Samantha Allen, award-winning journalist and author of Real Queer America, delivers an intimate look at the unexpectedly hilarious moments of her gender transition.
In this poignant audio piece, Samantha Allen takes listeners along for the wild ride of her own transition: the good, the bad, but mostly, the funny. Because once she began this life-changing journey in earnest, Samantha realized that while the emotional trials of gender dysphoria and self-discovery could be harrowing, there were so many laugh-out-loud moments along this winding road.
Think about it: While her 20- and 30-something peers were settling into the people they were going to be for the rest of their lives, Samantha was going through puberty all over again, taking the whole womanhood thing step by glamorous step - from learning the differences between men’s and women’s public restrooms to figuring out how to take off a bra without taking her shirt off first. Recognizing these moments of humor brought her joy in times she needed it most - and sharing them, she learned, could be revelatory.
Part deeply personal memoir, part comedic adventure, and part insightful exploration of how gender informs the ways we see the world, M to (WT)F is a delightful listen that proves how powerful it can be to find humor in hardship.
Samantha Allen is the author of the horror comedy novel PATRICIA WANTS TO CUDDLE (Zando, 2022) and the Lambda Literary Award finalist REAL QUEER AMERICA: LGBT STORIES FROM RED STATES (Little, Brown, 2019). Her other publications include LOVE & ESTROGEN (Amazon Original Stories, 2018) and M to WT(F) (Audible Originals, 2020).
She is a GLAAD Award-winning journalist with bylines in The New York Times, CNN, Rolling Stone, and more. She received her Ph.D. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in 2015 and has two hairless cats.
I didn’t dislike this; I just didn’t find it particularly interesting, insightful, or funny. My attention wandered due to the lukewarm narration, despite what should have been a more engaging listen.
Considering the subtitle of this has ‘funniest moments’ in it, I expected to laugh out loud at least once. There were a few humorous remarks, but the delivery, in my opinion, was lacking. If you’re interested in this one, I say go for it- just temper your expectations in regards to its comedic value.
I must admit I got this book because of the cover. It made me curious as I knew very little about the trans experience. Well as soon as I started listening It consumed me and I basically listened to the whole book in one sitting. Samantha Allen has a very unique way to tell her story of transition from male to female. She takes us through her discovery of her true self, through the doubts, the sadness, loneliness and her her new life as Samantha. Her analogies and many of her stories are hilarious. Her transition gives her a unique perspective on the female experience as well and I felt identified with many of the things she noticed on how different women are treated. This book is a gem! Wonderful narration and interesting insight on the trans female experience.
This was AH-MAZING!!! Samantha takes us through all the hiccups, heartaches and giggles of her transition. Her memoir is emotionally charged and beautifully written. I absolutely loved everything about this fabulous book!!!
This was a delight! Funny, vulnerable, heartwarming, honest. A very quick and easy listen but with a lot of heart and depth.
Oh and I wholeheartedly agree with her assessment of women's bathrooms and hovering!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Book 4 of my 2025 Trans Rights Readathon. I will be donating to LGBT YouthLine, which offers free peer support to 2SLGBTQ youth in my home province.
The Trans Rights Readathon is an annual call to action to readers and book lovers in support of Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31st.
We are calling on the reader community to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters.
I loved this book so much! As a fellow trans woman at the very start of her transition — in the absolute nightmare of a year that is 2020, no less — I've been feeling INCREDIBLY overwhelmed about what lies ahead for me, but this book was a perfectly timed breath of fresh air. Samantha's right: when you step back and look at the whole process objectively, it's hilarious!
Thank you, Samantha, for giving me a glimpse into your journey and for reassuring me that MY journey isn't going to be all doom and gloom — especially if I make humor a large part of it.
The world needs more books like this, especially so those of us who fall under the trans umbrella and are sick of reading and hearing the same old, tired coming out and coming-of-age stories about other trans people. Those stories are important and have their place too, don't get me wrong, but as is said, variety is the spice of life and just like trans people as a whole, our experiences are vastly different. So here's hoping we keep seeing more unique books like this about us, because all our stories deserve to be told!
