 The self-congratulatory attitude， the strict emphasis on her whiteness and her thinness， the betrayal of her friends， the using people to boost her self esteem and the scene where she bought a sex worker called "boy" just turned me off on her completely。 I also noted the rampant fatphobia in this book， which was another thing that made this a less than enjoyable read。She undoubtedly has lived an interesting life， but this book was a struggle to get through because its like she couldnt get over herself enough to allow us into that life in a meaningful way。 I was really disappointed。 。。。more
Elizabeth Konneker
，
The worst personality in literature
Donna Rigg
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 Stars。 Meredith Talusan is a very unique person。 She is a pale， blonde， blue-eyed Filipino albino born into a brown-skinned， brown-eyed family。 This is her coming of age story， growing up being treated special in the Philippines and later treated as White in the US because of her fair coloring。 Talusan and her parents immigrated to the US when she was in high school， and she ended up getting a scholarship to Harvard。 Talusan was born male， but starting in college and thereafter Talusan begin 3。5 Stars。 Meredith Talusan is a very unique person。 She is a pale， blonde， blue-eyed Filipino albino born into a brown-skinned， brown-eyed family。 This is her coming of age story， growing up being treated special in the Philippines and later treated as White in the US because of her fair coloring。 Talusan and her parents immigrated to the US when she was in high school， and she ended up getting a scholarship to Harvard。 Talusan was born male， but starting in college and thereafter Talusan begins to come to terms with her gender identity and sexuality， which are the main themes in this memoir。I debated about whether to give this book 3。5 stars or 4。 On the one hand I loved Talusan's frankness， bluntness and willingness to expose herself to us， warts and all。 On the other hand， there are several irritating aspects to the book。 Firstly， Talusan's obsession with looks。 She is extremely vain， and seems to value appearance above everything else; she yearns to be the most beautiful， the "fairest"。 As an adult she literally takes a camera with her everywhere so she can constantly take pictures of herself。 There are too many pages in this memoir devoted to Talusan describing how she looks and what she's wearing。 It became repetitive and boring。 Secondly， the name dropping and the elitism were a bit tiresome。 At the very least， Talusan should have analyzed the significance of class/economic status in her life， and why she seemed to live her life exclusively in very elite， well-to-do circles。 （Not everyone at Harvard is wealthy！） She essentially stopped seeing her blue-collar family; didn't seem to have any friends who had to work regular jobs; and her first serious boyfriend was an extremely wealthy， blue-blood English academic who whisked her off to Europe for the summer。 She also should have further analyzed her obsession with whiteness。 Why was she deliberately pretending to be a White American when she complained about feeling so lonely and not fitting in with White students？ Couldn't she have possibly connected more if she had shared her story？ She could have possibly connected with other immigrants， other Asians and/or other scholarship kids。 Was Talusan pretending to be White and only associating with White students because of her own internalized racism？ She should have dug deeper here。 I also think Talusan put too much emphasis on whiteness as the only way to gain status。 The poor White scholarship student at Harvard， who graduated from a public high school and has to take a work-study job to support herself may feel more left out than a wealthy Black student from a prestigious boarding school with ambassador parents。 Status comes in many forms at elite universities， and wealth can trump race， especially when a students' parents are famous or highly regarded。 Overall I enjoyed the book for its unfiltered descriptions of coming out， gay love and lust， struggles with gender identity， and transitioning from male to female。 But ultimately the book failed to critically address elitism， classism and internalized racism， the unspoken underlying themes that lurked in this memoir。 。。。more
segosha
，
an interesting story but i found the narrator to be at an odd distance from the events she was talking about， so i struggled to really connect to any of it。
Robyn
，
