Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier - a review

A review and a big THANK YOU to State Representative Steve Toth for generously donating TWENTY copies for our libraries!

written by: Michele Nuckolls

Irreversibly Damage is the most important book of our lifetime.

This is not an understatement. Matt Walsh said that this book is the most important book of the century, and I think that is probably also true. We simply cannot overstate the importance of this book and the information in it for parents and communities. The following is a short interview of the author, Abigail Shrier, with Matt Walsh.

I used to say that every parent of daughters should read this book. Now I say everyone should read this book. Every concerned citizen in our community needs to be armed with this information.

Abigail Shrier is a progressive journalist who usually writes for the Wall Street Journal, and she gets it. Prior to writing this book, she wrote an op ed called, The Transgender Language War. After it was published, she was flooded with letters and calls from parents telling their stories. She realizes, she cannot ignore the need and dives into research soon realizing that this is going to be a book.

You might wonder if she interviews only parents who are simply unhappy about their daughter’s coming out as trans, but that is far from the case. Most parents she interviews are supportive of the gay community and want to be supportive of their daughters, but seeing red flags they can’t ignore, they are faced with difficult conversations.

From the introduction:

“This is the story of the American family—decent, loving, hardworking and kind. It wants to do the right thing. But it finds itself set in a society that increasingly regards parents as obstacles, bigots and dupes. We cheer as teenage girls with no history of dysphoria steep themselves in a radical gender ideology taught in school or found on the internet. Peers and therapists and teachers and internet heroes egg these girls on. But here, the cost of so much youthful indiscretion is not a piercing or tattoo. It’s closer to a pound of flesh.”

Ms. Shrier looks into the statistics, which are alarming. Did you know that, “before 2012 there was no scientific literature on girls ages eleven to twenty-one ever having developed gender dysphoria at all.”?? Now more girls are presenting as transgender than boys, with surprisingly high concentrations within friend groups. The following is a short PragerU video where she explains some of her findings:

I found this book to be well researched and cited. The stories told by parents and detransitioners are heartbreaking and compelling. Most of the parents she interviews seem to be progressive, feeling alienated politically as the left rallies around radical medical treatments for children, sometimes very young, with new gender decisions. She leaves no stone unturned as she interviews parents, trans adults, detransitioners, medical professionals and therapists. She looks at the research and considers every possible angle.

Now there are enough copies in our library to meet the demand.

Thanks to a generous donation of TWENTY copies from State Representative Steve Toth, there will be three copies of this book in every Montgomery County Public Library! In January, there was one copy residing at the Stewart Library in Montgomery. I doubt it ever sat on the shelf with 9 holds. It continued to always have 7-9 holds even after the library placed the second copy. Sometime over the summer, the second copy was lost and not replaced. When I checked just before delivering the new donated books, the one copy left was overdue by a month. One copy is simply not enough for the demand in our community for this vital information.

Praise God, every library in our county will now have three copies! Please consider placing a hold today. As the books are prepared for the shelves, they will be immediately sent to the local libraries of those who have a hold.

We have noticed in the comments on our social media accounts, that many parents are still unaware of what is going on. Why would we not just support girls if they believe they are transgendered? What would be the harm? There is sadly, great harm in this, and it saddened me to see how many parents are still in the dark.

One of the best ways we can protect girls in our community is by reading this book and telling others about it.

Not a reader? This book is on audible and can be purchased through Amazon.

Commissioner’s Court

I was bold to ask State Representative Toth if he would also provide copies of Irreversible Damage for me to give to every member of the commissioner’s court, and he was gracious to oblige. Thank you again Representative Toth for your investment in our futures and the welfare of our children.

I delivered these books to each member of the court on August 22nd. I communicated that this book explains why the courageous decisions they recently made are so important. I implored them to please consider reading this book to inform their decisions as they continue to navigate this complex issue.

The commissioners and judge received my comments warmly. Please continue to pray.

Michele Nuckolls is a wife and homeschool mom in The Woodlands, Texas. Michele believes strongly in staying grounded in the words of her savior, Jesus Christ, protecting the innocence of children, and connecting with her children through books and literature. Michele and her family can be most often found in the forest, in the creek, or of course, in the library. Michele is one of the two moms behind Two Moms and Some Books.