Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me

by Janet Mock

Paperback, 2018

Status

Available

Call number

HQ77.8 .M63 A3 2018

Genres

Collection

LGBTQ Iowa Archives & LIbrary

Publication

Atria Books (2018), Edition: Unabridged, 256 pages

Description

"Riveting, rousing, and utterly real, Surpassing Certainty is a portrait of a young woman searching for her purpose and place in the world--without a road map to guide her. The journey begins a few months before her twentieth birthday. Janet Mock is adjusting to her days as a first-generation college student at the University of Hawaii and her nights as a dancer at a strip club. Finally content in her body, she vacillates between flaunting and concealing herself as she navigates dating and disclosure, sex and intimacy, and most important, letting herself be truly seen. Under the neon lights of Club Nu, Janet meets Troy, a yeoman stationed at Pearl Harbor naval base, who becomes her first. The pleasures and perils of their union serve as a backdrop for Janet's progression through her early twenties with all the universal growing pains--falling in and out of love, living away from home, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Despite her disadvantages, fueled by her dreams and inimitable drive, Janet makes her way through New York City while holding her truth close. She builds a career in the highly competitive world of magazine publishing--within the unique context of being trans, a woman, and a person of color. Long before she became one of the world's most respected media figures and lauded leaders for equality and justice, Janet was a girl taking the time she needed to just be--to learn how to advocate for herself before becoming an advocate for others. As you witness Janet's slow-won success and painful failures, Surpassing Certainty will embolden you, shift the way you see others, and affirm your journey in search of self"--Provided by publisher.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member ASKelmore

Best for: Fans of Ms. Mock’s writing and those interested in learning more about her life; people interested in a tight memoir focused on just a few years of early adulthood. In a nutshell: Author Janet Mock shares part of the story she chose not to include in her first memoir “Redefining

Realness.” Line that sticks with me: “I did not have the luxury to sulk, though. I could not wallow. I could not let my bitterness affect the quality of my work. Doing so would only make it harder for those coming after me.” Why I chose it: I enjoyed Ms. Mock’s first memoir and wanted to read more. Review: It took me awhile to get really into this book. I’m not sure if it was because of the week I was having, but it took me about a week to read the first half and just an afternoon to finish it. I’m glad I pushed through, because it’s a great read. Ms. Mock shared her journey as a trans woman in her first memoir. However, she left out her first romantic relationship and marriage, which she delves into in this book. She explores her work as an exotic dancer, her time in college in Rhode Island and Hawaii, her marriage to a man in the Navy, and her pursuit of a journalism career in New York City. She is candid about the challenges in her relationship, and about the challenges she had in undergraduate and graduate school, and as a woman of color in publishing. Her moments of revelation around colorism and around her confidence being perceived negatively are esecially poignant. Ms. Mock writes in language that is a bit flowery for my preference, but she tells a great story. This is not to say that I think she do anything different; sometimes I find her writing feels more like a novel than creative non-fiction. And perhaps that is a good thing; I just can find it a bit challenging to navigate. But clearly that’s not a barrier for me, as I still picked this up having read her first book.

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LibraryThing member BarnesBookshelf

Surpassing Certainty picks up right where Redefining Realness left off. I appreciated reading about Janet's 20s, and how she learned and grew into herself during them. It's a comfort to a 20-something like myself to see another person describe their struggle. I was surprised at some things, like

how long her marriage lasted, because of the way parts of Redefining Realness were framed. Overall, it's a great read, and I'm glad I read it.

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