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Nobody Needs to Know
Nobody Needs to Know: A Memoir | Pidgeon Pagonis
7 posts | 3 read | 13 to read
From intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis comes a candid and life-affirming true story of identity, lies, family secrets, and the healing power of truth. Pidgeon Pagonis always felt like their life was a constant attempt to fit in with other girls--a feeling that was only exacerbated when puberty failed to hit. They never understood why...until they uncovered the secret that had haunted their childhood. Bouncing between their Chicago home and the city's children's hospital, Pidgeon weathered a series of traumatic surgeries, fabrications, and misdirections. It wasn't until college that Pidgeon pieced together the puzzle of their identity: they'd been born intersex but raised as a girl, their life shaped by lies that left them physically and mentally scarred. But for Pidgeon, what began as a shameful and traumatic discovery transforms into a painful yet joyous journey of self-love, truth, and healing. Pidgeon's inspiring memoir is for everyone whose body and spirit defy expectations, a fierce challenge to a system hell-bent on enforcing binary definitions. Ultimately, it's a celebration of the freedom and empowerment that come from learning the truth about who you are--and living it.
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sebrittainclark
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Pickpick

4/5

A really interesting book about Pidgeon's experience of discovering they were intersex at age 18. This was a hard, but incredibly educational read about both Pidgeon's experience and the experience of so many intersex children.

Took me a while to get to it, but thanks @peanutnine for this #auldlangspine rec @monalyisha

peanutnine Glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely eye-opening 3mo
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Fantastic memoir to read on a snowy day! When Pidgeon was a child, they were told their ovaries were removed because they were cancerous. They were also subjected to many invasive exams and surgeries on their vulva/vagina. It wasn‘t until they took a class on gender in college they put together that they had Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome and was born intersex. They bravely took action and gained allies to stop invasive surgeries on other kids.

Megabooks *edited to correct pronouns 🤦🏻‍♀️ 11mo
squirrelbrain Sounds fascinating! 11mo
Megabooks @squirrelbrain I‘ve already read 7 memoirs this year, and it‘s the best! 11mo
BarbaraBB Fascinating indeed. And wow, that snow! 11mo
Chelsea.Poole Wow! I‘ve never heard of this one but I‘m very intrigued. Thank you! 11mo
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Megabooks
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The weather is clear for a minute, so I snapped today‘s library borrows on the deck. I passed on Nobody Needs to Know awhile back and regretted, so I was happy to have found it again. It‘s a memoir written by an intersex person. Excited for the Hadley short stories and the thriller, too!

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peanutnine
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And here's my final nonfiction #ReadingBracket2023
I read more nonfiction than ever this year, finishing 25 books. My goal was to read at least 2 per month. I read some amazing memoirs and learned some fascinating things. Overall the tagged stood out for its moving story and the things I learned about the intersex community

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peanutnine
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Here's my updated nonfiction #ReadingBracket2023 after October. The two books I finished didn't particularly wow me so September's pick is the easy winner for the quarter

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peanutnine
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Pickpick

Catching up on September reviews...
This book is so informative, yet moving and down to earth. I picked it up knowing little about intersex people and their experience and learned so much. Pidgeon was born intersex but raised as a girl and didn't discover the truth until they were in college. They explain all the medical trauma they went through as a child, not knowing the real reason behind all the surgeries and exams. (cont) ↩️

peanutnine Once they come to terms with being intersex, they start to fight for intersex rights, specifically stopping child surgeries like they underwent and that are still happening across the country. These surgeries cause more harm than anything and take away children's rights to their own bodies. All because society is so obsessed with people fitting into a binary concept of sex and gender. ↩️ 1y
peanutnine I highly recommend checking this out and educating yourself. The author reads the audiobook very well and both are available through Kindle unlimited. #Nonfiction2023 Toxic @Riveted_Reader_Melissa #LGBTQ2023 intersex rep @Kenyazero @Soubhiville 1y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds very good! Stacking! 1y
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peanutnine
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September Nonfiction #ReadingBracket2023 update
I'm behind on reviews but this intersex memoir was so moving and eye-opening, definitely one to recommend.

Soubhiville It sounds really interesting. I‘m going to see if my library has it. Would you tag me in your review when you get to it? 1y
peanutnine @Soubhiville of course! Just FYI I read it through Kindle unlimited if you have that 1y
Soubhiville Oh that‘s great! 1y
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