“By age four, I was labeled a tomboy — a label that made my dad happy, I think.
I became his shadow. Everywhere he went, I followed. I wanted to be his helper. I wanted to be just like him.”
—Ryan Sallans
BOTH SIDES . . . AND BEYOND
Second Son: Transitioning Toward My Destiny, Love, and Life is a story that intimately explores the transition experience of Ryan Sallans, born Kimberly Ann Sallans. Each chapter viscerally pulls the reader through Ryan’s transition from infant to child, child to body-obsessed teenage girl, teenage girl to eating-disordered young woman, female to male, daughter to son, and finally a beloved partner to a cherished fiancé. It offers readers a unique glimpse of life and love as lived by a uniquely talented and truth-telling man.
Ryan candidly shares with the reader how he struggled to find love and acceptance, when he initially didn’t even love or accept himself. Before his transition, as an insecure female college student, he nearly died from an extreme case of anorexia. The only thing that saved him was his inner spirit begging for a chance to live. His fight to survive required him to overcome his internal complications and fears, which eventually led to an estranged relationship with his family.
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