Pageboy: A Memoir

I don't want this review to reflect his struggles and experiences.

That being said, I had a hard time with the lack of cohesiveness of the narrative. I was really looking forward to listening to the author read his story, but his voice was so monotonous that I think I would have gotten more out of reading the physical book.

I'm not going to rate this one.

While Elliot Page certainly has had a particular life and I can appreciate the vulnerability and strength it must have taken to recount his life like that I really struggled with the structure of this book and the constant back and forth in time between his childhood and adulthood so it wasn't a particularly enjoyable reading experience for me.

“It often seems like more people step forward to defend being unkind than they do to support trans people as we deal with an onslaught of cruelty and violence.”

I'm going to try to keep this sweet as I don't want to potentially write any spoilers and I find it difficult to write reviews on memoirs.

Elliot Page is someone that I feel like I grew up with, watching from outside. It was eye-opening to read these events on the inside and have an idea of what actually was happening and how Elliot was feeling.

My only critique is that I would've preferred if it was written in chronological order because I feel like it would've flowed better in that way. Apart from that, I found this memoir incredibly moving.

As a member of the trans community, I feel like it's extremely important to have stories like his told, to elevate stories and voices like Elliot's, especially in modern times with the rights of our community being stripped away.

All Elliot and the trans community are asking to do is be themselves. I think it's the bare minimum to give them that.

I am super proud of Elliot and I'm excited to see what comes next for him.

I don't usually rate memoirs but I have to say, the non-linear writing style just did not work for me. It's not very cohesive & I was quite confused about what point in time events were happening. It felt like there were a couple random stories that didn't really fit & were just kinda thrown in there? The organization just isn't good.

It was hard for me to connect to the material majority of the time & I wish elliot could've really delve into some of the things he talked about more descriptively and truly unpacked all of it. I really wish Elliot spoke more about his transness in this, those moments are the ones I felt most connected to & I teared up every single fucking time.

Okay so with this memoir I can properly illustrate my defense against people who don't rate memoirs. I genuinely do not understand this trend even a little bit because every time the person in question says something like “it feels wrong to rate the struggles this person has gone through” as if there are no other considerations or factors that go into a well written, engaging, or moving piece of work. It doesn't reflect on you to rate a book lower if the author has had crazy, highly emotional, or damaging life.

Pageboy is a good book, and there's no question to me that Elliott Page has had a lot of trauma and bad things happen in his life. The journey is well written, emotional at times, disturbing at others, and I could tell the act of writing it was probably very cathartic. All good things.

However, the organization of this book is just straight up a mess. Chapters jump around with seemingly no rhyme or reason. There is no grouping of events or chapters in any contexts I could tell. Sometimes we are dealing with Page's childhood and then we cut to the next random chapter where it's 2022 and there's a transphobic incident and then suddenly we're filming Inception in 2010 and then the next chapter is the first kiss with a girl in high school. Especially considering there is a throughline of Page's journey of acceptance but we are not presented this journey in a linear fashion or given any context why these scattershot fragments are being presented in this way. It doesn't feel artsy, it feels amateurish.

So there you have it:
Elliot Page - unrated
The life Elliot Page has lived - unrated
Pageboy, the book written by an adult and forced to go through editors and publishers and beta readers and many other people who could offer notes and opinions on how to shape this experience - four stars

Thanks for attending my TED talk on rating memoirs.

ok so like: good for Elliot Page! Sincerely so brave, went through SO much bullshit in Hollywood. So happy for him to be living his best life now.

In terms of the memoir...maybe could have used a lil ghostie writer help! Kinda all over the place! Jumps around a lot chronologically but not even in a way where like...idk, “this part is about my career and this part is about my family and this part is about dating” but just like “here's everything that's happened to me in the order that it occurs to me to tell you.” Which like you could spend some time telling all that to a ghostwriter and they could reorganize it for you.

Also MUCH has been made in the media of a few random short excerpts that make it seem like he's giving a ton of juicy Hollywood gossip here and like honestly not so much.

anyway again good for Elliot and I imagine this book would mean a lot more to trans readers or maybe to people who were more curious about ~a trans experience~ or something idk but for me it just didn't really hit as a book overall.

This book is relatable in the sense that Elliot yearned for authenticity, to be himself, for years. My desire to be trans was unacknowledged by myself, as I hadn't even known it was possible. I did like the parts where he focused on that experience, on public perception about being LGBTQ. I just wish the book was more focused on that fact rather than his sex life (which took up about 50% of the book). I love Elliot Page and I can acknowledge all of the effort and originality he put into this book. Memoirs aren't really for me, I suppose.