It feels so weird to give a lower star rating to a book about someone's life， as if I'm saying that they as a person was only "okay。" But for this book， it's definitely not reality。 The and writing style and pace and descriptions just were not my jam。 And while it kept my attention decently， I just wasn't ever fully absorbed。 I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author herself， but even that felt like such a disconnect somehow。 Like even she had a lack of emotion to her own words It feels so weird to give a lower star rating to a book about someone's life， as if I'm saying that they as a person was only "okay。" But for this book， it's definitely not reality。 The and writing style and pace and descriptions just were not my jam。 And while it kept my attention decently， I just wasn't ever fully absorbed。 I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author herself， but even that felt like such a disconnect somehow。 Like even she had a lack of emotion to her own words and her story。Meredith Talusan and her story is fascinating and an important narrative to take in。 I especially enjoyed learning about her home and life in the Philippines， and the perceived differences seen by her and toward her when returning after living in the US for an extended period of time。This was the May selection to my online book club， and once again I had neither heard of the book or the author before checking this out from the library。 And ironically it was the first month I read the book during the actual month it was assigned。 。。。more
Kelly_Hunsaker_reads 。。。
，
Meredith Talusan is a transgender woman， a Filipino， a woman with albinism。 Her book is reflective， open and honest。 She has so much to share with the reader about her unique experiences in life。 Raised as a boy in the Philippines， she moved to the USA at age 15 and soon found herself at Harvard， where she began to understand her own identity and sexuality。Ms。 Talusan talks about issues surrounding race， racism and colorism， privilege， gender， sexuality， sexism and immigration。 The book is timel Meredith Talusan is a transgender woman， a Filipino， a woman with albinism。 Her book is reflective， open and honest。 She has so much to share with the reader about her unique experiences in life。 Raised as a boy in the Philippines， she moved to the USA at age 15 and soon found herself at Harvard， where she began to understand her own identity and sexuality。Ms。 Talusan talks about issues surrounding race， racism and colorism， privilege， gender， sexuality， sexism and immigration。 The book is timely。 It discusses the issues that are of importance today。 Her perspective is smart， compassionate and vulnerable。 It is easy to care about the author。 She speaks to the reader as though you are her friend and have asked to hear her story。 She expects you to react with empathy， and you do。 。。。more
Paula
，
Poignant and insightful memoir about Meredith's transition and the intersection between gender and race。 Poignant and insightful memoir about Meredith's transition and the intersection between gender and race。 。。。more
Tori Hook
，
I wanted to like this book more than I did。 Talucsan's story itself is really incredible--a story and a narrative and a life that everyone should know about。 However， I found myself getting really bogged down by the amount of details included。 It sometimes felt， to me， that the story itself was slowed down or unnecessarily complicated by the amount of extraneous detail included。 I wanted to like this book more than I did。 Talucsan's story itself is really incredible--a story and a narrative and a life that everyone should know about。 However， I found myself getting really bogged down by the amount of details included。 It sometimes felt， to me， that the story itself was slowed down or unnecessarily complicated by the amount of extraneous detail included。 。。。more
Tuni
，
This is hard， because I am glad I went ahead and finished reading the book。 It introduced me to some international queer facets that I want to explore further elsewhere。 And I appreciate the journey of self discovery and exploration Meredith went on。HOWEVER， it’s hard to really enjoy a book when you dislike the voice of the main character。 Of the author， being as this is a memoir。 It felt like we were seeing this journey through rose tinted glasses。 Or that there was a thin film of falsehood to This is hard， because I am glad I went ahead and finished reading the book。 It introduced me to some international queer facets that I want to explore further elsewhere。 And I appreciate the journey of self discovery and exploration Meredith went on。HOWEVER， it’s hard to really enjoy a book when you dislike the voice of the main character。 Of the author， being as this is a memoir。 It felt like we were seeing this journey through rose tinted glasses。 Or that there was a thin film of falsehood to everything that presented even the faults and mistakes in the most flattering of light。The biggest example is the Filipino “man” she bought for a night when she visited home while still living/presenting as a gay man。 A “man” who she picked because he looked young and inexperienced。 Who gave his name as Boy。 And who was almost assuredly only a sex worker because of human trafficking。 But this is never really acknowledged or addressed。 It’s just presented as her projecting on him & living out a childhood fantasy of being with her childhood best friend。 Just another facet of her sexual growth and journey。 A smattering of guilt and then the whole thing is forgotten。I don’t know。 Beyond that very uncomfortable scene， it just made everything seem very shallow。 That even with the heavy topics and these deeply personal experiences being laid bare， we were only getting this idealized version of it。 。。。more
