The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medic

The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century Medical Revolution [Pagan Kennedy] on leondumoulin.nl
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The First Man-Made Man: The Story of Two Sex Changes, One Love Affair, and a Twentieth-Century…

Dec 08, Sara Jaye rated it liked it Shelves: Michael Dillon's life, chronicled in this book, is fascinating, but unfortunately Kennedy does not do it justice. The tone was much more novelistic than biographical "As the monk's robe swirled around his calves in front of Michael, he wondered if But that hasn't Michael Dillon's life, chronicled in this book, is fascinating, but unfortunately Kennedy does not do it justice.

But that hasn't been published, so if you are interested, "The First Man-Made Man" is worth a read, if only because it's a quick one. Jun 29, Ashley rated it it was ok. While the story of Michael Dillon, the history of trans folks in the world, and as a nurse the medical history of the development of gender reassignment surgery were interesting to me, I was frustrated by the author's tone and intentional refusal to use current language to describe the real people she wrote about.

It was clear that Kennedy is a cis person without a horse in the race for trans rights as she states in a disclaimer that she doesn't intend to be political. But the lives of trans p While the story of Michael Dillon, the history of trans folks in the world, and as a nurse the medical history of the development of gender reassignment surgery were interesting to me, I was frustrated by the author's tone and intentional refusal to use current language to describe the real people she wrote about.


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But the lives of trans people are politicized and the language she used helps to shape people's opinions today. So changing genders for Dillon and other characters based on pre- and post- transition is misleading to the cis community - painting a picture that until one is perceived as the opposite sex, they are not considered the gender they identify with. Additionally, the heavy use of the term transsexual rather than transgender is discriminatory. A historical book about African Americans that refers to the group as "negroes" would not be considered outdated, but discriminatory.

Mar 08, Jason rated it really liked it. Aug 21, Zoe rated it really liked it Shelves: Okay, the subtitle made it sound trashy, but I thought it was worth a go. I've always been fascinated by the various journeys trans and intersex people go through. I'm also quite interested in liminality, whether it's in terms of sex or gender or sexuality or various combinations thereof.

Although reading about Michael Dillon's early journey was definitely interesting, particularly the feelings of not quite fitting and the ways he found to try to fit in, what I really found interesting was the wa Okay, the subtitle made it sound trashy, but I thought it was worth a go.

Although reading about Michael Dillon's early journey was definitely interesting, particularly the feelings of not quite fitting and the ways he found to try to fit in, what I really found interesting was the way he always seemed to be looking for something that was missing.

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He seemed to be aching after something he wasn't, and although he initially thought that undergoing surgery to become the physical man he already knew he was would fulfill him, it doesn't seem to have. It seems like he wanted to belong—as a man, as a doctor, as a sailor—and when that wasn't enough, he turned to spiritual enlightenment. He wound up leaving everything behind and going off to become a monk in Tibet. He was happiest when he was a starving novice in a remote monastery, surrounded by people whose language he didn't speak but whom he nevertheless felt were genuine and sincere in their acceptance of him.

One of the things he kept running away from was other people finding out his secret. This kept him from his initial dream of just finding a woman to marry and settle down and be ordinary with; from his job in shipping. When his secret did come out, he actually had people stand by him but he ran away anyway. And when he told various monks in Tibet about his past, so that he could actually become a monk instead of just a novice, he was knocked back. At any rate, eventually his secret came out properly and he was all prepared with an autobiography ready to go.

He seemed to have come to peace at last with his past, was ready to stop hiding and running away. And then he died. It was just sad. I felt very sorry for him, because he doesn't seem to have been very happy. Every time he got what he thought he wanted, it doesn't seem to have been the answer. The answer, of course, being that there is no one thing that will make everything all right, that will make you happy.

And it sounded like he was finally working out what would make him happy, how to be more at peace with himself and his world, his past and his life. Jul 20, Ty rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I devoured this book with a speed seldom devoted to reading. It touches on how Dr. Gillies came to create a flap from skin to create a phallus, it repositions more accurately even just within a white supremacist account of history, nevermind a larger one Christine Jorgasen, Harry Benjamin and company who often get "the first" attached to their accomplishments.

A Study in Ethics and Endocrinology I devoured this book with a speed seldom devoted to reading. I can't believe Out of the Ordinary is still unpublished.

I wonder if that's due to the family estate continuing to oppose to it. Here's looking at you John Money. Aug 28, Logan rated it liked it Shelves: Awfully short, with a misleading title. There's no love affair. The medical revolution doesn't begin for 3 decades. This book is depressing as hell. The first man to transition medically figures out how to make stuff happen, becomes a doctor, writes a groundbreaking book on gender confirmation and endocrinology, goes crazy from the intense, constant transphobia he encounters, and goes to India to meditate where he encounters more transphobia.

