Irreversible Damage: Teenage Girls and the Transgender Craze
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- Create Date：2022-06-28 08:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Abigail Shrier
- ISBN：1800750366
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Summary
'Every parent needs to read this' Helen Joyce Until just a few years ago， gender dysphoria - severe discomfort in one's biological sex - was vanishingly rare。 It was typically found in less than 。01 percent of the population， emerged in early childhood， and afflicted males almost exclusively。 But today whole groups of female friends in colleges and schools across the world are coming out as 'transgender'。 These are girls who had never experienced any discomfort in their biological sex until they heard a coming-out story from a speaker at a school assembly or discovered the internet community of trans 'influencers'。 Unsuspecting parents now find their daughters in thrall to YouTube stars and 'gender-affirming' educators and therapists， who push life-changing interventions on young girls - including medically unnecessary double mastectomies， and hormone treatments that can cause permanent infertility。 Abigail Shrier， a writer for the Wall Street Journal， has talked to the girls， their agonised parents， and the therapists and doctors who enable gender transitions， as well as to 'detransitioners' - young women who bitterly regret what they have done to themselves。 Coming out as transgender immediately boosts these girls' social status， Shrier finds， but once they take the first steps of transition， it is not easy to walk back。
Reviews
Deep Frey
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This book was well written but the subject matter was difficult to read。 The author's arguments are very logical and well thought out。 At no point does she deny gender dysphoria or brand individuals as immoral。 Her comments about the current "affirmative care" standards make so much sense。 I would highly recommend this。 This book was well written but the subject matter was difficult to read。 The author's arguments are very logical and well thought out。 At no point does she deny gender dysphoria or brand individuals as immoral。 Her comments about the current "affirmative care" standards make so much sense。 I would highly recommend this。 。。。more
Bambi
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Recommending this book to every parent I know。
Gilles Tellier
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Person who identifies as a journalist just doing her best to push this generation's version of the satanic panic。 Person who identifies as a journalist just doing her best to push this generation's version of the satanic panic。 。。。more
Strange Weather
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This was more of a 3 for me， but given the “reviewers” who have inundated to award the book a 1 star in symbolic stance without reading， I thought I’d bump a star。What I liked: interviews with older trans people， parents， teenagers and detransitioners。 That’s what I was here for and wish there was more of it。 Regardless of your beliefs， many of these accounts are absolutely heartbreaking。 The bottom line: teenagers and children can’t consent to permanent choices impacting their body systems and This was more of a 3 for me， but given the “reviewers” who have inundated to award the book a 1 star in symbolic stance without reading， I thought I’d bump a star。What I liked: interviews with older trans people， parents， teenagers and detransitioners。 That’s what I was here for and wish there was more of it。 Regardless of your beliefs， many of these accounts are absolutely heartbreaking。 The bottom line: teenagers and children can’t consent to permanent choices impacting their body systems and fertility。 There is money to be made and status to be had in being a “gender affirmative support” provider。 These people， from psychologists to surgeons to school counselors， I find among the most selfish， morally repugnant I can imagine。 I know how vulnerable to propaganda my 18-22 year old students are， technical “adults。” Though I appreciated this book， I recommend Helen Joyce’s Trans more in nearly every way: it’s much less agonistic （I think the marked agenda was a detraction from Shrier’s larger impact; the stories speak for themselves）， and contains more info。 。。。more
Albert
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important book unfortunately written from a clearly admitted conservative perspective。 I would prefer a more "objective"， less personal treatment， and I believe that such book would be better for persuading others about the dangers of ideology-driven psychotherapeutic "care"。。。 I do not think the book is biased in any important way， but it is easy to disregard it as written by "an enemy"。。。 important book unfortunately written from a clearly admitted conservative perspective。 I would prefer a more "objective"， less personal treatment， and I believe that such book would be better for persuading others about the dangers of ideology-driven psychotherapeutic "care"。。。 I do not think the book is biased in any important way， but it is easy to disregard it as written by "an enemy"。。。 。。。more
Hayley
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“Perhaps we as society have taught ourselves that happiness is a natural state and that any feeling of sadness is an indicator of crisis”。Irreversible Damage provides a macro lens to explain the drastic increase in gender dysphoria among todays youth in the last decade。 If you are looking for a longitudinal study or an evidence-based text， this is not your source。 However， it was an interesting perspective。 The author was certainly biased in her perspective。 Most information appears to come from “Perhaps we as society have taught ourselves that happiness is a natural state and that any feeling of sadness is an indicator of crisis”。Irreversible Damage provides a macro lens to explain the drastic increase in gender dysphoria among todays youth in the last decade。 If you are looking for a longitudinal study or an evidence-based text， this is not your source。 However， it was an interesting perspective。 The author was certainly biased in her perspective。 