Detransition, Baby

Detransition, Baby explores motherhood through several lenses. How do Reese, Katrina, and Ames's feelings on motherhood differ and how do they converge?

What does the novel reveal to you about the taboos of sex and gender? What roles do class and race play in the book?

How does Katrina's grief over her divorce and miscarriage inform her thoughts about pregnancy? Do you see any parallels between divorce narratives and transition narratives? If so, describe them.

Discuss Reese's relationship with the cowboy. What does their relationship fulfill for one another?

Discuss Ames's decision to detransition. What factors played into this choice? Do you believe Ames is still a woman, even after the detransition?

Discuss the concept of dissociation as described in the novel. How do the kinds of "bad feelings" that trans women cope with by dissociating from their bodies and emotions relate to the kinds of "bad feelings" that other women experience about their bodies or in uncomfortable sexual situations?

How does Ames's relationship with Katrina differ from her relationship with Reese? How are the dynamics of both relationships different, and how are they similar?

What was your perspective on the ending? What future do you envision for Reese, Katrina, and Ames?