Engaging and well written, not dry or boring, but not e Awfully short, with a misleading title. Engaging and well written, not dry or boring, but not exactly substantial. I think that this would have been better if it had somehow been a part of a larger narrative of the early medical history of gender change.

As it stands, at pages, I often felt that Kenndey was filling her story with as much fluff as possible to stretch it out. I got this book with a bunch of others at a sale at Pegasus. Loved this book, hate the subtitle including "love affair", that's not what this book is about, and while the book was a great read that I couldn't put down; the subtitle does exactly what the author writes about tabloids sensationalizing trans folks.

The subtitle reminds me of the ever so common experience of someone being an awesome trans ally and being super on it, then "ma'am ing" me at the end of the convo. The author should have just left the title to "the first man made man. Other than the subtitle it's a great read getting 4 stars from me. Jul 26, Laurie rated it really liked it Recommends it for: It's all about the first transsexuals.

Let me tell you, I am so completely engrossed in this book. It's not that long of a book and Pagan Kennedy writes pretty clearly, so all the facts aren't confusing. I do have trouble keeping the dates down. Pagan jumps around a bit, but it works!


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    • I'm just bad with dates. What can I say? Anyway, the things you'll learn about tolerance in the world, medicinal advances let's give people pills without testing the side effects! Jan 19, Jess rated it liked it Recommends it for: I'm looking for more language on this topic. This book isn't really providing much new language because it simplifies, but it's still a fascinating docket on a matter. Easy read with fun facts, but not particularly thought-provoking. Nov 02, Hester rated it liked it Shelves: Born a female Transitioned to male with testosterone and penile surgery Was the doctor on a merchant ship Went to India to become a monk No love affair within these pages Still an interesting story of a man much ahead of his time in a world with much narrower minds than now.

    Kennedy's writing is bland but effective but at times a little too "fictiony". Roberta Cowell was in much need of plastic surgery, her face still very mannish after vagina surgery. Jan 26, Kate rated it liked it Shelves: This book was really interesting. Throughout I was struck with the difficulties of using the correct pronouns and currently accepted terminology when writing about one of the first documented trans man who underwent hormone treatment as well as surgery to pass.

    In the western world, at least, I don't know much about the history of trans people in other areas of the world! An interesting biography of an interesting man. Oct 19, Darlene rated it liked it. Although I've really liked Pagan Kennedy's other books, this one was a tough one to get through. It seems like he had every chance to be successful, and aside from his family, most people accepted him, but he had about the most unhappy life that I have ever read about.

    Mar 02, Pia Veleno rated it did not like it Shelves: As much as this is a topic near and dear to my heart, I couldn't force myself to finish the book. The author jumps around from topic to topic without any clear segways, and the writing is highly unengaging. Despite wanting people to learn and understand more about the transgendered population, I wouldn't recommend this book. There are too many others out there that are much, much more easy to read and understand. Jul 27, Elvis rated it it was ok Recommends it for: I only read half of this book, but it's an easy, swift read that gets ya interested Dillon re-makes his entire body, and it's an interesting character study as well as good historical context.

    Good for an intro to gender studies college course. Kind of interesting, but a bit colorless. The source material Kennedy was working from couldn't have been easy - it was contradictory and spotty. I did like learning something about the history of treatments for trans-people, painful as it is.

    The First Man-Made Man

    It was mostly about Michael Dillon, a trans-man who managed to stay out of the spotlight and almost out of history. Apr 24, JJ Hawkins rated it it was amazing. I don't think this story is a five star book for everyone. But Laura could not help it. After all, she was sure that, inside, she was a man.


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    Instead, the doctor treated her to a hasty dismissal from his office, but not before tossing her a vial of pills: Within weeks of use, she found that her voice deepened, her cheeks sprouted whiskers. Newly confident, Laura took on a new name: But how could Michael be a man, without a penis? To his astonishment, the surgeon said yes, but only after the beds in the facility clear up. Which meant Michael had to wait. He entered medical school at Cambridge and, once in training, Sir Gillies told him a bed was waiting.

    Shuttling between the dormitory and the surgical facility hours away, Dillon underwent, from to , at least 13 painful operations to construct a penis. Kennedy, having come across a photo of said phallus in her research, describes it thus: Except that Dillon was still a virgin. Who, he wondered, would take him? That question, he felt sure, was answered by the arrival of a shapely statuesque blonde, Roberta Cowell, who met him one day in a London restaurant. Roberta, born Robert, wanted to become a woman.