None of the Above by Travis Alabanza is an eye-opening insight into the realities of being trans. It unveils the damaging assumptions and binaries of gender, completely flipping the narrative and radically challenging the way we think. As a black, non-binary individual who grew up in a council flat, Alabanza’s memoir comes face to face with the contradictions and injustice in society. They capture raw emotion in heartbreaking anecdotes whilst balancing this with an essay-like analytical style.
At times humorous and at times devastating, Alabanza’s writing exudes personality and traverses painful topics with poetic ease. It is a book that if everyone read it, the world would be an entirely different and better place; you can feel your outlook broadening as you read. They go about the task of unpicking gender by centring their anecdotes and arguments around seven key phrases, where each represents a powerful moment in creating their experience of being trans. Whilst some are words of encouragement by friends encapsulating queer joy, others are the repetitive and offensive questions they hear from strangers.
As a non-binary individual, the book also follows Alabanza’s reservations about whether they should transition to become female. They bring to light the impossibility of anyone being certain of their gender in a society where exploration is punished and the desire to fit in is ingrained. The book never resolves these questions as they battle to find their true identity despite the constant pressure from society to conform to a binary to survive. It leaves the reader with ambiguity but also hope for a world beyond gender where people don’t need definitions and boxes, but instead can exist in fluidity as their true selves.
Rating: ★★★★★
None of the Above (ISBN: 978-1-83885-433-1) was published in 2022