Most information appears to come from interviews with a myriad of transgender youth/ young adults， parents of transgender youth/ young adults， as well as medical/ mental health professionals’ policies and procedures。Irreversible Damage purports social media， less face to face time， and the idea that girlishness and femininity require a Barbie like appearance are some reasons for the drastic increase。 I have long considered social media to be damaging to today’s youth， although I had never considered the effects of only seeing peers on social media。 Youth no longer see one another’s flaws， they primarily see the perfect façade peers post online。 Shrier makes a valid point that the absence of face to face time drastically changes one’s own view on themselves。 This provides great context for the rapid increase in anxiety and depression rates in current society。The book takes a large look at mental health professional’s response to gender dysphoria compared to the required response to other mental health disorders （as detailed in the DSM-5）。 It was interesting to learn therapists immediately affirm all thoughts of gender dysphoria， rather than engage is evidence based therapeutic techniques。 If therapy is about questioning a client to assist in gaining understanding， is it in the client’s best interest to immediately affirm？ Do clinicians ever ask a youth or consider themselves if transitioning will ameliorate distress？I can understand why this may be a controversial read for some， but it is an interesting look！ 。。。more
Alisa
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Abigail Shrier risked journalistic blackballing by writing a book that seeks to objectively look at a societal occurrence which gives every indication of being a social contagion。 She offers support to trans adults and members of the LGBTQ community， yet is reviled as being trans/homophobic because she dares to question the progressive agenda that often trumps sound medical practices。As her title indicates， unexamined self diagnoses of being transgendered are being not only affirmed， but met wit Abigail Shrier risked journalistic blackballing by writing a book that seeks to objectively look at a societal occurrence which gives every indication of being a social contagion。 She offers support to trans adults and members of the LGBTQ community， yet is reviled as being trans/homophobic because she dares to question the progressive agenda that often trumps sound medical practices。As her title indicates， unexamined self diagnoses of being transgendered are being not only affirmed， but met with medications and surgeries which cause Irreversible Damage。 “…eighteen may be the age of majority， but especially today， it’s still very young。 So many of these girls who are drawn into the transgender world are already battling anorexia， anxiety， and depression。 They are lonely。 They are fragile。 And more than anything， they want to belong。 Adults in their lives should realize this， but instead， the moment the girls voice the shibboleth “I’m trans，” nearly every adult， even medical professionals， regard them with the awe owed to a prophet， not the skepticism usually applied to a suffering teen。” There is a political component - parents being excluded from life-altering decisions made by still-developing teen minds。 And medical professionals adhering （or bowing） to political ideologies by prescribing hormones and surgeries that contradict the Hippocratic Oath of First， do no harm。There is an insidious misogyny in this。 “While all this sexual identity politics marches through the front door， a large-scale robbery is taking place: the theft of women’s achievement。 The more incredible a woman is， the more barriers she busts through， the more “gender-nonconforming” she is deemed to be。 In this perverse schema， by definition， the more amazing a woman is， the less she counts as a woman。” This is a heartbreaking book， but one so needed in our age of social media and internet porn where girls are presented airbrushed images they can’t possibly match and destructive sexuality they are often repelled by。 。。。more
Kevin Halloran
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Shrier is a progressive Jewish journalist who shares this devastating critique of the transgender movement。 She's done humanity a service in investigating the many layers of destruction pushed by gender ideology。 Shrier is a progressive Jewish journalist who shares this devastating critique of the transgender movement。 She's done humanity a service in investigating the many layers of destruction pushed by gender ideology。 。。。more
Tyson Reid
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Honestly this was better than I was even expecting。 It was incredibly thought provoking， with great examples， stories， and research to help explain a lot of the thoughts that I have been having for years now as I have watched a certain level of contagion with young kids around sexual orientation and gender identity。 I highly recommend this one， especially for parents with young girls。
Courtney
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I listened to the audiobook version of this book， and there were so many cringe moments。 I “get” the argument that this author is trying to make， but much of the argument is based on ridiculous gender stereotypes that I just cannot get behind。
Angie。
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This seems like a pretty important book to read right now。 Especially if you have girls that are school aged。
Sarah Patrick
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I couldn’t put this book down。 “Controversial” some would say， but such an important read。 The stories， data， and interviews are heartbreaking， shocking， but most importantly eye opening。
Shaylin
