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Jules Vilmur
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The Complicated Geography of Alice Paperback – December 1, 2014

by Jules Vilmur (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 53 ratings
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The Complicated Geography of Alice is an intimate, portrayal of a transgender teenager, a family in crisis and a mother who believes that her daughter is going to blaze a brave new path if she can just keep her sober long enough to grow up.
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  1. Print length
    338 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 1, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.85 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1503021769
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1503021761
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The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Until the age of fifteen, Alice was a smart-mouthed, wannabe soldier boy named Jordan with a penchant for trouble, a weakness for pharmaceuticals and an enormous secret.
"I'm always angry because I'm always sad, and I'm always sad because I'm a girl."
These were the words that changed everything.

The Complicated Geography of Alice is an intimate portrayal of a family in crisis told with humor and love by a mother who believes that her daughter is going to blaze a brave new path if she can just keep her sober long enough to grow up.

"A lovingly told, harrowing story of a mother trying every tactic to save her transgender child. Jules Vilmur's book will haunt you and humanize people who struggle with complicated gender. I won't forget Alice's story. - Everett Maroon, author of Bumbling into Body Hair

"Jules Vilmur takes the wonder, joy, sadness, and terror of careening through a life that suddenly feels out of control and makes great art out of it. This book is a tremendous gift to Alice, and to us." - Brendan Halpin, author of Donorboy

About the Author

Jules Vilmur majored in Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz where she also studied Resistance Literature and Therapeutic Writing. She lives in California's Central Valley with her husband and too many greyhounds. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1503021769
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1503021761
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.85 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 53 ratings

About the author

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Jules Vilmur

Jules Vilmur

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Jules Vilmur studied Literature at UC Santa Cruz and was a film columnist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She currently resides in California's Central Valley with her husband and too many greyhounds.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
53 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a heartbreaking love story about unconditional love, with excellent writing and humor throughout. The book receives positive feedback for its raw honesty, and one customer particularly praises the author's amazing job describing the child's transition. Customers appreciate the support portrayed in the book, with one review highlighting the mother's unwavering love and care for Alice.

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11 customers mention "Story quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the love story in the book, describing it as heartbreaking and full of love, with one customer noting how riveting it is from the prologue.

"...in a life that was so littered with highs and lows was a sweet story of desire, need, love, addiction, hate and growth...." Read more

"Wow, what a roller coaster of a story and what an amazing tribute to Alice...." Read more

"...from feeling but also in order to feel, family, and how even heart break can be funny. It is beautifully written...." Read more

"...This is a book that should be read, talked about, shared. The best stories are the ones that come straight from the heart, and show how truly brutal..." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer particularly noting how the author describes the transition of her child, while another mentions feeling a sense of camaraderie with the writer.

"...You will feel comraderie with the writer as someone who is going through it with you...." Read more

"...this story to the public and for doing so in a sensitive and compelling manner. I wished I had a million more reads like this one...." Read more

"...This book hit all the notes - humor that made me laugh out loud, all the way down to pain...." Read more

"...It is beautifully written. Bottom line: even though I knew how the story would end, I still sobbed when I got to the last page...." Read more

8 customers mention "Humor"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the humor in the book, which is told with humor and hubris, and one customer notes how it drags readers into the characters' daily lives.

"...I just couldn't put it down. It is so honest, well written and touching. There is no sugarcoating...." Read more

"This book was extremely well written. I loved the personal point of view and the candor in which the author laid out what was a very tragic and..." Read more

"...This book hit all the notes - humor that made me laugh out loud, all the way down to pain...." Read more

"...Told with humor and hubris. Recommended." Read more

4 customers mention "Support"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's portrayal of unconditional love and support, with one customer noting how it speaks from a mother's heart, while others describe Alice as an incredible young girl.

"...the author for both the pain she's survived and the unrelenting support and love she gave Alice...." Read more

"...Speaks for people who sometimes have no voice. Speaks from a mother's heart, and there is no greater place. Get to know Alice...." Read more

"...in this story is one of a parent's relentless love and support for their child and that being the only real choice the parent of a transgender child..." Read more

"Jules Vilmer is an incredible lady and Alice was an incredible young girl that im honoured to have known...." Read more

3 customers mention "Honesty"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's honesty.

"...Actually in about a day. I just couldn't put it down. It is so honest, well written and touching. There is no sugarcoating...." Read more

"...I appreciated the honesty, humor, frustration, and love. This book has excellent writing and imagery that had me riveted from the prologue...." Read more

"Great read filled with joy, love, acceptance, and truth in a world still so unrelentingly rejecting and ignorant...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • JM Benavidez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Such a great story. A must read for trans-parents
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I read this book over a weekend. Actually in about a day. I just couldn't put it down. It is so honest, well written and touching. There is no sugarcoating. It tells you the raw honest truth of the ups and downs of Alice and Jules' experiences. The love, the struggle, the fear, the heartache... its all there. So many people aren't aware of the tiny nuances of a look or whisper, the strength of a spoken word, the joy of a properly used pronoun, the crush of a deadname. This book doesn't hide it. If you are a parent or family member of a trans person, I recommend this book. You will feel comraderie with the writer as someone who is going through it with you. It can also prepare you for trials you could face and show you how love makes it worth it. It also talks about the stigmas of being trans, facing mental illness and addiction. You couldn't find a more complete tale.

