Welcome to St Hell: My trans teen misadventure
Children's, Teenage & Young Adult
Paperback Published on: 02/06/2022
£12.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
A gorgeous graphic memoir that everyone should read
This wonderful graphic memoir by Lewis Hancox is truly beautiful, easy to read and fun. It is, above all, a great piece of bravery. To me, in sharing such ... READ MORE
sweet and poignant
I really enjoyed this YA graphic novel. A very funny and sweet read about the fresh hell that is being different as a teen and grappling with your identity... READ MORE
Poignant, honest and warm
Lewis Hancox looks back on his early years, trying to find some way of fitting into a binary world of boys or girls. For those of us who are cis-gendered, ... READ MORE
A deeply personal, honest and necessary memoir
A funny and heartfelt memoir depicting the realities of being a trans teen and all that comes with it. This will resonate with so many dysphoric teens (and... READ MORE
A True, Honest and Uplifting Account of Trans Life
As a trans man myself, I cannot understate how true this rings to my experience and how seen I felt by this book. It is a testament to trans joy and streng... READ MORE
Be you and be proud.
An autobiographical memoir, this is the story of how Lewis Hancox gradually realised he was a boy and his journey through a misunderstood, mis-fitting and ... READ MORE
A raw and honest memoir
This book is brilliantly written, a raw and honest memoir about the authors experience growing up and discovering their gender identity.
It is poignant, f... READ MORE
Hilarious and incredibly important!
Don't be fooled by the extremist reactionaries, this book is an extremely personal and poignant history of the author's experience growing up knowing they ... READ MORE
such an important book!!
this was a really accessible story of someone coming to terms with their identity and I can imagine it being really useful for younger people who are going... READ MORE
Sweet and insightful.
A heartfelt comic, full of 90s nostalgia, that’s fun and educational for everyone. A simple breakdown of what it means to be part of and the journey of the... READ MORE
Beautiful, Funny and Important
A brilliant comic book representation of Lewis Hancox' journey towards becoming the man he always wanted to be. This is very funny and deeply engaging. Han... READ MORE
Warm, honest, insightful and wise - brilliant!
A brilliant insight for this reader, often relatable (we’ve all been teenagers!) full of hope and affirmation; far from being an angry book, it’s a gentle ... READ MORE
Extremely Moving, Funny and Important
Welcome to St. Hell is an absolute delight to read, a hilarious and heartwarming memoir from Lewis Hancox recounting his teenage years and his own personal... READ MORE
A vitally important and honest depiction of the trans experience.
‘Welcome to St. Hell’ is a fantastic graphic memoir. It’s an honest account of growing up as a trans person in the 90’s and 00’s. This is a book I wish I c... READ MORE
Discover who you are, and be proud!
An honest depiction of what it’s like to be a confused teen figuring out your identity. This book is both informative and humorous, and gives a great insig... READ MORE
An insightful and interesting memoir that everyone should read
This is a memoir that everyone should read regardless of age. It’s such an interesting and insightful memoir into being a trans teenager in the early 2000s... READ MORE
Urgent
While I'm quite bitter at how this book has been review-bombed, I think the fact it has evoked such negative responses is indicative of how much we need tr... READ MORE
A hopeful memoir
An autobiographical graphic novel about a transman trying to find comfort in his body and transition.
I really like that this is such an honest portray... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2023 Older Readers Shortlist
Due to the nature of some of the themes featured in the book, Welcome to St Hell is only suitable for readers aged 14 years and over.
Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she's confused about who to snog. He knows she's really a he and will ultimately realize this... But she's going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this... but she's refusing to listen.
In Welcome to St Hell, author-illustrator Lewis Hancox takes readers on the hilarious, heartbreaking and healing path he took to make it past trauma, confusion, hurt and dubious fashion choices in order to become the man he was meant to be.
Lewis Hancox - Shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards Positive Role Model Award (LGBT) 2022.
- Publisher: Scholastic
- ISBN: 9780702313905
- Number of pages: 304
- Weight: 520g
- Dimensions: 212 x 142 x 17 mm
Customer Reviews
View allHarmful, misleading and irresponsible
This book shamefully teaches very negative attitudes towards body development during adolescence, making children feel that natural changes are actually wr... READ MORE
An irresponsibly simplistic take on gender dysphoria
This book teaches teenage girls to perceive temporary growing pains (e.g. "clammy hands") and gender dysphoria as things that can be magically cured by tak... READ MORE
Shocked this is Marketed to 14+ Kids: Badly-Drawn Propaganda that Advocates Irreversible, High-Risk Surgery as a First Response to Feeling Uncomfortable During Puberty
The one-sided propaganda peddled by this book is extremely dangerous. It encourages teen girls to be uber-critical about their bodies and then markets the... READ MORE
Harmful body shaming propaganda
This book celebrates and encourages young girls to hate their bodies. Harmful, dangerous and the opposite of what we should be telling our daughters.
