Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiographies) - Hardcover

Ladin, Joy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0299287300 ISBN 13: 9780299287306

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012

Synopsis

Through the Door of Life Professor Jay Ladin made headlines around the world when, after years of teaching literature at Yeshiva University, he returned to the Orthodox Jewish campus as a woman--Joy Ladin. In "Through the Door of Life," Joy Ladin takes readers inside her transition as she changed genders and, in the process, created a new self. With unsparing honesty and surprising humor, Ladin wrestles with both the pra Full description

About this title

Review:

"In painstakingly and painfully constructing her new self, Ladin is fully aware of the societal conventions and privileges of which she makes use. . . . But there seems to be a poignancy, of which Ladin is exquisitely aware, that precisely because what Ladin wants is so normal, her efforts to obtain it are so fraught with pain."--"Lambda Literary" In painstakingly and painfully constructing her new self, Ladin is fully aware of the societal conventions and privileges of which she makes use. . . . But there seems to be a poignancy, of which Ladin is exquisitely aware, that precisely because what Ladin wants is so normal, her efforts to obtain it are so fraught with pain. "Lambda Literary"" No doubt about it, change was going to hurt. It would require, if not tears, then a kind of ripping of your soul, a new way of life, an alteration of outlook. . . . For author Joy Ladin, pain was exactly the reason for change. Pain had accompanied her for most of her days, but in her new book "Through the Door of Life," she explains a journey that was, for her, long overdue. "LGBT Weekly" " Joy Ladin s "Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders" is a life-affirming and generous work and one of the most compelling memoirs of recent years. . . . [S]he writes with beautiful clarity, humility and breathtaking candor. "Jewish Woman Magazine"" Moving from living in misery to being joyful and grateful provided a profound, fundamental release from what she saw as a moral quandary. It s the kind of resolve that makes her work reverberate with emotion, and her artful, thoughtful writing creates an even deeper resonance. . . . A cohesive, powerful memoir. "ForeWord"" Readers will be rewarded not only with an expanded understanding of a complicated choice but also a compelling and moving story of a person transitioning, not only from male to female but from a numb, suicidal 'nonexistence' to opening the 'door of life.' "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)" "Not only a memoir of transgender experience, it's also a story of family heartbeak and family love; of growth as a teacher and writer; and, not least, of a self deeply connected to God and Judiasm throughout a life lived across genders." Rabbi Jill Hammer, author of "The Jewish Book of Days" and director of spiritual education at the Academy for Jewish Religion" Joy Ladin s book succeeds so well because it is anything but a trans tract; it is a fierce story of regular old human life: hideous choices, endless repercussions, occasional glory, frequent humiliation, abiding difficulty. It could have happened to us. She makes us believe it. Kay Ryan, former poet laureate of the United States, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry" Ladin s story is a deep, beautifully written exploration of her journey from being a man to becoming a woman. Lucy Bledsoe, author of "The Big Bang Symphony," Ferro-Grumley Award finalist for LGBT fiction" "No doubt about it, change was going to hurt. It would require, if not tears, then a kind of ripping of your soul, a new way of life, an alteration of outlook. . . . For author Joy Ladin, pain was exactly the reason for change. Pain had accompanied her for most of her days, but in her new book "Through the Door of Life," she explains a journey that was, for her, long overdue."--"LGBT Weekly" "Ladin's story is a deep, beautifully written exploration of her journey from being a man to becoming a woman."--Lucy Bledsoe, author of "The Big Bang Symphony," Ferro-Grumley Award finalist for LGBT fiction "Joy Ladin's "Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders" is a life-affirming and generous work--and one of the most compelling memoirs of recent years. . . . [S]he writes with beautiful clarity, humility and breathtaking candor."--"Jewish Woman Magazine" "Moving from living in misery to being joyful and grateful provided a profound, fundamental release from what she saw as a moral quandary. It's the kind of resolve that makes her work reverberate with emotion, and her artful, thoughtful writing creates an even deeper resonance. . . . A cohesive, powerful memoir."--"ForeWord" "Readers will be rewarded not only with an expanded understanding of a complicated choice but also a compelling and moving story of a person transitioning, not only from male to female but from a numb, suicidal 'nonexistence' to opening the 'door of life.' "--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review) "Joy Ladin's book succeeds so well because it is anything but a trans tract; it is a fierce story of regular old human life: hideous choices, endless repercussions, occasional glory, frequent humiliation, abiding difficulty. It could have happened to us. She makes us believe it."--Kay Ryan, former poet laureate of the United States, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry

About the Author:

Joy Ladin, David and Ruth Gottesman Professor of English at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University, is the first openly transgender employee of an Orthodox Jewish institution. She is the author of five books of poetry, including, most recently, Psalms and Coming to Life.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0299287300
• ISBN 13: 9780299287306
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 270