3.5*
I enjoy Page's screen work and didn't know much about his life off screen. Memoirs are difficult because either they are written for the author or the reader - seldom for both. I feel that this was definitely the former, a cathartic acceptance of self that everyone deserves but doesn't always make the best read. There were moments, to do with both general and trans acceptance, that were heartbreaking. Elliot comes across as a very pleasant chap and I'm glad he has such great friends and a good support network.
The fantastic title is definitely the best thing about the book.

3:

Reviewing autobiographies is always weird to me. But especially so now, when I'm giving it only three stars. I'm glad Elliott chose to share this part of their story; now, more than ever, it is of utmost importance to make trans and queer voices heard. Judging by the content of the book, it must not have been easy, and I commend them for that. I only wish they'd waited a few more years to write this.

To me, this was a lot like taking a glimpse at fragments of Elliot's life and their journey with queerness, but it doesn't go any deeper than just glimpses. I feel like there were moments, such as in the stories pertaining to their childhood, where they were able to reflect more and dig deeper into what they were going through at the time, but that insight is lost when it comes to their later years, with them struggling with their identity, and embracing their transness. I wish they'd held off a bit more in order to be able to get that hindsight. I'm down to read a second memoir if they decide to share it!

Also I know that they explained their choice for a nonlinear structure at the beginning, but it was disorientating at times when it jumped from them being 9, to 33, to 20 all of a sudden. My tiny brain had a hard time keeping up.

well this was my second attempt at finishing this book (previously I dnfed like halfway thru I think) and it wasn't better. I like elliot and I enjoyed the parts abt him coming to terms with his sexuality and gender but the way this book is written ruins the content I think. the timeline is all over the place and I still don't know when some stuff took place bc the past and present was barely separated. also all the random historical facts and the nature camp (forgot the name) part was just boring. also could've done without all the sexual stuff but that's more just my preference. I had such high hopes for this one and it was a 5 star prediction but sadly its not. I still think its a very important book and people should read it, I just wish it was written a little better that's all.

How can you rate a book someone writes about themselves and their journey? I did find it rather insightful, though. There is so much controversy surrounding Trans people right now. Whether kids should be supported, and if so, how? I come from a mindset where I think people know who they are, and when they tell you, you should listen. I also think that kids should be at the age of consent, at least, before any transition (surgical) should be made. That's just my own perspective. I would not stop anyone from making decisions that make sense for themselves and their own situations. If there are people you know who are struggling, be there for them and be supportive. This book provided insight into what Ellen Page went through in the process of becoming their true self: Elliot Page. If you have trouble understanding what would make someone go through a process like that, this book would be a step toward understanding.

Despite being about a Hollywood actor, writer and director, this book did not have that much about Hollywood in it, just mentions of lots of his work (most of which I haven't seen). And despite being the memoir of a trans man, there's not much about his transition either. Pageboy is more about Page's life pre-transition than post-. Tons of dysphoria and self-loathing and shame and hiding, and questioning, and hopelessness.

I don't even know how to write about this one. But Page did, and his writing was beautiful - spare but enough. This collection of autobiographical essays is not linear, which seems to be one of the big issues reviewers had with it, but while I get it, that didn't hamper how I felt about it. It sounds like he's in a better headspace now, better able to get and take what he needs after decades of putting everyone else first. It's a difficult read because you can feel the despair seeping into so much of it, having people not believe you, trying to keep a major part of your identity under wraps and feeling miserable and dissociative anyway, even in the happy times.

CW: eating disorders/anorexia, rape/sexual assaults, homophobia/transphobia, gender dysphoria, verbal abuse, anxiety, depression

Let me just exist with you, happier than ever.

I've been looking forward to Elliot Page's autobiography for a while. Not only are transition experiences always interesting to read, I also was really curious how that might affect the life and career of an actor. This book gave a really good insight not only into Elliot's private life but also what parts his acting roles played in this journey. It was actually a bit surprising to me to read which movie productions were the ones to empower and motivate him.

Elliot tells his stories unchronologically, jumping through childhood, adolescence, and adult life, looking at family dynamics, love life, and Hollywood career. It makes for an engaging whole not only because of the personal insight into this man's journey of self-acceptance and gender expression, but also with the added bonus of background stories and interactions with other industry stars.

Read this book and then have a double-feature of Whip It and E.T..