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The Last Time I Wore a Dress
At fifteen years old, Dylan (born Daphne) Scholinski was committed to a mental institution and awarded the dubious diagnosis of "Gender Identity Disorder." He spent three years—and over a million dollars of insurance— "treating" the problem...with makeup lessons and instructions in how to walk like a girl. Dylan's story—which is, sadly, not that unusual—has already received attention from such shows as20/20,Dateline,Today,andLeeza.But his memoir, bound to become a classic, tells the story in a funny, ironic, unforgettable voice that "isn't all grim; Scholinski tells [his] story in beautifully evocative prose and mines [his] experiences for every last drop of ironic humor, determined to have the last laugh." (Time Out New York)
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
About the author
Daphne Scholinski
3books17followersThis author is now known as Dylan Scholinski.https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
October 6, 2021
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A note on this book: Daphne Scholinski is nowDylan Scholinski.I wrote in to a librarian on Goodreads to get this fixed, but that doesn't change the fact that the book-- and the blurb-- use the author's deadname and incorrect pronouns. So if you are blogging or reviewing this book, that is something to keep in mind! Don't misgender/deadname him.:)
THE LAST TIME I WORE A DRESS has a very similar format to GIRL, INTERRUPTED, in that it focuses intensely on what psychiatric treatments and institutionalizing were like in (what I believe) was the 70s or 80s. In this book, however, instead of talking about borderline personality disorder, Dylan writes about being institutionalized for gender identity disorder, a psychiatric "condition" that was later removed from the DSM because it is incredibly transphobic (basically punishing people for having gender dysphoria for being trans). Dylan is, in fact, a transman, and this book is all about him essentially being gaslit for being a bad "girl."
As you can imagine, this book is incredibly triggering. Especially since it also deals with other topics like substance abuse, parental abuse/neglect, and sexual abuse. Dylan was also involved in a gang at some point, too. He had a really interesting upbringing and is a compelling but blunt author. I saw a number of reviews that didn't care for his writing style but I actually really liked it: it really captures the zeitgeist of the times, y'know?
I read this when I was a teen before I knew that the author was trans, so having that perspective this second time around made the book even more interesting-- and painful-- to read. I did ultimately end up liking it but I had to put it down and come back to it again because it was a lot to read. The format of the book also didn't really work for me-- the notes from the doctors are in typewriter font that is hard to read and for some reason he decided to italicize the chapters about his home life. Definitely recommend this if you are interested in LGBT+ issues or the history of psychiatry, but it is not for everyone.
3 stars
February 24, 2011
Daphne (now Dylan) Scholinski relates his experiences (and some medical records) from when he was a teenager in a mental hospital in the USA. Dylan’s story is a heartbreaking warning about families, society and a broken psychiatric profession and their inability to accept (and love) people for who they are. What is more frightening is that his story did not happen that long ago.
Dylan describes his life before, during and after being institutionalised, but most of the book relates his life in the psychiatric wards, although the reasons why he was institutionalised in the first place are not made clear.
While Dylan’s story is heartbreaking it is narrated in a way that, to me, seemed to lack the anger that such an experience might be expected to elicit. In his final reflexion Dylan writes:
His voice is filled with authenticity, humour, understanding and forgiveness.
I read the book before going to see its stage adaptation. The cast showed up in my local pub after the play, and that is how I met Dylan, and how we became friends. Dylan is now an artist in Denver CO where he works with at risk youth.
Dylan describes his life before, during and after being institutionalised, but most of the book relates his life in the psychiatric wards, although the reasons why he was institutionalised in the first place are not made clear.
I wonder what my parents imagined would happen to me in a mental hospital. They wanted the doctors to tame me but they didn't ask, and the doctors didn't say, exactly what this process entailed. It was the doctors who came up wit the idea that I was "an inappropriate female" - that my mouthy ways were a sign of a deep unease in my female nature and that if I learned tips about eyeliner and foundation, I'd be better off.
