The Testosterone Files

Max Wolf Valerio crafts a gripping and poetic account of life before, during, and after injecting testosterone. His observations about a lesbian transitioning to a heterosexual male highlights the physical and emotional differences between women and men, and challenges and confirms readers' assumptions about gender. Valerio presents his story in three parts: the height of his transition, in which he witnesses his increased energy and sex drive while struggling with gaining confidence in his male self and bearing witness to his own demise as a woman; life before testosterone, when as Anita, a self-identified lesbian out for fourteen years, she confronts startling moments of awareness of a deeper, earlier dream of who she really is; and life after testosterone, when the experience of living as a man is at once a homecoming and a confirmation that male behavior is at least partly biologically rooted. "The Testosterone Files addresses transitioning issues, from buying men's underwear to choosing a male name, as well as more profound subjects like male privilege, physical power, and existing as a male who was once distrustful and critical of men's intentions. Valerio's honesty regarding gender, identity, and self-perception comprise the core of this personal and absorbing narrative.