A timely and thought-provoking memoir about the trans experience.

Was I always trans, part boy beneath my skin, or was it that I landed in a place where 'girl' was a container so small it could break your bones?

I learn that a ready smile and sympathetic ear are the only props required to impersonate a woman. The performance becomes so familiar I almost forget that it's staged.

What happens when, aged 30, you understand you're transgender?

This was the question that confronted Yves Rees, a historian whose life was upended by gender transition in 2018. Then known as a woman called Anne, Yves was forced to grapple with the sudden knowledge that they were not, in fact, a woman at all.

But when you've lived a lie for so long, how do you discover who you really are? And how do you re-learn to live in the world as a different gender?

All About Yves tells their moving journey of re-becoming, at the same time laying bare the messiness of bodies, gender and identity. It shares the challenges and joys of being transgender in Australia today, and reveals how trans experiences like Yves' can teach all of us about what it means to be human.

Available in paperback, ebook and audio book.

PRAISE FOR ALL ABOUT YVES

‘All About Yves is one of those books that will stay with you—a smart, intimate and generous memoir of coming-of-age that is always keenly aware of the historical context and lineage, so often hidden, of which it is a part. Rees has a wonderful ability to speak plainly—and engagingly—about complex ideas, and the ways in which much larger forces make their marks on all of our lives. Above all, it is a book of great heart and gentle intelligence, and one that will mean a great deal to many people.’

— FIONA WRIGHT, author of The World Was Whole

‘Rees has given us a gift. Here, they give us euphoria. Their writing is a balm for anyone who has lived on the margins. Rees takes this experience and gives it breath so that we might better understand the essential humanity of our own project; that we are here to love whoever is around to be loved. In the detail, they give us knowledge. In the story, hope.’

— RICK MORTON, author of My Year of Living Vulnerably

‘A wondrous and searingly honest story of becoming and being trans. A must read for us all. A remarkable memoir that gives readers the space to imagine the other possibilities outside of the gender binary. All About Yves is a powerful act of resistance that will open up new possibilities for readers.’

— MANDY BEAUMONT, author of Wild, Fearless Chests

‘With their winning combination of piercing intelligence, wry humour and raw emotion, Yves Rees has provided a touchstone for anyone who might know, deep down, that they are not living their truth—trans or otherwise. Ultimately, All About Yves reveals all about us: the messy, painful, hungry, joyful, complex condition of being human. Brilliant, brave and paradigm-shifting, this is the book we need now. This book will change—and quite possibly save—lives.’

— CLARE WRIGHT, Stella Prize-winning author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka

‘Rees provides us with their deep insights into contemporary trans and gender diverse history as its being made…All About Yves is the book I wish I’d been able to give my mother when I was transitioning.’

— SAM ELKIN, Transgender Victoria Board Member

‘This is the memoir we need right now: thoughtful and truthful, engaging and illuminating, sometimes vulnerable and often powerful, and above all, exquisitely written. Like all good memoirs, All About Yves tells one person’s story and creates meaning and questions for us all.’

— DR KELLY GARDINER, writer, poet and academic

‘All About Yves welcomes you into the anxiety and quest of finding one’s path in a binary world: An utterly charming and deeply contextualising take on trans identity.’

— KAYA WILSON, author of As Beautiful As Any Other

‘We need more books like this in the world. All About Yves has fundamentally transformed how I think about gender. The best writers complicate things and their work is incredibly complex, filled with insight and power and vulnerability and in the end: hope. Should be compulsory reading.’

— KATHERINE COLLETTE, author of The Helpline

‘All About Yves is a deep and messy journey of personal transformation, that sifts through the complexities and the contradictions of living honestly. Yves compels us to move outside stale binaries of thinking and being, that limit not only our imaginations and hearts, but also reproduce legacies of incredible harm and injustice. Reminding readers that we are always in flux, and the real value and richness of living the questions, and following them, wherever they lead.’

— SARAH FIRTH, comic artist and writer

‘Rees welcomes us into the intimate experience of transition by inter- weaving their coming out story with philosophy, academic thought, and recent politics. Writing with openness and wry honesty, Rees encourages us to embrace the expansiveness and contradictions of nonbinary gender. You’ll never be prouder to attend the same gender clinic.’