I am approaching the age of being a senior citizen. Why would I choose this book to read? I asked myself that a few times, and I am sure that many friends of mine would ask me too. Well, I did, and I do know that I am a much better person than I was before reading this book. As with many people of my generation, I only had a passing interest and information on Transgender people.
Samantha Allen asks the readers to laugh with, and not laugh at transgender people. There is a hilarity in the narration that I enjoyed, often laughing out loud. The various chapters also made me think, at times, quite deeply. The book tells the story of Samantha Allen's transition and sharing of her experience in quite a candid manner.
The book is a freebie on Audible. Go get this one and listen to it. I request people of my generation to read this, and perhaps more on LGBTQ . You are likely to turn into a better human being!
M to (WT)F: Twenty-Six of the Funniest Moments from My Transgender Journey by Samantha Allen: A humorous memoir about Samantha's transition. It looks at the difficulties and struggles of this body and life-altering period through the eyes of humor and positivity. It is worth the read or listen. 5 stars.
I was delighted to discover this new Audible Original by Samantha Allen right after finishing her other books, Love & Estrogen and Real Queer America, in quick succession. The subtitle declares this collection “26 of the funniest moments from my transgender journey” but it is truly more than that. While the tone of this book is light and tongue-in-cheek throughout, there are just as many awkward, cringey and eye-opening moments as funny ones. As usual, I love Ms. Allen’s trademark joy, and I agree with her sentiment that “humor, at its best, can humanize.” If you are at all interested in the less glamorous aspects of transitioning (paperwork, coming out to distant relatives, and prepping for surgery, to name a few!), this book is full of amusing anecdotes and genuinely useful information. I would recommend both for fans of Ms. Allen and for anyone interested in gender transition more generally.
Samantha Allen's Book on her gender transition was very helpful in answering a lot of questions I had and was a funny and vulnerable look into her life transition to a transwoman. Lots of personal details and I appreciate her opening up and telling her story. Very good work for people dealing with this issue in their lives.
While I don't think this book was as funny as the cover makes it out to be, I also think that people are being fairly harsh in their reviews. This was an entertaining book which is what the author said out to do. The entire purpose of this memoir is to pull back the curtain on being trans and talk about the funny moments. The audio is narrated by the author and I think that she did a really great job especially since you mentions how much she hates listening to her voice, which I can relate to hard. Just knowing that she kind of tackled a fear by narrating this audiobook endeared her to me a little bit and I did find myself laughing along.
This is a fairly short audiobook running at about 3 and 1/2 hours I think if you listen to it at 1.0 x speed. I double that and flew through it and it was just a really great start to my morning.
3.5 ספר מעניין וקליל, על תהליך שינוי המין שעוברת סמנתה אלן. הספר מצליח להאיר את כל ההיבטים של שינוי המין באופן ישיר, ציני ומעניין לכל מי שלא מכיר את התהליך על כל גווניו (למשל הקושי לנסות לשנות את הקול שלך לקול "נשי" יותר, דילמות מלתחה, כמה פעמים צריך לצאת מהארון - כמעט בכל פעם שנפגשים עם מישהו חדש בחייך, ועוד).
The book promises funny moments, inviting the general public to laugh with, instead of at, trans folk. Well, it wasn't funny. Allen has a wry way of describing herself and her experiences, but that isn't the same thing.
I don't dis-recommend this book: I think that it is probably a good entry piece for those who have little or no familiarity with trans and queer communities. It is approachable, and a truly personal story of transition, and therefore has value.
But for me, it was a bit "meh". I was mildly interested in Allen's Mormon origins, and a few other points, but after a while (not a long while) I found the narration a bit grating and I wanted something more: Something more political, even disruptive, beyond inviting the cisnormative public to laugh.
Like most of us, I find myself reading similar media. Horror and gritty post apocalyptic sci-fi are my first loves and I gravitate toward them constantly, but in recent years I've challenged myself to diversify my reading. Initially I decided to read more non-fiction but this has naturally led to reading more books written by women, and more books written by diverse voices.
