Penguin Books Australia

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MAN?

Imagine feeling in your gut that your whole existence is a lie.  Imagine knowing, for decades, that the person you are and the body you inhabit don't match up.  Imagine living this life under the scrutiny of the public eye.

Imagine Chaz Bono's life.

The world first met him as the darling daughter of Sonny and Cher, a frequent guest on their popular television show in the 1970s.  The little girl with the cherubic cheeks, blond curls, and bright smile is someone that Chaz hardly remembers, even if the American public still does.  Then, in the 1990s, the young woman became a national face of the GLBT political movement, and a beloved activist and author.  But the work felt empty, and Chaz knew that no matter how hard he worked, it was hollow, because life, as a woman, wasn't ever going to be fulfilling.

Wrestling with gender confusion, failed relationships, the loss of a parent, drug addiction, and a journey toward sobriety, chaz Bono has fought many demons in his life.  Transition is a deeply personal, honest, and ultimately triumphant story.  It tells of the physical and emotional process that brought him to come out of the world for a second time and finally claim his life as the one he always wanted . . . as a man.

As Chaz Salvatore Bon.

'Transition is not only about the journey from female to male; more importantly, it's about the journey from fear to courage.  Chaz Bono is my new hero.'
- Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She's Not There and I'm Looking Through You.

'Chaz Bono has worked hard to become and enjoy who he is, when he could have tried to become someone else, as so many in the entertainment business do.'
- Jamison Green, author of Becoming a Visible Man.