While Dylan’s story is heartbreaking it is narrated in a way that, to me, seemed to lack the anger that such an experience might be expected to elicit. In his final reflexion Dylan writes:
Even though I’ve made tons of hospital paintings I can’t change what happened. I still wonder why I wasn’t treated for depression, why no one noticed I’d been sexually abused, why the doctors didn’t seem to believe that I came from a home with physical violence. Why the thing they cared the most about was whether I acted the part of a feminine young lady. The shame is that the effects of depression, sexual abuse, violence: all treatable. But where I stood on the feminine/masculine scale: unchangeable. It’s who I am.
His voice is filled with authenticity, humour, understanding and forgiveness.
I read the book before going to see its stage adaptation. The cast showed up in my local pub after the play, and that is how I met Dylan, and how we became friends. Dylan is now an artist in Denver CO where he works with at risk youth.
February 10, 2020
Diagnosed with “Gender Identity Disorder” at the age of fifteen, Daphne’s life takes a turn when her father commits her to a mental institution. Even though her need to act out is clearly fueled by absent and abusive parents, everyone seems to be hung up on the less traditionally feminine elements of her appearance. So beginsThe Last Time I Wore A Dress,a title that essentially speaks for itself.
This narrative is interwoven between Daphne’s personal recollections and the medical assessments recorded during her periods of hospitalization. If anything, this juxtaposition paints an unsettling picture of the state of the mental health profession during the 1980s. At times this makes for a really compelling read, and at others a really difficult one as a detached system royally fails this teenage girl who just wants to wear band t-shirts and jeans.
A very quick read, the novel does feel a bit unfinished. Given the extremities of Daphne’s life, I wanted to know more about her later resolutions or lack thereof. That said, it’s a solid read, if chilling.
Rating:3.5 stars
This narrative is interwoven between Daphne’s personal recollections and the medical assessments recorded during her periods of hospitalization. If anything, this juxtaposition paints an unsettling picture of the state of the mental health profession during the 1980s. At times this makes for a really compelling read, and at others a really difficult one as a detached system royally fails this teenage girl who just wants to wear band t-shirts and jeans.
A very quick read, the novel does feel a bit unfinished. Given the extremities of Daphne’s life, I wanted to know more about her later resolutions or lack thereof. That said, it’s a solid read, if chilling.
Rating:3.5 stars
October 13, 2007
This book is some scary $#*@. It's a lot like Girl, Interrupted, where the "patient" isn't really crazy, but their "treatment" is. In 1981, for a girl who didn't look or act "feminine", the treatment was eye shadow, girly blouses, and feigning crushes on boys. Oh, and hospitalization and anti-psychotics.
The book is engaging and a quick read, alternating between life in the mental ward, actual notes from the author's psychiatric records, and flashbacks to the author's life pre-institutionalization. It's alternately absurd and appalling. In the genre of "psychiatric memoirs" that might seem like a standard recipe, but the gender identity issue makes it unique, and the book is significant as an historical record of queer/genderqueer/transgender experience.
I'm almost the same age as the author, and this book makes me feel so lucky that I didn't get into the mental health system as a teen. My mom gave me an autographed copy of this when it was published. Years later she said she felt she should have done something when I was growing up to address my gender issues. I told her, "Thank god you didn't!" If this is how they treated gender identity disorder in the 1980s, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Granted, the author had some other issues with abuse and substance abuse.
FYI, Daphne is now Dylan. He's an artist, speaker, and LBGTQ and mental health activist.
The book is engaging and a quick read, alternating between life in the mental ward, actual notes from the author's psychiatric records, and flashbacks to the author's life pre-institutionalization. It's alternately absurd and appalling. In the genre of "psychiatric memoirs" that might seem like a standard recipe, but the gender identity issue makes it unique, and the book is significant as an historical record of queer/genderqueer/transgender experience.
I'm almost the same age as the author, and this book makes me feel so lucky that I didn't get into the mental health system as a teen. My mom gave me an autographed copy of this when it was published. Years later she said she felt she should have done something when I was growing up to address my gender issues. I told her, "Thank god you didn't!" If this is how they treated gender identity disorder in the 1980s, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Granted, the author had some other issues with abuse and substance abuse.