Through this personal experiment I have discovered a taste for feminist literature and have enjoyed many books that talk about the female experience, but before I picked up M to W(TF) I hadn't read a book penned by someone who is transgender.
The book acts as a personal diary for Samantha who talks candidly about her experiences with gender disphoria, navigating life as a transgender person and her eventual decision to undertake gender reassignment surgery.
Samantha's writing reminded me of a close friend laying themselves bare with a level of comfort that you only usually develop over years of intimacy. She recounts her experiences navigating feminism from very distinct perspectives as well as the physical and emotional changes she experienced throughout her journey.
I really enjoyed the humerous tone, and I felt like this gave me permission to witness Samantha's journey from a place of genuine curiosity. After all, bodies are weird at the best of times. They can be especially weird when undergoing gender reassignment.
I feel like this provided an excellent introduction to the intricacies of transitioning for anyone who wants to be a better ally to our LGBTQIA friends and family, or anyone who is questioning their own identity in some way. This is an important book told in a unique way and I'm really glad I had the chance to enjoy it. Highly recommended!
This was both hilarious and informative. The author does not shy away from the negative experiences, but at the same time does not leave you feeling hopeless. As the mother of a transgender teen, I am glad I read this. It was helpful, I learned some things and even though all transgender experiences are not necessarily alike, her story gave me some insight into the process and experience of living as a trans woman. I wish I could thank her for writing it!
I appreciate the humorous spin on the narrative of transitioning because there are a lot of heavy topics to be covered. Samantha covers them in such an approachable and understandable way, making this both an enjoyable read and an educational one.
Heartfelt, insightful, informative, and funny, but not as funny as I was expecting it to be based on how the book talks itself up. Still, yay for trans stories!
I picked this up because it promised me the funnies , but I never laughed. So if you’re going in thinking you’d LoL , beware.
Other than that, I think the audiobook was good enough, it’s just that I don’t think it’ll stick with me like some other stories. If you have the time and want to read about someone else’s life , sure go for it.
A really enjoyable read about Samantha's transition from M-F. She offers her story up in a really relatable and accessible way, so if you are not very familiar with the trans experience, this is a good starting point to get to know one individual's experience plus a lot of the politics involved in the trans community.
Very personal fun and moving account. I had a great time listening to this (especially since it's voiced by the author), I very much enjoyed the general hope and apparent happiness Allen has found in her life. Some of her analogies made me laugh out loud but there were also heartwarming and moving moments. I also learned a few new things, which is always good.
I think the cover design and subtitle give this book a disservice. It’s warm, enlightening, funny and not in a listicle way, which the ‘26 moments’ subtitle sets you up for. Free on audible and a quick one as it’s only 3 hours long at 1.0x speed, I had it on a bit quicker reading speed than that.
Light guide through the author’s transition journey. Made me laugh in places! Chapter 17 puts in to relief micro aggressions that cis women probably know no other lived experience from.
Note: I listened to this on Audible and with the search filter it showed as abridged but I think it is unabridged.
Not gonna lie, I downloaded this book because it was free on Audible and I listened to it because I had a 3.5 hour round trip for work today. I hadn't even read the subtitle, so the content of this book was a surprise to me. What can I say, I enjoy reading whatever I can get my hands on including free audio books!
I thought this was a very easy-to-listen-to book about one person's transgender experience transitioning from male to female. Differently to other books, Samantha's tale focuses on the very human side of her experiences that others wouldn't have necessarily thought about. Yes, society is now aware of the anxiety, fear, segregation, and isolation that many transgender people experience. But (I assume) many, like me, wouldn't consider the help a person may need to find a hairstyle that suited their face, or the fact that they need to "come out" over and over again to all the extended family members, old friends, work colleagues, etc.
I had never considered the cost of replacing your entire wardrobe at once or the intense pressure a person may feel being a representative of their entire community. It made me feel very lucky to be comfortable enough in my body to wear daggy clothes, no make-up and messy hair because I'm generally not having to prove anything to anyone. I also appreciated Samantha's reflections on the difference between a man's societal experience and a woman's (including the expectation to have a boyfriend, be married and have children by certain ages).
