What a beautifully written, deep-diving, soulful memoir. ( )

Meredith recounts her life - primarily pre-transition - growing up in the Philippines as an albino, moving to the U.S. and being assumed white, going to Harvard and discovering the LGBTQ community there.

This was a mixed bag for me. The first part on childhood, how her difference made her stand out, was interesting and highlighted a culture I don't know much about. But when Meredith gets older and goes to Harvard, the book shifts to being almost entirely about her relationships and I just didn't particularly care to have the details of her various sexual encounters. She cares a lot about what other people think about her and how she's perceived, and while that's perfectly normal in young adulthood and beyond, I would've been interested in learning how things had changed (if at all) in the ensuing years - the book stops approximately in 2003, though it was published in 2020. In fact, over 80% of the story is her life pre-transition, and I found myself more confused about her pronouns (she/they) after reading the book, because she talks about herself as a boy/man. There are a few glimpses of the future, approximately 2018, inserted throughout the text when it's thematically relevant, but I couldn't quite connect the Meredith that wanted people to perceive her a certain way with the Meredith that saw herself as all she is. ( )

In this memoir, Talusan, an albino trans Filipino-American, doesn’t just set forth on a story of being trans or an immigrant. “I was an outcast among outcasts.” From her childhood as a boy in the Philippines to her life as a gay Harvard student to becoming gender binary and then a trans woman, she has a lot to say about determining your self-identity. I felt editing could helped, the writing seemed weak at times for the amazing story she was telling. At times, the story was tedious, but she has so much of value to say. ( )

By any measure, author Meredith (born Marc) Talusan has led a remarkable life. Born with albinism,Talusan faced prejudice and neglect in her native Philippines, until as a pre-teen her pale skin, hair, and eyes led her to be cast in a popular sitcom. Always smarter than her peers, she was eventually accepted at Harvard. There she had many sexual adventures. But through her experimentation with cross-dressing, she found that she’d really rather be a woman, a state she associated with empathy, beauty, and masculine protection. So Marc transitioned into being Meredith. Today, Talusan does not disown her prior experiences as a gay male or say that she was innately female all along. Please note that my referring to her pre-transition life in this way is not a violation of the LibraryThing Terms of Service.

Fairest is an interesting book from a unique perspective. I liked it best when the author described her difficult childhood in the Philippines and brush with TV stardom. However, I found adult Meredith rather vain and self-absorbed. Still, I recommend this book to those who want to read a transition story that transcends cliché.

I received an electronic pre-publication copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way. ( )