Skylar Kergil is a transgender activist, YouTube personality, singer-songwriter, and artist. His videos, which offer an honest and thorough look at the process of gender transition, have educated, uplifted, and inspired thousands. Skylar is a recipient of the Trevor Project Youth Innovator Award and lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
Kergil's openness and authenticity has made him a speaker who inspires hope, especially in young adults and their families, and this encouraging transition chronicle, distinguished by his eloquence and inclusion of other voices, will do the same. --Booklist The fact that the book offers so much hope after a clearly difficult childhood is truly remarkable . . . Written with openness and honesty that conveys much about Skylar's struggles, the book does a wonderful job of demystifying identity and normalizing differences. It is a beautiful book. --Foreword Reviews Before I Had the Words is candid, relatable, light-hearted, and maybe a little bit queer! Skylar is amazing at drawing the reader into his world; inspiring and educational. --Katie Rain Hill, author of Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition A must-read for anyone who is trans or has trans family or friends. This book looks deep into the memories of a trans man before he realizes he was trans. Everyone experiences life differently, and everyone transitions differently, but Kergil shares so many relatable stories that are sure to have you laughing, crying, and nodding the whole way through. It is important to look at the lives of trans people outside of transition--Before I Had the Words re-humanizes the trans experience. --Chase Ross, trans activist, speaker, and YouTuber (uppercaseCHASE1) Before I Had the Words left me speechless. Skylar takes the reader on an emotional journey through navigating his place in the world during his gender transition. It is truly inspirational and highlights the uniqueness of one's path to their authentic self, a necessary narrative in today's world. --Reed Wetmore, YouTuber Before I Had the Words is a beautiful balance of relatable, coming of age storytelling, spreading awareness for some of what many members of our community go through, and a source of education for those in and out of our community. Getting to know Skylar on a deeper level in this way had me experiencing a full range of emotions throughout. With each page I turned, I laughed with him. I got angry with him for his mistreatment. I cried and shared in his joy and newfound peace and acceptance, and freedom from his feelings of isolation. All the while, his acknowledgments of the differences even within our community are paramount--we are all different. We are all human. This book is a must read on so many levels, and perfect for all ages. --Malcolm Ribot, FTM Traveler (@gorillashrimp)