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One of the most moving parts of the book comes from the ending section “The Way Back。” Shrier openly and proudly celebrates womanhood and motherhood in a way that many shrink away from for fear of offending。 “Pricked by embarrassment of natural differences between men and women， [some feminists] blame society and insist women need to be taught to adopt different preferences。 But behind this insistence lies the idea that women’s preferences are inferior （209）。”“Girls are different。 They are not d One of the most moving parts of the book comes from the ending section “The Way Back。” Shrier openly and proudly celebrates womanhood and motherhood in a way that many shrink away from for fear of offending。 “Pricked by embarrassment of natural differences between men and women， [some feminists] blame society and insist women need to be taught to adopt different preferences。 But behind this insistence lies the idea that women’s preferences are inferior （209）。”“Girls are different。 They are not defective boys” （216）。“She’s lucky。 She’s special。 She was born a girl。 And being a woman is a gift， containing far too many joys to pass up” （218）。 This is the message I grew up with as a young girl that inspired me to reach for great things。 I dread a generation of girls being brought up not allowed to celebrate their female bodies and emotions because we are supposed to deny that the feminine experience exists。 This book does not contain one ounce of hate or harm。 It is reaching out to help a vulnerable population that we have sacrificed in the name of inclusivity。 Nowhere does Shrier advocate against trans rights （or for removing trans healthcare， as I have seen some claim）。 But there is something wrong with a healthcare system that allows patients to diagnose and treat themselves in life-altering ways without adequate safeguards。 That isn’t healthcare; it’s damage。 Why is no one allowed to question this system without being declared a monster？ Shrier is courageous， open minded， and honest throughout the book。 Factual without being too dry， but also not flowery and distracting。 I couldn’t stop reading。 。。。more
Rachael McDiarmid
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Every parent needs to read this book - it’s frightening。 God help me if I review it here though。 Cancel culture is alive and well。
Melissa Cochrane
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Written gracefully and full of nuance， this is a heart-wrenching read。 I learned more and cried more than I anticipated。 A must read for anyone who loves teenagers or soon-to-be teens。
Luvanga
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Such a thoughtful， well written book explaining the issues facing teen girls， trying to diagnose the issue and giving hope for parents。
Carin Hickey
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Incredibly well-researched， thought provoking， honest， detailed book on the social epidemic and rise of trans identity in adolescent girls。 Every parent should read this book。
Laurel Kehl
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Very difficult book to read， but crucial in understanding the danger for our girls。
Bekah
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I found this book to be very thought provoking。 In my opinion， the author talked to a lot of people from all points and perspectives of the conversation。 She asked hard questions。 I felt her to be speak not from a viewpoint of judgement about transgenderism， but more so， are we truly helping each individual or just perpetuating a craze that might not be for every person claiming it。。 and if so， why？
Hannah
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S5V1L3
Didi Quarles
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I am so happy to finally find someone willing to say something that makes sense。 This book could have been written from my experiences with some I know。 I felt like I was losing my mind， nothing happening made sense。 Kudos and illimitable respect to the author for taking the time and effort to present truth in the face of uneducated howls of outrage and literal death threats。 They may rage today but someday they will thank her for standing up to them。
Holly Fernandez
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W-O-W！！ I hope people would have an open mind and see "the other side" of things instead of going with the mass of the crowd。 This is truly a must read。 We truly need to protect our girls from this appalling contagion。 W-O-W！！ I hope people would have an open mind and see "the other side" of things instead of going with the mass of the crowd。 This is truly a must read。 We truly need to protect our girls from this appalling contagion。 。。。more
Jenn
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This book left me at once speechless and eager to talk about it as much as I can。 I am absolutely appalled at what is happening in our country with regards to common practices， rules， and laws that have been approved and passed by educated adults that should be protecting the children in our society， but are instead failing those that are most vulnerable。 I won’t go into details， mainly because I could go on and on。 I highly recommend this book to have a better understanding of how this epidemic This book left me at once speechless and eager to talk about it as much as I can。 I am absolutely appalled at what is happening in our country with regards to common practices， rules， and laws that have been approved and passed by educated adults that should be protecting the children in our society， but are instead failing those that are most vulnerable。 I won’t go into details， mainly because I could go on and on。 I highly recommend this book to have a better understanding of how this epidemic of trans culture is permeating our adolescent population。 。。。more
Steph Leeson
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I don’t even know where to begin。 Lots of information was unpacked in this book。 It is absolutely heartbreaking to find out how some teachers and therapists are able to manipulate kids when they are away from their parents。 The author was sure that she interviewed parents from all different types of backgrounds。 Gay， straight， right wing， left wing， single and divorced。 There was no bias opinion。 Just facts。 It makes me really sad to think what our children are battling right now and the pressur I don’t even know where to begin。 Lots of information was unpacked in this book。 It is absolutely heartbreaking to find out how some teachers and therapists are able to manipulate kids when they are away from their parents。 The author was sure that she interviewed parents from all different types of backgrounds。 Gay， straight， right wing， left wing， single and divorced。 There was no bias opinion。 Just facts。 It makes me really sad to think what our children are battling right now and the pressures they feel to immediately fit in。 I highly recommend you listen to this。 There is so much Information that is overlooked and not shared to these little girls。 。。。more