— BRIAR ROLFE, illustrator and comic artist

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

‘Wonderful, moving and illuminating.’ — SOFIE LAGUNA, Miles Franklin winner

‘For the last few nights, I’ve been mesmerised by Yves Rees’ riveting memoir. Their story of transition, self-discovery and the joys - and challenges - of being trans is such an education, beautifully told.’ — BENJAMIN LAW, author and broadcaster

‘[A] book that sparkles in its specificity - smart, funny, curious Yves is a vibrant presence on every page…Clear-eyed, big-hearted and beautifully written.’ — EMILY MAGUIRE, novelist

‘[A] beautifully written, empathetic, eye opening and gripping memoir.’ – JAMILA RIZVI, author and Chief Creative Officer of Future Women

‘[A]n exquisite piece of writing.’ – ASTRID EDWARDS, Chair of Melbourne Writers Festival

‘It’s a beautifully written book. It’s gentle, it’s reflective.’ — ANNABEL CRABB, political journalist and TV host

‘[A] beautiful memoir about gender, identity and life…Stunning writing!’ — CLEMENTINE FORD, author

‘All About Yves is the third audiobook I’ve worked on and I am so overwhelmingly proud to have played a small part in this story. This book is essential reading/listening. I was deeply moved narrating it; I felt so seen as a TGNC person, fought for, at times furious, and ultimately filled with hope and emboldened to keep on fighting, thriving, self-defining, existing to the fullest. A hugely cathartic experience for me and an absolute gift to the world.’ — HARVEY ZIELINSKI, trans actor

‘So much to think about in the wonderfully thoughtful new memoir from ⁦Yves Rees. After decades deeply involved in gender/sexual politics & liberation movements, I’m exhilarated to discover more. Congrats to Yves on their courage & sharing.’ — REV DR STEPHANIE DOWRICK, writer and minister

‘[The] book I’m talking at length about with my friends and giving copies to. Not only a generously shared story but so beautifully written too” — TAMARA OUDYN, ABC broadcaster

‘A stunning book that you all need to read…They’ve told this story with such humility, vulnerability and heart.’ — JACINTA PARSONS, ABC broadcaster

‘A must read…I loved hanging out there as they explore the nuances of gender, sexuality and sex.’ — ROZ BELLAMY, editor of Archer Magazine

‘An incredibly generous account of Rees’ trans identity…The gender binary seems so needlessly limiting when you stop and think about it and I’m so grateful for books that make me, a gender conforming cis person, do exactly that.’ — JACLYN CRUPI, bookseller, critic and author

‘The book by award-winning writer and historian Dr Yves Rees will capture your heart and mind. This tale of self-identity and discovery is a captivating read about one person’s trans experience….All About Yves is a strong and powerful memoir that speaks to the struggles of understanding gender and identity in a modern world.’ — MICHAEL JAMES, QNews

‘In All About Yves, the award-winning author and historian details their journey of transition with illuminating insight. Through this awakening, readers are challenged to examine the depth of their own empathy and question assumptions they had about their own existence. 9.3/10’ – DAN SHAW, Happy Magazine

‘[A] triumph…It conveys beautifully all the complexity, the risk, the rightness, of living the questions.’ – KYLIE MIRMOHAMADI, writer

‘Profound, with great insight into both the trans and the human experience. Yves Rees writes with searing honesty and heart. My pick for book of the year.’ – ASS/PROF AMIE ALBRECHT, University of South Australia

“Vivid, thoughtful, wide-ranging. I’m in awe of Yves Rees’ writing.” — PROF ALISON YOUNG, University of Melbourne

‘I found this read to be interesting and hugely enlightening…All About Yves opens an important, brave conversation that society needs a better understanding of.’ — @mel_bookworm_reviews 

‘Listen up everyone – All About Yves by Yves Rees is AWESOME and informative and thought-provoking and humble and fabulous and deserves to win all the prizes.’ – DR JAYNE PERSIAN, University of Southern Queensland

‘I feverishly devoured Yves’ wonderful new book. A stunning, thoughtful and poetic read. Congratulations.’ – DR JAYNE RANTALL, historian

‘A compulsively readable account that I’m sure I’ll be thinking of long after reading hour is over!’ — HAYLEY SCRIVENOR, writer

‘Highly recommended for all those interested in unpacking or breaking through binary ways of being.’ — CATH FERLA, author of Ghost Girls

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