"McBee enlarges the study [of masculinity] from a series of vignettes into a full, poetic narrative ... a physical transition is part of the work of reclaiming the lost body. But first he must understand how violence fits into the male equation, using as his case studies two men who set out to do one thing but did the opposite: The protector who abused him, and the killer who let him live ... the act of writing could amount to a kind of revenge. But empathy, instead, is McBee's objective, the most important part of becoming real in one's own eyes. 'Being human, ' he concludes, 'means being at the mercy of others.' That's a part of aspiration, too. We are born human; with hard work, we achieve humanity."–Henry Giardina, New York Times Book Review
"In this lyrical, affecting memoir, McBee ... [tries] to map his own journey to manhood ... The writing is strongest when McBee is most vulnerable–contemplating 'the warble between the shape in my mind and the one in the mirror'"–Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
"Man Alive stands as a vitally important book. McBee's story harnesses the power of self-inquiry, of generosity, of a transformation powerful enough to address even the fallout from child abuse."–Greg Glazner, Los Angeles Review of Books
"[Thomas Page] McBee's answer to the initial question of "what makes a man?" is more generous, more inspiring, and more creative than the usual gender binaries allow. Full of bravery and clear, far-sighted compassion and devoid of sentiment, victimization, and clichéeacute;, McBee's meditations bring him a hard-won sense of self–one that is bound to inspire any reader who has struggled with internal dissonance."–Publishers Weekly starred review
"[A] unique, powerful rite-of-passage memoir. Plenty of writers have written about the experience of making the transition from one gender to another, but most haven't also dealt with child molestation, paternity issues and a mugging by a man who would soon commit murder–not to mention a partner who has mixed feelings about the author's becoming a man. Resisting the inclination to sensationalize (or sentimentalize), McBee interweaves the various strands of the narrative, exercising plenty of restraint ... The author writes in matter-of-fact detail about the tension and love shared with a fiancee and about self-discovery pilgrimages to explore bloodlines and paternity. 'The world is vicious and beautiful and, to some extent, unexplainable, ' writes the author. 'But that doesn't stop us from wanting a story.' This is quite a story, masterfully rendered."–Kirkus Reviews starred review
"Man Alive does not follow the typical transgender narrative that being with years of struggle in the 'wrong body' and ends with arrival in the right one. Instead, the story is a meandering internal journey that traces McBee's struggle to come to terms with a legacy of male violence in order to fully inhabit his body, his gender, and his life ... Paradoxically, by insisting on the full humanity of both of the men who have caused him harm, McBee is able to claim his own agency as a man who chooses compassion and connection over wielding violence against others."–Wendy Elisheva Somerson, Bitch
"McBee's beautifully written story is engrossing and brave, and rings with triumph."–Isaac Fitzgerald, BuzzFeed
"'Being human means being at the mercy of others, ' Thomas Page McBee points out in Man Alive. It's one of the many sobering observations he makes in the lyrically written memoir of his transition from female to male. Narrating a series of snapshots of his childhood and twenty-something life, McBee explores not only what defines a man through dissecting his tr