FYI, Daphne is now Dylan. He's an artist, speaker, and LBGTQ and mental health activist.
December 10, 2007
An almost unbelievable memoir of a young woman that grows up in an abusive household and ends up institutionalized at the age of 15. Rather than treating her depression, the doctors at the institute do everything they can to "feminize" her. Some of her daily goals include wearing makeup, trying on a blouse, taking an interest in boys, and walking in a more feminine manner. Despite enduring three years of intense therapy she comes to the conclusion that she has Gender Identity Disorder after she is released and in college. I loved Daphne's voice. The story is not triggering for survivors of sexual abuse, and she had a unique perspective on life that is enjoyable to read. Though Daphne can be hilarious, it is tragic to realize her story occurred in the late '80's. Teachers, social workers, therapists, and her own parents failed to give her the love and encouragement she needed. A definite wake-up call to those of us that don't believe in the power of friendship. Daphne is most touched by the bonds she makes with fellow peers, a few of which she still keeps in touch with. What kept me from truly enjoying this book is I never felt like it ended. The reader is left to wonder about many loose ends; mostly her relationship with her family and how she was able to forgive them. Hopefully, Daphne will write another book on that subject, because her criticism of the mental health field has been enlightening.
May 23, 2012
I'm not sure how to feel about this book.
On one hand, this book was really interesting. It was a nice insight into the life that someone in an institution has. I felt a bit personally attached to it on some level, for one because I'm from Chicago & know of these hospitals, & then again because my girlfriend, in the past, has struggled with some gender issues of her own.
With that being said, in the book, Daphne lies. All the time. About everything. It makes her stay far worse, plus, it makes me question the memoir. If she lied so easily about everything else, then why am I expected to believe that the events in her hospitalization happened the way they did.
I think this book is worth it, since it was an easy read & interesting at the very least. But if I were you, I'd take it all with a grain of salt. I recommend it for people with gender identity problems & those interested in psychology.
On one hand, this book was really interesting. It was a nice insight into the life that someone in an institution has. I felt a bit personally attached to it on some level, for one because I'm from Chicago & know of these hospitals, & then again because my girlfriend, in the past, has struggled with some gender issues of her own.
With that being said, in the book, Daphne lies. All the time. About everything. It makes her stay far worse, plus, it makes me question the memoir. If she lied so easily about everything else, then why am I expected to believe that the events in her hospitalization happened the way they did.
I think this book is worth it, since it was an easy read & interesting at the very least. But if I were you, I'd take it all with a grain of salt. I recommend it for people with gender identity problems & those interested in psychology.
March 23, 2017
It is important to note that since publishing this book, the author has legally changed his name to Dylan.
Prior to knowing that, this book confused me as I was trying to sort out differences between a masculing/butch woman and a trans man. This book made it seem like masculing/butch women could experience dysphoria the way trans men do.
It is the moving story of a psychiatrict survivor who shows it is not a lack of will or effort on a trans person's part to be unable to be cis. The book goes back and forth between memories from the home he grew up until the age of 15 to memories from his years in an asylum. He takes it a step further by showing the ongoing prices of being locked into a psychiatrict institution, decades after the fact and the results of inhumane treatment.
Prior to knowing that, this book confused me as I was trying to sort out differences between a masculing/butch woman and a trans man. This book made it seem like masculing/butch women could experience dysphoria the way trans men do.
It is the moving story of a psychiatrict survivor who shows it is not a lack of will or effort on a trans person's part to be unable to be cis. The book goes back and forth between memories from the home he grew up until the age of 15 to memories from his years in an asylum. He takes it a step further by showing the ongoing prices of being locked into a psychiatrict institution, decades after the fact and the results of inhumane treatment.
December 1, 2012
I can't stand books by self proclaimed pathological liars. Oh, most of what's about to follow is probably bullshit? What's the point?