Bianca
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4-4。5， rounded up。
Chacha
，
Much appreciation for Meredith， and her strength and transparency in sharing her story。 ❤
joy ferguson
，
Thoughtful memoir about queer life and transitioning to a woman includes reflections on colonialism， race， art， and friendships。 It has me thinking more about beauty and gender roles with a different angle。
La'Tonya Rease Miles
，
There are times when Meredith is downright unlikable: she is snobby， bratty， catty and narcissistic。 At one point （early on）， I gave her an ultimatum otherwise I was going to quit the book。 （I listened to it）。 And I asked: does the world need yet ANOTHER memoir by a Harvard graduate？？？ But the narrative is so incredibly complex and nuanced that I put my scorn and side eye away and just listened patiently。 I often complain that narratives about first-gen college students stop right before the pro There are times when Meredith is downright unlikable: she is snobby， bratty， catty and narcissistic。 At one point （early on）， I gave her an ultimatum otherwise I was going to quit the book。 （I listened to it）。 And I asked: does the world need yet ANOTHER memoir by a Harvard graduate？？？ But the narrative is so incredibly complex and nuanced that I put my scorn and side eye away and just listened patiently。 I often complain that narratives about first-gen college students stop right before the protagonist goes to school or skip the experience altogether。 I am pleased to report that Talusan shares her college experiences and walks us through the complexities of being a Golden Child--one who was praised for being smart。 And white。 These are not easy things to reveal and I applaud her honesty even if comes at the risk as coming across as a jerk。 The book's major themes are undeniable and compelling making it， in my opinion， a must-read for gender & sexuality classes in addition to Asian American Studies。 。。。more
Erika F
，
This author has led a fascinating life， no doubt about it。 However， I struggled with the way this story was told。 I admired the self-confidence of this author but the language she used did get in the way of the story at times; for example， constantly referring to herself as beautiful， white-passing， etc。 bordered on narcissistic。 Also there are some stories that demonstrate some incredibly self-centred and disgusting behaviour （sex tourism in the Philippines and the entire Richard storyline， bot This author has led a fascinating life， no doubt about it。 However， I struggled with the way this story was told。 I admired the self-confidence of this author but the language she used did get in the way of the story at times; for example， constantly referring to herself as beautiful， white-passing， etc。 bordered on narcissistic。 Also there are some stories that demonstrate some incredibly self-centred and disgusting behaviour （sex tourism in the Philippines and the entire Richard storyline， both told without regret or shame） that really made it difficult for me to like this author。 But what did I expect from a book called "Fairest"？ :） 。。。more
Kai
，
Fairest came so highly recommend that I expected it to be my next In the Dream House， which， I now realise， wasn't fair to anyone involved。What made this book so intriguing in the first place was its queerness and beauty。 It's the memoirs of an albino trans woman from the Philippines who immigrates to the US and eventually attends Harvard where they explore their queerness and gender and how their passing as a white gay man/white cis woman shapes their reality。 I don't think I need to say more。L Fairest came so highly recommend that I expected it to be my next In the Dream House， which， I now realise， wasn't fair to anyone involved。What made this book so intriguing in the first place was its queerness and beauty。 It's the memoirs of an albino trans woman from the Philippines who immigrates to the US and eventually attends Harvard where they explore their queerness and gender and how their passing as a white gay man/white cis woman shapes their reality。 I don't think I need to say more。Let's get the stuff that bothered me out of the way quickly， because I do think it's a book worth reading that grants a lot of insight into queerness， trans identity， race， class and privilege。 I think my biggest problem is that there remained a distance between me and the narrator that was never bridged。 I couldn't help but feel scared or anxious reading some parts of this book， but a deeper emotional connection was missing and it resulted in me just wanting to finish the book after spending nearly a week on only 300 pages （yes it's true， I'm an impatient reader）。 I don't think the writing was as mesmerising as promised either。 