    As a peer support specialist, I highly recommend this book.
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  • Ebran
    5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL TALE
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book was extremely well written. I loved the personal point of view and the candor in which the author laid out what was a very tragic and poignant moment in her family's life. Alice was and is a real person for which I candidly can say i fell in love with. Her strength and courage in a life that was so littered with highs and lows was a sweet story of desire, need, love, addiction, hate and growth. Jules' did a wonderful job in bringing this story to the public and for doing so in a sensitive and compelling manner. I wished I had a million more reads like this one. Please do yourself a favor and grab this up and add to your Kindle or library.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Cate W
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing journey.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Wow, what a roller coaster of a story and what an amazing tribute to Alice. This book hit all the notes - humor that made me laugh out loud, all the way down to pain. A great recalling of the difficult task of raising a trans teen coping with drug use. My heart goes out to the author for both the pain she's survived and the unrelenting support and love she gave Alice. We need more of that in this world, and fewer people that cast their trans and gay kids out on the streets.

    Thanks, Jules, for sharing this story.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Stabby McStabbypants
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Story.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book, or more specifically, Jules and Alice and Jay and Mouse, took my breath away. It would be a disservice to try to fully describe it, but I will say that it is primarily a love story. The love that Jules has for her precious, brilliant, devilish, delightful, and confounding child Alice is on every page, bursting out of every word. This is also a story about: loss, gender, drug use as a way to both protect one from feeling but also in order to feel, family, and how even heart break can be funny. It is beautifully written. Bottom line: even though I knew how the story would end, I still sobbed when I got to the last page. I highly recommend that you stop reading this review right now, and just order the book already.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Bob Maddock
    4.0 out of 5 stars Vilmur's writing makes it easy to appreciate the love this family has for a ...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Vilmur's writing makes it easy to appreciate the love this family has for a "complicated" child. Told with humor and hubris. Recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amoeba Man
    5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and heartbreaking, I laughed and I cried!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I am a 37 year old male, married with no kids, and about as vanilla as they come, and I had never cried in a public place as an adult until I read this book. Mrs. Vilmur had me laughing like a loon, and then sobbing on a plane from New Jersey to San Diego, so much that my neighbor asked me if I was going to be ok. In spite of never having gone through anything like the events of this book, I found myself identifying with (and rooting for) Alice, and wanting to hug her and tell her that she was not alone. This book, and Alice, is funny, witty, smart, charming, and SO powerful. Absolutely brilliant. Seriously, you need to read this book.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • jordan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Really like it
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  • Don
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best stories are the ones that come straight from the ...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I got it, opened it, and couldn't put it down. This is a book that should be read, talked about, shared. The best stories are the ones that come straight from the heart, and show how truly brutal and perfect love can be all at the same time. Speaks from that place. Speaks for people who sometimes have no voice. Speaks from a mother's heart, and there is no greater place. Get to know Alice. I guarantee you, you wont forget her once you do.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • LastKrystallos
    5.0 out of 5 stars A definite must read…
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    There are stories in life that should be told, that need to be told, and this is one of them.

    Alice is alive with the fire of life, a yearning to be who she is and to be accepted, and my heart ached for both Alice and for her family. Teenage years are stormy for most, but for a transgender teen, life can be almost impossible. However, this book presents an honest portrayal of a family trying to cope through times of helplessness with humour, love and compassion.

    I am full of admiration for Jules Vilmur, and her ability to honour her daughter’s memory, and this book is a fitting tribute. This book will be a huge support and can offer huge hope to those going through similar, or any, personal upheaval.

    The tears I shed for Alice and her family were genuine and heartfelt, as were the words tying this story together. Alice’s mother shares her story and writes with raw emotion, truth and grit. This story is a tough read, but one of the most rewarding you’ll find. I hope you will come away, like I did, with both greater understanding and compassion.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Where to find the words..
    Reviewed in Canada on May 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    **READ THIS BOOK**
    If you are trans, if you have a trans member in your family, if you have trans friends, if you are battling depression, if someone you love is battling depression, if you are in the throes of substance use/ abuse, your own or someone you love.. This book is harrowing and poignant and beautiful. It is very well written and it is very challenging to read. Almost every chapter has a life lesson in it. A trans 101 lesson. A depression lesson. This book may save your life, or someone you don't wish to lose to these trying battles. I am trans, I am fighting depression, I am fighting self medicating/ abuse. From my heart to anyone who might listen..
    Please, do read this book, and share it.
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  • M Aldeburgh
    5.0 out of 5 stars strong-minded energy that was a brilliant colour in our grey world
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A book that left me sobbing, but one that teaches us all so much. From the snippets of her life, I read Alice as a vivacious, strong-minded energy that was a brilliant colour in our grey world, and her refusal to 'sit in the back of the bus' despite how difficult that was to reconcile in the world around her is something we should all aspire to. It is our failing as a society that she is not physically with us anymore, but her story and her life still are thanks to her mother's wonderful words, memories, and experiences, and we need to heed them carefully. This book also gave me an insight into life in the US as a culture - their lifestyle, attitudes to mental health, healthcare and trans folk, and to be honest left me feeling grateful that I live in Europe. A worthwhile read, and one I encourage others to journey into.
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  • surfingus
    5.0 out of 5 stars A book worth reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Jules Vilmer set out to write about a subject that few of us would willingly choose for so many reasons. She has successfully avoided indulgence, or solipsism, concentrating on the progression of this precious child's search for self realisation.

    The writing is warm and entertaining. The language is what might be expected from a narrator rather than a lecture. The characters come alive with the briefest of introductions.

    With each paragraph, she manages to open a window from which we can watch the characters, within their play, express their individuality.

    In the end we are left with a collection of interesting and likeable individuals dealing with their own helplessness.

    The developing events are neither predictable nor shocking. Instead, each situation is guided by the characters within them. The reader is left with a clear impression and a satisfying understanding of what is happening.

    I'm pleased I read this book.
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