I'm glad Daphne was able to become Dylan and is doing a lot better these days, but he used to be such a little shit with a bad case of Conduct Disorder. It's hard to empathize with someone like that.
Hated this book.
I'm glad Daphne was able to become Dylan and is doing a lot better these days, but he used to be such a little shit with a bad case of Conduct Disorder. It's hard to empathize with someone like that.
Hated this book.
January 9, 2019
The true story of a 15 year old girl named Daphne who was put in a mental institution for delinquent behavior. It's like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, only this story is real. Daphne was diagnosed with gender identity disorder just because she was a tomboy.
A good book showing how sane people get locked up, while real violent people are free. And the doctors that are supposed to help the patients just label them and don't believe their honesty or take them seriously. But the patients can easily fake diagnoses and the doctors believe that. Sad.
Her father was violent and messed up mentally due to traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War. Her mother never loved him and resented her life as a mother to kids she got stuck with. So Daphne grew up without love and attention.
Daphne had to be tough in her environment, because otherwise she'd crumble. She made herself tough to survive. It's a natural response. When depressing things happen in your life, what's your response? You gonna curl up in depression and defeat? Or are you gonna stand tall and strong and fight whatever's coming?
Daphne didn't want to be a boy, just liked doing boy things (rough play, clothing, dream careers). "I wanted to be free to run" (30). She doesn't like looking girly because it makes her look like a dork (110) or an idiot (124). Obviously when you have a low opinion of how girls look, you're not going to want to look like one.
There are hints that Daphne might be intersex. She said she had a mustache and hairs on her chin (182) and didn't have rounded hips (123).
She says several times in the book that so-and-so boy is cute.
Later she says she likes girls and got a tingle in her stomach while roller skating with them. And in adulthood she claims to be a lesbian.
Makes perfect sense why she wouldn't wanna get close to any men when so many men have sexually abused her. On p. 199, she describes a painting she did of herself looking out the window at Michael Reese, dressed in a "hospital gown with 3 ties in the back and a snap at the top. Fred the lech hasn't yet snuck into my room and rubbed his hands over my body while i'm tied in restraints, but he will.... Often i have to think hard to find a title for a drawing but not this time. The name just came to me. I wrote across the bottom: the last time i wore a dress." Guys abuse her for the simple fact that she is a woman. It's not even that she's an attractive woman. Just that she's a woman. Why would she wanna dress like a woman when clearly being a woman has brought her nothing but abuse? I don't blame her for not trusting men, and not wanting to look like a woman. I think if she grew up in a more loving home, she would've been a completely different person. Probably straight and at least a little more feminine. Her personality is almost completely a product of her upbringing.
A good book showing how sane people get locked up, while real violent people are free. And the doctors that are supposed to help the patients just label them and don't believe their honesty or take them seriously. But the patients can easily fake diagnoses and the doctors believe that. Sad.
Her father was violent and messed up mentally due to traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War. Her mother never loved him and resented her life as a mother to kids she got stuck with. So Daphne grew up without love and attention.
Daphne had to be tough in her environment, because otherwise she'd crumble. She made herself tough to survive. It's a natural response. When depressing things happen in your life, what's your response? You gonna curl up in depression and defeat? Or are you gonna stand tall and strong and fight whatever's coming?
Daphne didn't want to be a boy, just liked doing boy things (rough play, clothing, dream careers). "I wanted to be free to run" (30). She doesn't like looking girly because it makes her look like a dork (110) or an idiot (124). Obviously when you have a low opinion of how girls look, you're not going to want to look like one.
There are hints that Daphne might be intersex. She said she had a mustache and hairs on her chin (182) and didn't have rounded hips (123).
She says several times in the book that so-and-so boy is cute.
Later she says she likes girls and got a tingle in her stomach while roller skating with them. And in adulthood she claims to be a lesbian.