There were parts that felt very self-indulgent， for example instances of name dropping here and there， and while a certain claim to fame does form part of the thrill of the book， it was put on a tad too thick。 I was impressed that the author doesn't try to hide their vanity and desire to be admired。 Sure， it's not a character trait we value but I think it's important to admit that we all have flaws。 It would have been more dishonest not to disclose this。I now feel the need to go back to Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture and read Meredith's essay because I only just realised that they were part of that anthology and I must have read some of their writing already without connecting the dots。Overall I can recommend this book， my only hope is that future readers will form a closer emotional bond because that will definitely heighten the experience。Find more of my books on Instagram 。。。more
lisa
，
I loved the author's thoughts on gender， and sexuality， and race。 I thought Meredith Talusan's insights were very unique， and I really respected her insistence on living life on her terms， even when they did not match the expectations of the queer or trans community。 However， there are huge parts of this book that is basically summarizing other works， such as Angels in America， which got tiresome to read。 I was also curious to hear more Talusan's family， but I understand why that wasn't a bigger I loved the author's thoughts on gender， and sexuality， and race。 I thought Meredith Talusan's insights were very unique， and I really respected her insistence on living life on her terms， even when they did not match the expectations of the queer or trans community。 However， there are huge parts of this book that is basically summarizing other works， such as Angels in America， which got tiresome to read。 I was also curious to hear more Talusan's family， but I understand why that wasn't a bigger part of the story。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
This is a memoir of a Filipino born queer trans person with albinism。 I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQIA community， but I found this very difficult to read and connect to because I found the author extremely unlikeable。 Even the passages written through memory where they are describing their experiences as a child， I didn’t particularly like the kid。 There might lie some truth in the theory that people being very afraid to be judged， might be the ones doing the judging。 For example:“I coul This is a memoir of a Filipino born queer trans person with albinism。 I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQIA community， but I found this very difficult to read and connect to because I found the author extremely unlikeable。 Even the passages written through memory where they are describing their experiences as a child， I didn’t particularly like the kid。 There might lie some truth in the theory that people being very afraid to be judged， might be the ones doing the judging。 For example:“I couldn’t help but judge him as we spoke， how he seemed so unsure of himself and kept blinging too much， so it really looked like there was something wrong with him。”This is how she describes meeting another child at an audition in the first grade。 （First grade！ What age is that？ Six？ Seven？）And also:“In the meantime， a number of men had gotten closer to me。 They all seemed older， which I didn’t mind， some of them fat， which I did。” This is just one of many quotes that I find conceited and judgmental。 So those were the parts I didn’t like and they dominated large parts of this book。But on the other hand， there were parts I enjoyed about the line between cultures and how a person is perceived versus who they feel they are on the inside。 This is very interesting and something I definitely can relate to， being a biracial Eurasian myself。 As for the writing itself， it felt a little forced and difficult to me。 But I think that might be the downside of writing outside your mother tongue。 I felt that it fell into the category of Filipino that has lived abroad for a long time。 I want to give it a three star because it’s honest， even if I didn’t particularly like the narrative or the narrator， honesty goes a long way。 It’s also highly interesting to get some insight into a world very different from your own。 。。。more
smalltownbookmom
，
