Written by 
Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters – Abigail Shrier
Genre: Nonfiction – Society & Culture
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Release Date: June 30, 2020
Format read: ebook
Source of book: This book was acquired independently by the Reviewer.
My Thoughts
I don’t think I am exaggerating to say that Irreversible Damage is one of the most controversial books published in the past 5 years. Maybe even the past decade. It is a book that has inspired petitions and bans across retail outlets. It has been held up as a totem of an equally controversial mindset. Specifically, the protest against the current rising tide of transgender and non-binary identification. It’s actually a bit tricky to find a detailed Irreversible Damage Book Review that is not just about the drama, which is why I’m writing this.
Irreversible Damage focuses on the rise in transgenderism amongst biological female teens – something that I have personally witnessed in my lifetime. The content strikes a chord with me, and it touches on societal changes that have affected my generation.
Which is why, in spite of the widespread controversy, I knew it was a book I must read. And I think you should read it too. Not because it is the best book ever written, but because the topic is one of the most pressing issues of the current moment.
Yes, the cover you usually see of this book is rather hideous. I urge you to press on though – or get the same ebook edition I did which has a more pleasant modern-minimalist cover. Whatever gets you to read it.
Content & Information
Shrier’s key argument is this: the rise in transgender identities among biologically female teens is not due to gender dysphoria as understood in a clinical sense. Instead, a combination of societal pressure, high expectations, unhealthy environments, and strong emotions are to blame. These factors lead teen girls to latch on to the label of transgender as a coping mechanism for other problems. While Shrier notes the effect of the mental health industry, she doesn’t go in depth. She ended up discussing that later on in her subsequent book Bad Therapy, which I won’t touch on in this Irreversible Damage book review.
This is why her work is so controversial. The dominant narrative of the transgender rights movement is that transgender people all have gender dysphoria. They say it is a condition that requires transitioning as a cure and must be taken with the utmost seriousness. Shrier’s counterargument threatens the need for gender-affirming medical care and for societal changes to accommodate transgender people en masse.
Some of the underlying points in Irreversible Damage have been generalised as “transphobia” by transgender rights activists. But are they really? Shrier points out the peer-group nature of teen girls, and how it shapes their aspirations. But also, how the internet magnifies this existing tendency. Additionally, she points out a system that has very quickly normalised a dramatic series of medical procedures. All in the name of acceptance. This doesn’t sound like hatred or bigotry to me. It sounds like a genuine concern.
Yes, if you have believed unquestionably in the growing visibility and normalisation of transgender people, this will push your beliefs. You will be challenged. But it is important to seriously test our assumptions.
Transitioning is, as Shrier notes, a significant project. It changes identities and leads people to a lifetime of medication and surgeries. The effects are ongoing, and it is worth questioning.
Writing
Shrier’s work is largely informed by her journalistic training. It means this work is heavily based on interviews and testimonials, especially from those who have experience with gender dysphoria. This includes the perspective of experts and parents attempting to guide these young people.
Shrier does not have direct experience with the subject herself and is instead relying on her testimonials and additional internet research to carry her position. She gets pretty far – but I sometimes I think she doesn’t go far enough. This has not been addressed in an Irreversible Damage book review before.
As a Zillennial (I think I am just included in the age cohort Shrier is talking about here) I can tell that when she writes about the culture of the internet and Gen Z people, she is clearly speaking as an older person looking in from the outside. I think this is somewhat fair. I think the intended audience of this book was actually parents and older adults. So she is breaking things down in a somewhat acceptable way. But, I think the lack of a true inside perspective from someone of the age group Shrier is discussing means that she almost doesn’t go far enough at understanding.
To me, this felt most apparent when discussing YouTube, using influencers as a case study. Shrier was not wrong in her presentation on YouTube, but it was just the tip of the iceberg. I know because I was there – as someone who personally observed the rise of LGBTQ+ (especially the “TQ+”) YouTubers during the late 2010s, I could see the gaps in Shrier’s description. Irreversible Damage correctly identifies Ash Hardell – a notable transgender/non-binary-identifying YouTuber – and how Hardell’s presentation as a sweet, caring, and upbeat individual would likely draw in fans. But I watched Ash Hardell’s channel grow in real-time:
- when Hardell identified as a lesbian and had a girlfriend (who became wife, then spouse, due to marriage and gender transition),
- when Hardell created one of the most comprehensive and popular video series on asexuality which popularised the concept to a whole new young demographic of people and single-handedly created a YouTube community based on asexuality,
- writing a book aimed at young people to introduce them to LGBTQ+ terminology and concepts,
- delved into aligning with the anti-Trump group (and the broader online Left) by creating a series of skits based on a popular trend (”Mailing myself in a box to Trump!”),
- then publically “started gender therapy” and started going down the non-binary rabbit hole before finally getting “top surgery”, their partner also started transition, and then adopting children,
These are just a few points, and there is a lot more information I could add, but in summary: Ash Hardell is a single case study. A YouTuber who presented as an approachable and somewhat “normative” individual at first. Then, over time, gaining authority and social status in a broader online community. Hardell gained influence and then displayed to the larger audience an ongoing exploration down the transition pathway.
Why do I go on this tangent in an Irreversible Damage book review? It is an example of what I feel is important context. Irreversible Damage is missing context that could strengthen Shrier’s points. I feel that Shrier does come close to touching on true aspects of the lives of my generation – but I know she hasn’t lived it and the gaps stick out like sore thumbs to me.
If anything, this shows that Shrier’s work is good as a base. But if you wish to investigate the topic further you need to consult the opinions and work of people actually in Gen Z who have been saturated in online culture their whole lives. The subreddit r/detrans is an especially potent resource. It contains lots of testimony from those who struggled with gender dysphoria and came to regret their choices.
Overall though, you have to start somewhere, and if you have yet to consider the other side Irreversible Damage is a great place to do that.
TL;DR: A foundation work for considering the other side of the transgender story, but it is missing details that would strengthen its argument.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Learn more about Crokes’ book review rating system.