Makes perfect sense why she wouldn't wanna get close to any men when so many men have sexually abused her. On p. 199, she describes a painting she did of herself looking out the window at Michael Reese, dressed in a "hospital gown with 3 ties in the back and a snap at the top. Fred the lech hasn't yet snuck into my room and rubbed his hands over my body while i'm tied in restraints, but he will.... Often i have to think hard to find a title for a drawing but not this time. The name just came to me. I wrote across the bottom: the last time i wore a dress." Guys abuse her for the simple fact that she is a woman. It's not even that she's an attractive woman. Just that she's a woman. Why would she wanna dress like a woman when clearly being a woman has brought her nothing but abuse? I don't blame her for not trusting men, and not wanting to look like a woman. I think if she grew up in a more loving home, she would've been a completely different person. Probably straight and at least a little more feminine. Her personality is almost completely a product of her upbringing.
January 7, 2009
just reread this for my class. there are so many issues this book brings up, it's hard to do justice to all of them. first of all, the devastating consequences of parental neglect and parental abuse. secondly, how abused kids can and often do develop an amazing tenderness and capacity for love that makes them treasures of comfort and light to others. then, how abuse breeds abuse, how trauma forces itself into daily life and exacts endless repetition. fourth, the role of lyinginthe book andoutsidethe book (is a narrator who owns up to being a habitual liar ipso facto an unreliable narrator? if not, why should we believe her?). fifth, the appalling treatment people get in mental institutions, across the board, all the time, at all ages, with all diagnoses, period. narrative after narrative testifies to this. our mental health system is so broken you want to put your face in your hands and cry. yet, the "mentally ill" are one of the weakest constituencies in the population. they have no in-built credibility, they are frightened and traumatized, they are held captive against their will, they are tremendously needy, they are often poor and resourceless, so there isn't much hope for reform. sixth, gender identity disorder and all the bullshit mistique of gender norms as represented, among other bullshit places, in the DSM. seventh, what are we to do with kids whose parents are unable to manage them? see the slew of dropped-off kids in nebraska once the legislature passed its safe-haven law,which it hastened to modify). eighth: transgender kids. ninth: sexual abuse in mental facilities and how it is overlooked and even to some extent condoned. ninth, how the psychiatric community has given up on talking to patients and truly "treating" (i.e. helping) them. tenth, how there is little viable treatment for anyone suffering from mental pain anywhere in this country unless they are rolling in dough and lucky enough to find a professional and compassionate therapist.
ten neat points.
this book is written beautifully, lyrically, and effectively. it's a short book, and daphne will enchant you. (don't forget, at the end, to check her out on the net.)
ten neat points.
this book is written beautifully, lyrically, and effectively. it's a short book, and daphne will enchant you. (don't forget, at the end, to check her out on the net.)
June 20, 2012
I have to agree with some of the other reviews I have read here. The author constantly lies and exagerates to get what she wants. Also, she exaggerates because she wants acceptance so she tells them what she thinks they want to hear. And this book has a co-author. How much of it has been changed just by the simple fact that someone else is writing down the story? I just wasn't compelled to believe her, and it wasn't until the VERY end that she finally admits that she likes girls and that her sexuality was a question in her life. Up until then, she kept trying to tell us that she was normal, why didn't people think she was normal, why did they keep fixating on her looking like a boy? Maybe because they knew something she didn't. Which is not to say that they treated her with respect or kindness or knowledge. And her parents were unbelieveably shitty. Which is my point. Unbelieveable.
April 26, 2016
It wasn't horrible but I kind of feel deceived. All the blurbs talk about the label of "inappropriate female" and mention make-up, dresses, etc. but for the majority of the book, Daphne leads you to believe that she was only in these institutions because she had bad behaviour.
January 31, 2016
Very gripping story of a girl who was put in the hospital on a long-term basis, because she wasn't really feminine enough, and how that changed her life. Raises some very creepy questions about the mental-health system as well as the American nuclear family.
April 2, 2014
Written with almost no emotion at all, just a recounting of a long period of time in mental institutions. For a memoir, that's troubling.