Why three stars I hear you ask? Well although I appreciated the reflections, stories and different perspectives, I didn't really enjoy the style of story telling. I didn't feel that the story flowed very clearly even though it seemed to be mostly chronological. On top of this, once I had read the subtitle, I felt that it wasn't a great reflection of the book. Although the word "funny" was mentioned a lot, I felt the stories were more real than humorous. There was no time that I laughed out loud, though I appreciated the light-hearted delivery of the book. It made me want to donate all my clothes to a transgender group or seek out transgender people who need friends that they can just be themselves with. These are my take away and I would encourage others to read it too.
I really, really liked this short memoir! As a fellow queer person, I really appreciated being taken along for Samantha's gender transition and discovery, and all the humorous moments that arise along the way. I saw some other reviewers complain that this wasn't funny, which I find extremely confusing? Samantha's dry, sarcastic wit and incising view on her own life experience was the perfect delivery vehicle for self reflection on situations that, while difficult to get through, she can still find the humor in. This isn't a "laugh until your sides hurt" comedy story, it's a look at how one's life changes with gender transition and some of the hilarious situations that arise when, say, you're getting laser hair removal on your face and have to figure out whether cis women have sideburns or not, and end up opting to model your hairline on your dermatologist's because you're not exactly sure.
At one point she talks about comedy, specifically about trans people, and mentions how the stereotype about transgender people being "humorless" isn't necessarily true, just that mainstream comics mostly focus on making trans people the butt of the joke, instead of making insightful observations on a trans person's life and the humor that can sometimes arise during transition. Honestly, there's a lot of comedy to be found in our own lives when we're looking at ourselves and not just trying to punch down at a marginalized group. But many comics probably don't actually meaningfully know any trans people, so they rely on stereotypes and other tired jokes that, while some people might find them "edgy" in their crassness, aren't actually that original or funny if the audience really thinks about it.
Anyway, this was short but extremely enjoyable, and I feel like I got an insightful view into gender transition in the process. Well done Samantha!
Incredibly funny insight into life as a trasngender woman and I found it incredibly elightening in such a clever way. The writing style and narration is perfect, Samantha narrates it herlsef which adds something to both the humor and the complexities of her circumstances. I'd never as a CIS woman thought about the difficulties and extra paperwork or pejudices that a Trans woman faced, especially in America. I'm a little naieve like that, not becuase I choose to be, but that my experiences and interactions have been limited. I love that I am now armed with a huge bank of info on what not to say, what I should say and it bugs me that these inrecidle human beings are given such a difficult time by so many people. They are just people trying to go about thier lives and yet society and social prejudices get in the way so much and for such pointless reasons. This collection of anecdotes through transition is a great way to learn more about everything Trans and in such a humorous way. I take my hat off to Samantha for narrating this and am glad that I decided to pick something outside a genre I would normally choose.
An intriguing and engaging Audible Original, this book will not appeal to everyone. I listened to it for several reasons, however, among them to learn one transgender woman's journey from M to F. Another was to learn about the process itself and to learn about support: family, medical, psychological, social that is available in our current (sometimes dysfunctional) society. I applaud Ms. Allen for stepping forward to tell her story. It is humorous, but more than anything it's self-reflective, poignant, charming, informative, and light-hearted.
I have several online friends who are transgender and I admire and respect who they are. Not all followed the journey Ms. Allen outlines and some of my friends have become male after being in a female body, while others are female after starting life as male. The most important lesson I take away is to respect each other. Ask questions, respond kindly, and then treat each other as we would like others to treat us. So simple, yet sometimes so difficult for some to understand.
If you are interested in learning more about the process, told from the POV of someone who has experience, this is a nice easy listen that I highly recommend.
Absolutely incredible, even the most difficult times she went through can feel easier with her sense of humor. I recommend you to listen to it, narrated by the writer, it truly makes a difference!
Super fun, super honest, and super real. We may not be all transgender but understanding the challenges of those who transition is as important as being welcoming to them. Only by opening to these new experiences and realities, we can finally get to evolve into a better society. I thank the writer for sharing all these moments with us and be so true regarding her journey.