A coming of age story from an albino， Filipino transgender woman。 LOTS of layers to this memoir - race and class and sexual/gender identity。 A very interesting memoir about a life and choices I had no experience with。 Really makes you appreciate a life where you don't have to be torn up about conflicting identities。 As a young gay albino Filipino boy from a poor family， Meredith is able to pass as white and earns a scholarship to Harvard where she eventually realizes she is more comfortable livi A coming of age story from an albino， Filipino transgender woman。 LOTS of layers to this memoir - race and class and sexual/gender identity。 A very interesting memoir about a life and choices I had no experience with。 Really makes you appreciate a life where you don't have to be torn up about conflicting identities。 As a young gay albino Filipino boy from a poor family， Meredith is able to pass as white and earns a scholarship to Harvard where she eventually realizes she is more comfortable living as a woman - this story is her journey in that transition。Favorite quotes:"It wasn't that I didn't resonate with being a gay man。。。it was the specific masculinity obsessed form gay male culture took in America that I eventually couldn't tolerate。 Gender transition provided me with much greater freedom of expression - the ability to determine the forms of femininity I wanted to embody instead of feeling I had to negotiate every feminine accessory or mannerism with a strict gay church that constantly threatened to reject me。""What I wanted was to be seen as my complete self， my gender， my race， my history， without being judged because of it。"How tired I was of leading my life to be judged appealing to others。""I wanted people to see how that albino person was also transgender and how she transitioned to be able to express her femininity and had surgery so she would be perceived being like any other woman， her qualities appreciated on those terms and if she ever hid who she was it was only so she could be granted entrance into worlds she couldn't otherwise reach - worlds that should rightly belong to everyone not just those who uphold the prevailing standards of whiteness and womanhood。" 。。。more
Renata
，
I enjoyed this and found it really engaging！ Talusan has had such an interesting life， from her brief stint as a child star in the Phillippines to her Harvard career and beyond。 I especially liked all of her reflections on theater （including her longtime connection with Lea Salonga）。 Unlike All Boys Aren't Blue this isn't specifically marketed as a YA memoir but I do think it would have a lot of teen appeal and although the last few chapters have some adult ~relationship concepts， and there is s I enjoyed this and found it really engaging！ Talusan has had such an interesting life， from her brief stint as a child star in the Phillippines to her Harvard career and beyond。 I especially liked all of her reflections on theater （including her longtime connection with Lea Salonga）。 Unlike All Boys Aren't Blue this isn't specifically marketed as a YA memoir but I do think it would have a lot of teen appeal and although the last few chapters have some adult ~relationship concepts， and there is some talk of sex-having， there isn't anything too explicit。 And the majority of the story really is her childhood and teen/college years。 It's fascinating to see her use her rhetorical skills to unpack all the cultural beauty ideals that she's had to work through （and there is some language in here that is a bit fat-shamey but a lot of it is in the context of her understanding that she's naturally thin and that gives her extra value in American culture。） 。。。more
rosie lu
，
the book is thoroughly about talusan's life， through her perspective as a queer filipino immigrant who was bourgeoisified at harvard。 i appreciated the gut honesty， and reading about the progression of talusan's （gender） identity and how it was informed by societal notions of gender/sexuality， race， and the desire to be wanted。 however， i was disappointed to find that talusan never truly addresses or dissects imperialism or colonialism， even though she points to it as a root cause of many of her the book is thoroughly about talusan's life， through her perspective as a queer filipino immigrant who was bourgeoisified at harvard。 i appreciated the gut honesty， and reading about the progression of talusan's （gender） identity and how it was informed by societal notions of gender/sexuality， race， and the desire to be wanted。 however， i was disappointed to find that talusan never truly addresses or dissects imperialism or colonialism， even though she points to it as a root cause of many of her life experiences and notions of self。and at times， it was insufferable to read talusan detailing her fancy trips to europe and metaphysical ponderings。 。。。more
Kim
，
Interesting story - cultural look at an intersectional life
Iris
，
Vlog where I reviewed this！ Come book shopping with me: sci-fi， litfic， and a trans memoir | reading vlog https://youtu。be/PJ6fEDAde3M Vlog where I reviewed this！ Come book shopping with me: sci-fi， litfic， and a trans memoir | reading vlog https://youtu。be/PJ6fEDAde3M 。。。more
Skincare For Introverts
，
2。5 - I unfortunately did not enjoy this memoir。 Personally， I felt like there was a surprising lack of introspection from the author， which is a pretty critical element to a memoir。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Fairest: A Memoir
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Fairest: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Fairest: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0