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March 31, 2021dnf’d @29%
I don’t feel comfortable rating memoirs so I’m not going to but the author was unreliable even as she (then) told her own story. I’m happy that Daphne was able to transition into Dylan and feel comfortable in his own skin but I picked this up because I want to educate myself on transgender issues and inequality. Instead, the author chose to focus more on her own manipulative qualities and tendencies to lie, even when it didn’t make sense to her and still, now, negate any explanation or excuse for her actions. Very frustrating to read.
I don’t feel comfortable rating memoirs so I’m not going to but the author was unreliable even as she (then) told her own story. I’m happy that Daphne was able to transition into Dylan and feel comfortable in his own skin but I picked this up because I want to educate myself on transgender issues and inequality. Instead, the author chose to focus more on her own manipulative qualities and tendencies to lie, even when it didn’t make sense to her and still, now, negate any explanation or excuse for her actions. Very frustrating to read.
May 16, 2021
Dylan (Daphne's current name) spent most of his adolescence in mental hospitals. In this book he focused on how screwed up it was that they wanted him to wear makeup and be more feminine. Which, wow, yes, screwed up. At the same time, he was a badly abused child and was acting out, and that, combined with the fact that his parents were bad at parenting, was the main reason he was there. He did not, in this account, get much help with the abuse issues, and in fact was further abused. I feel so bad for the child and teenager he was; all kids deserve better. And trans was not even a thing at the time; he didn't fully comprehend that he was a boy, not a girl. I think if I'd read this a couple decades ago, when it was written, I'd have given it four stars.
June 27, 2023
A really heartbreaking and honest memoir. It was a difficult book to get through due to the trauma Dylan continuously endured but there were also some witty parts as well.
July 14, 2023
A captivating and moving read, this memoir sheds light on the shameful (and disturbingly recent) history of psychiatric “treatment” for gender nonconformity through the author’s first-hand experiences with psychiatric hospitalization.
December 12, 2022
The history of our treatment of trans individuals is bad enough without such egregious lies.
March 19, 2023
First read this when it came out in 1997, and now even more relevant. So eloquently written and so meaningful.
June 28, 2007
This book is a quick and easy read, but I was kinda disappointed with it. When I first started reading it, I thought: Wait. Have I read this before? It seemed strangely familiar. But I think it's because it feels and reads like every other book written by someone who spent time in a mental institution. This review is not intended to slight the experiences of Daphne Scholinski, as they *were* awful and ridiculous and she shouldn't have had to deal with any of them. But honestly, this book offers up nothing interesting and fresh on the topic of gender, transgender issues, or sexuality issues. If I were to sum up what I thought this book was trying to say in one sentence, it would be "People shouldn't be hospitalized for not fitting gender" norms "," and that almost seems so self-evident as to not warrant someone writing a whole book to tell me that. I mean, I didn't expect crazy new revelations, but I at least expected it to open up my eyes to the issue (or this *message*) in a different kind of way. Instead, all it did was make me go, Ho hum--Yeah, you shouldn't've been hospitalized for gender "issues" and yeah it was a damn crime, but is that all I'm supposed to get out of reading this?
September 27, 2021
4.5 stars
This book was a memoir of a tomboy child from a non-supportive and broken home in the 80s. They get sent to and spend years in multiple mental hospitals for gender identity disorder and acting out. This story is truly horrifying when you see all the additional trauma that was inflicted on a person just for being themselves, not to mention the trauma of forcing themselves to be severely repressed for years. Throughout the book, you can tell the author was only looking for love and acceptance, and for most of the book (and their childhood) could not find it from anyone, not even themselves.
Though depressing, it's important we understand how children like this were treated in the near past so that we never repeat those mistakes and fight for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.
The book was an easy read and left me wanting to know more about what happened to the author after they.
This book was a memoir of a tomboy child from a non-supportive and broken home in the 80s. They get sent to and spend years in multiple mental hospitals for gender identity disorder and acting out. This story is truly horrifying when you see all the additional trauma that was inflicted on a person just for being themselves, not to mention the trauma of forcing themselves to be severely repressed for years. Throughout the book, you can tell the author was only looking for love and acceptance, and for most of the book (and their childhood) could not find it from anyone, not even themselves.
