Carrie Kills A Man: A Memoir

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The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak Children’s Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by The Week Junior There’s more Scottish interest with Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo(Picador) being shortlisted for Fiction Book of the Year and Audiobook of the Year. Edinburgh resident Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait (Tinder Press) is also shortlisted for Fiction Book of the Year. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Carrie at Scottish Women Inventing Music (SWIM). The charity has been made stronger by Carrie’s contribution; her copywriting is flawless and has been a notable asset. I produce the official SWIM podcast; Carrie is one of the researchers and presenters and her skills have been some of the strongest I have encountered in my time working in media. Her approach is professional, friendly and empathetic, and she is always someone I look forward to working with.” It was crucial, I think. Part of it was because I was tired of feeling ashamed and afraid, so by putting absolutely everything out there it actually felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. And I think because there are so few openly trans and non-binary people, for a lot of people there’s going to be natural curiosity there. If you’re not trans then of course you’re going to be interested in what’s actually involved in transition and what it actually feels like to socially, legally or medically change your life. And if you are trans and haven’t gone through those things, it’s always helpful if someone else maps out the territory for you.

The series moves through Carrie’s life quasi-chronologically, a format which can at times lead to a confusingly blurred timeline, reiterating points in her transition to bring in new ideas and reflections. Her focus, however, is consistently both fiercely political and fiercely Scottish, mapping the local political landscape and attitudes towards trans people throughout her life, interspersed with tender stories of her Ayrshire upbringing, heartwarmingly supportive friends and unconventional yet loving family. I really wanted people to understand that being trans doesn’t define us, or at least shouldn’t: we’re writers and singers and parents and sisters and teammates and colleagues and friends. All too often we’re described as a single characteristic – trans or non-binary – as if that’s all we are. We’re so much more fun and interesting than that.

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When more people think they’ve seen a ghost than met a trans person, it’s easy for bad actors to exploit that – and they do, as you can see from the headlines and online. But here’s the reality, from someone who’s living it. From coming out and navigating trans parenthood to the thrills of gender-bending pop stars, fashion disasters and looking like Velma Dinkley, this is a tale of ripping it up and starting again: Carrie’s story in all its fearless, frank and funny glory. See below for the full list of nominees: Books of the Year – The 2023 shortlists Fiction BOOK OF THE YEAR supported by Good Housekeeping From the outside, many people may have thought you had what you call ‘the perfect life’ which brought with it a certain status and privilege. How difficult was it to maintain that ideal, and how do you feel now about the societal pressure to live up to it? You touch on a lot of lessons throughout your life, whether through coming out, fashion choices, friendships – what would you say the most important lessons you’ve learned have been?

This book is a must read for everyone but especially for all the facts, figures and waiting times about Trans healthcare. Subbing and CMSing copy can be a chore. But never if written by @carrieinglasgow – the master of ‘good words good words *BLAM* hilarious joke'” I think being Scottish means I’m just naturally drawn to that – we Scots are brilliant at mining comedy from pretty dark seams sometimes, and we’ll tell the most horrendously embarrassing stories to make our friends laugh. I’ve done that all my life, so it was natural to do it in the book too.

It’s been really interesting and a little bit strange, especially with some of the more difficult memories: you’re taking things that used to cause you great shame and sometimes pain and putting them out there for others to see and potentially judge you for. There were definitely times when I had to ask myself, ‘are you really sure you want people to know about this?’ I’d love to. Carrie Kills A Man is a bit like a Scottish version of Titanic where the boat is my life, the iceberg is me being trans and nobody wants to paint me like one of their French girls. It’s about growing up weird, escaping into pop music and trying to hold things together until you can’t hold them any longer – and what happens when you have to hurl a hand grenade into the middle of an apparently perfect life.