Pageboy: A Memoir

by Elliot Page Narrated by Elliot Page

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

You've known him on the screen, now get to know him on the page. A deeply personal narrative about living in the spotlight written with empathy and grace.

This program is read by the author.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"Searing, deeply moving, and incredibly poignant... This isn't simply a book on what it means to be trans, it's about what it means to be human." -Alok Vaid-Menon

"Actor Elliot Page, who starred in the movie JUNO, gives an emotional, intimate performance of his gorgeous memoir... He narrates these memories with an openness that will make listeners feel like they're right there with him. It's the quiet rawness of his voice that makes this audiobook so moving. This performance hardly feels like a performance at all. If you listen to one celebrity memoir this year, make it this one."- AudioFile

"...the longer you listen the less chronology matters to the overall portrait that emerges: of a lifelong fighter who still, thanks to stubborn prejudices and reactionary policy decisions, has much to fight for."- The New York Times

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK by Salon, The Week, Elle, Bustle, and more.

Full of intimate stories, from chasing down secret love affairs to battling body image and struggling with familial strife, Pageboy is a love letter to the power of being seen. With this evocative and lyrical debut, Oscar-nominated star Elliot Page captures the universal human experience of searching for ourselves and our place in this complicated world.

“Can I kiss you?” It was two months before the world premiere of Juno, and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience. Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he'd carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back.

With Juno's massive success, Elliot became one of the world's most beloved actors. His dreams were coming true, but the pressure to perform suffocated him. He was forced to play the part of the glossy young starlet, a role that made his skin crawl, on and off set. The career that had been an escape out of his reality and into a world of imagination was suddenly a nightmare.

As he navigated criticism and abuse from some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, a past that snapped at his heels, and a society dead set on forcing him into a binary, Elliot often stayed silent, unsure of what to do. Until enough was enough.

The Oscar-nominated star who captivated the world with his performance in Juno finally shares his story in a groundbreaking and inspiring memoir about love, family, fame - and stepping into who we truly are with strength, joy and connection.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Eloquent and enthralling....[Pageboy] is an intense, emotional read, delivered in image-drenched prose. "'Let me just exist with you,' he writes, 'happier than ever.' Reading those words nearly made me cry. Page’s plea is small. It also feels very big."
—Washington Post

"Powerful"
—New York Times Book Review

"Raw, harrowing and often heartbreaking to read... Page’s book arrives, as if on cue, in a moment when the trans community is facing even more danger than when he started writing it just over a year ago."
—LA Times

“Pageboy is like listening to a friend... It’s impossible to miss the truth in his words: 'I wouldn’t be typing this right now if it weren’t for you and your care.' ... Now is an excellent time to read this humanizing and well-written memoir."
—Associated Press

"Exquisitely written... [Elliot] doesn't flinch or equivocate."
— Audible Best of 2023

"In his own words, Page sets the record about the pressure to perform and a society that has attempted to funnel him into a binary. Raw, searing and intimate, “Pageboy” may move you to tears, lead you to laughter and leave you with a newfound respect for actors that push the industry forward."
—The New York Post's "The 45 Best Audible books we read and loved"

"The emergence of our true selves is all of our life's work. Pageboy helps chart the course."
—Jamie Lee Curtis

"Searing, deeply moving, and incredibly poignant... This isn’t simply a book on what it means to be trans, it’s about what it means to be human."
—Alok Vaid-Menon

Library Journal

★ 07/14/2023

Page delves deeply into both his past and his pain in this highly anticipated memoir. An actor since the age of 10, Page leaped to indie stardom in the 2007 film Juno and then climbed to further mainstream success. All the while, he was privately grappling with his sexuality and gender. Problems were made worse by the enforced conformity of studios and the intrusive lens of the media. It was not until 2014 that Page came out as queer, and in 2020 as trans. The author's story is no easy read; his struggles with dysphoria and self-harm and incidents of harassment, stalking, and sexual assault make for a raw and vivid account. But depictions of his worst memories are balanced with the palpable joy of transitioning and the support and love he received from friends and community. It's a powerful portrait of Page himself and his experience. VERDICT Page's fame as both actor and an LGBTQIA+ figure already makes this volume of interest to numerous library communities, but institutions should also consider adding it to collections as important insight at a time when transgender narratives are increasingly sought after.—Kathleen McCallister

June 2023 - AudioFile

Actor Elliot Page, who starred in the movie JUNO, gives an emotional, intimate performance of his gorgeous memoir. In a nonlinear structure that reflects the way that queer and trans lives often unfold, he shares moments of joy and heartbreak throughout his life--growing up in Nova Scotia, coming out as gay and then trans, falling in and out of love, and the toll of being closeted. He narrates these memories with an openness that will make listeners feel like they're right there with him. It's the quiet rawness of his voice that makes this audiobook so moving. This performance hardly feels like a performance at all. If you listen to one celebrity memoir this year, make it this one. L.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2023-06-07
An Oscar-nominated actor and activist shares his story.

Page (b. 1987) made headlines when he came out as queer in 2014 and again when he let the world know that he was a trans man in 2020. The latter revelation was Page reintroducing himself on his own terms. The former was more complicated. In 2008, just after 20-year-old Page had shot to fame as the title character in the indie hit Juno, journalist Michael Musto used his column in the Village Voice to insinuate that Page was queer. At a time when he should have been enjoying his breakout film’s critical and commercial success, Page was enduring prurient public scrutiny and intense private pain. This dynamic was familiar to the young actor, as was the speculation about his sexuality. The author started acting professionally at the age of 9, but he had already learned to play a part. From his childhood as a “tomboy” to his days as a closeted celebrity, Page yearned to be someone other than the person others expected him to be. Anyone looking for a dishy tell-all should look elsewhere. While the author describes his romances with other boldface names and shares anecdotes about unnamed Hollywood figures that will undoubtedly lead to speculation, he is primarily interested in examining what it was like for him to grow up—and become famous—repressing his authentic self. He remembers the heartache of unrequited crushes and the impossibility of forming authentic relationships while living a lie. He recounts bullying and abuse, from his peers and from his family. He reveals how his body dysmorphia led to self-harm and disordered eating. He testifies to the lifesaving power of gender-affirming care and a loving community. Page is clearly aware not everyone who wants to transition has his resources, but he also understands that representation matters and that telling his truth might make it a little bit easier for others to live theirs.

An affecting and timely memoir.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175085571
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	323,353

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