Conundrum

This is an intriguing memoir, beautifully written by an author who has written numerous other non-fiction books. Jan Morris, formerly known as James Morris, was the correspondent for the London Times assigned to cover England's historic summit of Everest. The author actually accompanied the expedition to the Himalayas and did on site dispatches of the historic event.

Morris always felt that she should have been female. She led a sheltered childhood and knew almost nothing about sex. Her feeling of wanting to be female, she says is the very essence- her soul. She describes it as a yearning for unity.

The author's account of her early life is fascinating, as much of it was spent in traditional male pursuits of the time. A stint in the army as a member of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, years as a well-known foreign correspondent, as well as husband and father, were all roles in which the author found some satisfaction but never total fulfillment, as her gender dysphoria continually intruded upon her happiness.

She finally had sex-change surgery in Egypt in the early seventies with the full support of her wife and children. This beautiful little jewel of a book, elegantly written and full of wit and joy, is a masterpiece. Read it immediately.