• Whipping Girl

  • A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
  • By: Julia Serano
  • Narrated by: Julia Serano
  • Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (478 ratings)

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Whipping Girl  By  cover art

Whipping Girl

By: Julia Serano
Narrated by: Julia Serano
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Publisher's summary

Named as one of 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time by Ms. magazine.

Julia Serano shares her experiences and insights - both pre- and post-transition - to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole.

Serano's well-honed arguments and pioneering advocacy stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. In this provocative manifesto, she exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive.

In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about being transgender, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity - in all of its wondrous forms.

©2016 Julia Serano (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

“A foundational text for anyone hoping to understand transgender politics and culture in the US today.” (NPR)

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Beautiful

I've been in transition for a year and a half, and I've struggled with the daily grind of fighting to be a woman in a world that hates women. Julia Serano's book helped me understand the world and my fight to be a part of it. This is a clear and concise picture, and everyone should read it.

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9 people found this helpful

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Yeah pretty much everyone should read this book

This is the best book I have read to date on the subject of gender. Wish I had read it years ago.

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7 people found this helpful

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Very Informative

I admit I thought I knew a lot on this subject. But only a few pages in I found out I knew nothing!

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4 people found this helpful

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This book will make you uncomfortable.

If I had more space the title of this review would be "this book will make you uncomfortable and that's why you should read it.
Forget every chapter, every paragraph of Serrano's book is an education. The chapters ebb and flow between horrifying historical facts, (typical of history's treatment of any kind of "outlier") emotional anecdotes and fiercely educational moments. While I did struggle to remember a the terms (cis privilege, right here) I do feel like I ended the book feeling more educated and empathetic to transgender people. At the very least, I have a better understanding of just how deep cis privilege goes and can reflect further on how to better myself and be conscious of my privilege as a move through the world.

I knock it down a star because I do think Serrano's narration is a too slow. I often speed up books but increased the speed here even more than usual.

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2 people found this helpful

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Essential Feminist Reading

I had the pleasure of reading Whipping Girl in print for my Gender Studies minor several years ago, and was thrilled to see it available as an audiobook. Revisiting the text in Serano’s own voice felt just as fresh and engaging as my first read.

Whipping Girl is a detailed, nuanced, and well-researched look into the various gender relations present today. Serano addresses topics specific to the trans experience, describing biology vs. socialization, oppositional sexism, gender entitlement, cross-dressing, and so much more. Serano’s text is grounded in the material realities of the trans experience, pulling from traditional and post-structural feminist theory while critiquing them both. This is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary gender studies, feminism, and the fight for gender and sexual equality.

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This should be a mandatory read

Honestly, this book should be a mandatory read for anyone who wants to put their two-cents into anything trans related.

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Fabulicious

A great educational tool.
A wonderland of resources.
A perfect book to help one find the vocabulary in helping understand yourself.

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Loved it~

Absolutely loved it! Very inspiring and informative! I would highly recommend for anyone to read!

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Thank you.

I began listening to your book Julia in hopes of finding and learning more about myself. I cannot count how many times while listening to the book I find myself nodding my head in agreement or identifying with your examples. Thank you for being the voice you are in our community.

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Word pronunciation

The reader has this very hard to listen to habit of holding the ending of words for extended periods of time or holding the vowels for unnatural lengths of time. For example - neighborrrrr, boundarieeees, individualllll, spectacllllle. It’s very distracting and hard to listen to.

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