Nousa
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We are in a very hard time where parents are put in the worst situation ever。 You live for your kids and all of a sudden you watch them losing their life and their identity because of this craze that is spreading rapidly around the world。 This book helped me a lot understanding what is going through。 Why only teenage？ They are very easy to control。 Gender dysphasia is a very little percentage since the beginning of the world and mainly affects male not female。The governments， psychologists， psy We are in a very hard time where parents are put in the worst situation ever。 You live for your kids and all of a sudden you watch them losing their life and their identity because of this craze that is spreading rapidly around the world。 This book helped me a lot understanding what is going through。 Why only teenage？ They are very easy to control。 Gender dysphasia is a very little percentage since the beginning of the world and mainly affects male not female。The governments， psychologists， psychiatrists， Counciller， social workers， schools， YouTubers and dysphasia websites are all gathered to destroy our children instead of helping them while moving from primary to high school。 Nearly all the girls have the same story。 They just move to high school and this starts。 When the government implement a lesbian social worker or a nurse at school who runs LGPT club for children who just left their primary school， what do you expect when you brain wash innocent kids who has never even got into a relation with the opposite gender。 Why are you confusing our kids at a very critical age。 We all been through the teenage time and we know how difficult to accept the change happening in our bodies。 Why you are targeting kids at their weakest time。 Who is behind what is happening now。 Why no one has the right to defend their kids from a certain destiny that is irreversible。 Abigail Shear， thank you for just a great book that helps parents who are nearly convinced that their kids have dysphasia while the fact is different。 It’s a craze that is spreading out like a virus。 With a virus， you get sick and either you die or recover， but with the transgender you get sick and never come back normal。 You will live unfruitful life， like a table or a chair。I am sure the day will come where every government prevented doctors and councillors to help kids with their mental illness instead asked them to encourage kids to transgender， will be judged。 。。。more
RAW
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Wow， I had no idea。 A fantastic well researched and thoughtfully put together book。 So many things learned and things to think about。 Recommended to Liske by Suzanne and thankful to read through it first。
Julie
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Waiting to see what history makes of this period in time。
Becky
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Thoughtfully and respectfully written。 Clear and understandable documentation and resources。 These are issues that we should be able to come together and discuss without assumptions and hate for the betterment and safety of our children， whom we ALL love！ ❤️
Sara Fukuda
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Fascinating book。Gave 4 instead of 5 stars， because I don’t agree completely with the author， but that’s also part of what makes this book good。The author is completely secular。 She’s a feminist， she’s extremely liberal。 She’s pro-trans， even… with caveats。 And she’s deeply concerned about the transgender craze sweeping our teen girls。She explores where this is coming from， and why the transgender numbers have risen from 。2% of the population to a solid 2% in recent years。 In some high schools i Fascinating book。Gave 4 instead of 5 stars， because I don’t agree completely with the author， but that’s also part of what makes this book good。The author is completely secular。 She’s a feminist， she’s extremely liberal。 She’s pro-trans， even… with caveats。 And she’s deeply concerned about the transgender craze sweeping our teen girls。She explores where this is coming from， and why the transgender numbers have risen from 。2% of the population to a solid 2% in recent years。 In some high schools it’s 20-30% of the kids。 And why it’s overwhelmingly teen girls who are transitioning these days: as opposed to the demographic it’s historically been: men becoming women。She discusses the harm testosterone （a class III drug） is to females， causing body aches， vaginal and uterine atrophy， a much higher risk of heart attack and overall shortening of life。 The exact drug currently being proscribed for transitioning used to be use to sterilize sex offenders。 And permanent damage from testosterone can start after 3 months or less of use。She discusses top surgery and bottom surgery。 Removing the breasts of a teen messes with lymph nodes， and removes the possibility of ever breastfeeding or having the breasts be an erogenous zone。 Once removed they cannot be “put back。”In general， any steps taken tward transitioning can cause sterilization， and permanent sexual dysfunction， for girls and boys。 She discusses social media， teens desire to push against limits and how parents not having limits for their kids （being Accepting and affirming of anything the teen wants） could be encouraging kids to go further to push boundaries because they aren’t finding any。 She discusses how all teens struggle with coming of age， and wonders if allowing them life-altering drugs and surgeries is wise in any way？ I could go on and on about this book， I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I found fascinating about this book。 This is indeed an issue sweeping our world， especially our teen daughters。 Transitioning seems to be a carrot dangling in front of our youth in particular: promising happiness， freedom from depression， anxiety， confusion， gender confusion。 But is it delivering？ The author argues an emphatic NO， despite what social media particularly YouTube and TikTok portray。 。。。more
Sarah
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