Published in 2016, Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some by Chris Edward is the second [*] memoir published by a transgender man of Armenian-American descent.
Chris made his advertising debut in 1993 as a copywriter at Arnold Worldwide, a high profile ad agency in Boston. He was the first to use YouTube content in a TV spot with two guys rapping about McNuggets and is responsible for the earworm, Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish, gimme that fiiiiish. He was also part of the creative team on Truth, which was recently ranked one of the Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century.
After building an award-winning career spanning nearly twenty years, Chris left his Arnold post as EVP, Group Creative Director to write his memoir, BALLS.
I was born a Taurus and a perfectionist, which meant I was willing to go through whatever it would take to get myself the closest thing to a fully functioning biological penis. I wanted to pee standing up. I wanted to be able to have intercourse–to feel what it’s like to be inside a woman. I wanted all those things that most genetic men take for granted..
Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some, Chris Edwards
Edwards starts his memoir with, “So I’m standing there, peeing at a urinal for the first time.” From there, he chronicles his gender affirmation from college graduation through to the present day. Edwards uses a deft and light touch to give us an inside look into the emotional and physical aspects of what a transition can be. He never misses an opportunity for humor, yet he does so without self-deprecation. He never puts himself down to make the narrative palatable for cisgender readers. More than anything else, his integrity and heart shine through the book.
Both sides of his family are Armenian, and he explores how his body, his culture, his gender identity, and his transition all intersect (or don’t). There is a poignant moment when Edwards wrestles with the implications of his family’s unique surname Eskandarian and how it impacts his identity as a trans man.
If available, please consider buying a copy at Abril Books. This book may also be available for purchase through the Queer Armenian Library’s shop at Bookshop.org. If you purchase a copy through Bookshop.org we will receive a commission.
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ISBN: 978-1-62634-325-2. Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press.