Though depressing, it's important we understand how children like this were treated in the near past so that we never repeat those mistakes and fight for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.
The book was an easy read and left me wanting to know more about what happened to the author after they.
October 27, 2012
I was hoping for more insight pertaining to the gender issues Daphne was facing. I thought the book lacked significance and missed an opportunity to really dive in to bring me into the world that I'm relatively unfamiliar but open to learning about. Clearly she has gone through some horrid experiences in her life but somehow the style of her writing made it feel a bit impersonal-and I suppose I could see why, however considering it is a memoir I would expect more to be put on the line. I had much higher expectations for this book but the book did not quite deliver.... it had potential to inform me and really open up my eyes about a topic that I don't see many people read or talk about but it did not. The book was OK.
December 28, 2013
When I first saw the publicity for this book in1997, I rushed right out & bought it. I couldn't wait to read the true account of someone who felt just like I did. Unfortunately I did not find much on the author's feelings about gender, and in '97, I don't even think I finished the book. I did finish it this year and though I enjoyed it more as an 'Institutional Memoir' I do hope the later editions include more of the gender identity aspect of the story. We have advanced leaps & bounds in our understanding of Gender Dysphoria, whereas this book ends with Daphne, post-treatment, researching Gender Dysphoria in the library by herself. Her insight: Boy, does that sound crazy! Unless it describes you.
June 14, 2023
In her memoir, The Last Time I Wore a Dress, Daphne Scholinski recounts how, at the age of 14, she was sent to a mental institution because she was not "appropriately feminine." Admittedly, she was a bad child in terms of behavior, and her social worker lost all hope. Because she was rebellious against her parents and at school, she was diagnosed with conduct disorder along with gender identity disorder, a diagnosis that was brand new to the medical book in the early 1980s. She was imprisoned among people who were actually insane for five years, and as part of their therapy, she was forced to dress like a girl, wear makeup, and curl her hair.
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October 27, 2012
this book would get 3 stars for topic, 1.6 stars for content, and half a star for style. daphne scholinski tells about the three years she spent in mental institutions in her adolescence in the 80s for not conforming to standards of femininity, aka 'gender identity disorder.' I'm unclear about the role of each of the authors in compiling this book. I suspect that the hand of jane meredith adams andor editors and marketers are to blame for the less-than-exciting writing style, but still definitely worth reading.
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May 8, 2014I can't believe I not only didn't know about this book, I didn't know about the person. It's pretty amazing stuff. Thanks Drake for mentioning it and Cole for having the book to lend me. I encourage supporting authors by purchasing their books - but for those without funds, the libraries are closing more often in Georgia (anyone else notice this). So a combination of buying books and keeping libraries open!
January 9, 2016
Taken to a mental institution at age 15 for "being a tomboy" with a treatment plan that included makeup and hairstyling, it's hard to fathom this happened in the early 1980s, not the early 1900s. This reminded me of Girl, Interrupted, as Daphne reconciles her belief in her own sanity against the clearly disturbed states of her colleagues.
A sad indictment of Western mental hospitals. Now known as Dylan, his work for the LGBT community, and his art, is inspirational and impressive.
A sad indictment of Western mental hospitals. Now known as Dylan, his work for the LGBT community, and his art, is inspirational and impressive.
November 20, 2022
I read this book a while back and it’s one of those books that really stuck with me. I specifically read this book because I found it in online lists of books about struggling with gender identity. However, this book didn’t only help me reflect on me questioning my gender identity but it also made me think about my childhood and how that might have affected my gender identity. Although this book has kind of a jumpy timeline— it definitely left a mark on me.
March 31, 2009
Hard to give a rating to this one. On the one hand, it reveals just how messed up the medical community--and society at large--is when it comes to issues of gender; on the other hand, there's not much depth to it--it lacks the level of observation and insight that some other memoir-style books on this subject have provided.
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