The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman

Essayist Stratis debuts with a stirring collection focused on the music that inspired her to embrace her trans identity. Born in a remote area of northern Canada, the author grew up seeking refuge from her community’s rigid gender norms in her dad’s record collection. Searching for “some secret path to understanding myself,” she found solace in the brooding yet hopeful “grocery store rock” of the Wallflowers; Radiohead’s commentaries on “the falseness of the world”; and the Replacements’ ahead-of-their-times portrayal of queerness as a “portent of possibility.” Ultimately, so called “dad rock” saved her, serving as a framework through which to examine her emotions, feel less alone, and eventually come out to family and friends. While some instances of excessive sentimentality distract, they’re mostly made up for by the author’s appealing blend of emotional honesty and self-aware humor. The result is a poignant ode to music’s power to change lives. (May)