Reviews
“Ryan Sallans is an incredibly brave young man who has written a powerful book. Second Son will save lives.”
“OUTsider is a moving coming out tale, a deeply feminist memoir, and a bewildering look at the ridiculousness of immigration policy in the US. A must read for women and the people who love them.”
“WHAT’S NORMAL ANYWAY? is a fun, picaresque expedition into early manhood, with the singular and lovable Mel as your faithful guide. As he discovers himself alongside the reader, Mel’s sweet innocence and quirky sense of humor will pull you into each panel and get you think- ing, ‘Just one more,’ before realizing you’ve finished the whole book. A unique, honest character who—refreshingly—refuses to take himself too seriously.”
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Michael Shirey,
Gay City News
In a time when memoirs and personal essays are a dime a dozen, Boecher's work stands out as a fun, quirky, heart-felt story.
Diane Anderson-Minshall,
Advocate
Sallans expertly navigates what it means to be a 40-year-old today in a gender diverse community changing so rapidly that even highly visible trans activists feel as though they’ve fallen out of favor — like shoulder pads and “Just Say No” billboards.
Alyse Burnside,
Witness Magazine
I read Ryan Sallans’ book Transforming Manhood in bursts during my first semester of graduate school. Each night, settling into his book felt like the treat I’d given myself for reading Foucault, planning an English 101 lesson about how to write a thesis statement, or simply walking around the Las Vegas desert feeling utterly alone.
Advocate
"Sallans doesn’t answer all the questions with Transforming Manhood. But he asks good ones, largely to himself but also to others his age (trans or not) who are undergoing the biggest transition of all. The dive into his own mortality will likely take him on a whole other ride, as bumpy and exhilarating as coming out did years ago. I’m thinking there will still be plenty of people who want to hear about it."
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- Diane Anderson-Minshall
Advocate
Ruth Marimo was a mother, Zimbabwean immigrant, abuse survivor, and lesbian. In this excerpt from OUTsider, read about the night her ex-husband turned all that against her to add one more identity: inmate.
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BookTrib
"When trans advocate Ryan K. Sallans was asked by a nervous father to talk in private, Sallans didn’t hesitate to drive out to meet him.
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In Transforming Manhood, Sallans documents the painful and gratifying moments of being an educator on the trans experience, as well as how his life has changed since the success of his autobiography Second Son."
Ryan Sallans's book release party at Vis Major Brewing Co on September 22, 2019, in Omaha, Nebraska.
"When treated academically, gender identity can be a complex and even convoluted topic. Second Son reminds us simply that life can take a great deal of time or change so quickly; that living your life as you are meant to can be extremely complicated and yet so very simple."
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Elizabeth Schroder, Ed.D., MSW
Sexuality Education Expert and Former Executive Director, Answer
"WHAT'S NORMAL ANYWAY? is a fun, picaresque expedition into early manhood, with the singular and lovable Mel as your faithful guide. As he discovers himself alongside the reader, Mel's sweet innocence and quirky sense of humor will pull you into each panel and get you thinking, Just one more, before realizing you've finished the whole book. A unique, honest character who refreshingly refuses to take himself too seriously."
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T Cooper, author of REAL MAN ADVENTURES and CHANGERS
"With his powerful memoir, Transforming Manhood, Ryan Sallans has provided the world a true gift. This memoir stands along with the great ones - Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues and Michelle Obama's Becoming. A true gem!"
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Anneliese Singh, Phd, LPC,
author of The Racial Healing Handbook and The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook
"A totally charming and hilariously specific comic about one trans guy making his way through life."
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Ariel Schrag, author of
Potential and Adam