A terrible message to send vulnerable and unhappy young women
So wrong. Full of internalised misogyny, this book promotes a damaging attitude towards girls and is a roadmap for self-loathing. Girls should be taught ho... READ MORE
3 books I'd recommend INSTEAD of 'Welcome to St. Hell'
The three titles listed below deal with the growing pains of adolescence *without* encouraging gender non-conforming girls to take irreversible, life-alter... READ MORE
Poorly Written, Childishly Drawn, Awful Message
Anyone who has a daughter would do well to give this book a wide berth. It makes serious, life-changing surgery, surgery that many have lived to regret, s... READ MORE
Disturbing and dangerous. Not for children!
Really shocked to see this book shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2023. The synopsis says suitable for 14 years and older, but I can’t ... READ MORE
Harmful and dangerous book
This book should never be read by any child suffering from body dysmorphia, this is potentially extremely harmful. It is a scientific fact that the majorit... READ MORE
just no
Yes, the booksellers are here giving 5 stars, but as a parent of a teen girl currently navigating the gender hysteria that has exploded in her school, I am... READ MORE
A must-read. Hilarious, honest, informative and relatable!
Just brilliant - I couldn't put this book down! As somebody who isn't trans, I didn't expect to relate to this book much, but Lewis has perfectly captured ... READ MORE
A morally reprehensible attempt to encourage vulnerable gender-questioning children to medically transition
Anyone who has seen the graphic in this book describing healthy breasts as 'fatty lumps that need to be gone' should question how this was acquired, let al... READ MORE
We wouldn't encourage anorexia in teens
If your child wishes to read this, I urge parents to read Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier asap. Welcome to St Hell is certainly the worst book I have... READ MORE
Disturbing and dangerous. Not for children!
If you provide any details on the content of this book, Waterstones will delete your review. Unclear why they think it’s appropriate to promote this book t... READ MORE
Destructive for adolescents, cannot believe it's even being sold
Teaching young children to hate their bodies & make them feel that these natural changes are wrong and disgusting is just abhorrent. Shame on the writer & ... READ MORE
A misadventure of a lifetime
From Lo to Lew. Such a raw graphic novel. I'd recommend to anyone; whether you're wondering if you're transgender or not. It's a very thought provoking rea... READ MORE
Insanity publicised
This is so disturbing that I believe Waterstones ought to be boycotted.
A minority of population with chromosomal abnormalities is now messing up with chi... READ MORE
Disgusted
I am saddened and just appealed at Waterstones bowing down to wokeism and this insanity of pushing gender ideology into the mainstream. I am a GP here in E... READ MORE
Marketed at children yet carries an adult advisory what is Waterstones thinking!
This is not literature that enlightens or inspires children. It is an egregious attempt to get children to uncritically accept gender theory. In a normal a... READ MORE
Awful
This book is misleading and giving information that can have incredibly big impacts on impressionable minds like the ones who of young girls, particularly ... READ MORE
Disappointed with Waterstones
Very disappointed to come across Waterstones promoting this book. Whatever your personal opinion on the gender debate, this book seriously risks confusing ... READ MORE
funny, charming and honest memoir
I would like to start by saying that this book is in no way teaching girls to hate their bodies, as so many of the reviews here have said.
This is a rea... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant.
Totally surprised to see the hate this book is receiving...
Just shows why this book needs more coverage and deserves to be shortlisted as our world is cl... READ MORE
A great read for any teenager.
Honestly a fun and personal look at one mans life growing up trans, but it's also about him going though family troubles, issues with friends, dating, lear... READ MORE
Funny, accessible memoir
Bought this book for my school library and it’s perfect for teens, whether or not they’re LGBT*. A funny, accessible memoir which is really relatable and w... READ MORE
Honest, hilarious, informative and uplifting
I'm so glad Lewis Hancox wrote this memoir so that other trans kids, espeically trans mascs, can see themselves. Despite tackling gender dysphoria, bullyin... READ MORE
Absolutely disgusting. Filthy book, read all reviews before purchasing
Stay away from this book, and definitely keep it away from your children. This wokey society is causing a real issue to our youth going back 20 years we ha... READ MORE
NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN!!! This book is damaging to gender confused children
The book is supposedly aimed at 14-year-olds, yet has an ‘adult content warning’ sticker on the back and the illustrations are clearly designed to appeal t... READ MORE
Stop pushing gender ideology at children!
This book encourages pubescent girls to hate on their bodies, describing breasts as 'fatty lumps that need removing' . As well as validating teen anxiety, ... READ MORE
Sickening messages for girls going through puberty
This was bought for my friend's 12 year old who was in tears after reading just part of this book. She said she felt like she was under pressure to transit... READ MORE
Important
Books like this are so, so vital for trans kids to feel less alone. And no, reading this book is not going to turn cis girls into boys.
great
great to finally find a graphic novel for trans boys and trans mascs !
would recommend
loved it!
great portrayal of teenage trans life and cool art style
It's all about Lewis' experience and understanding, and that's completely fine!
I don't understand why people are putting this as 1* for inadequate representation of the body and plaguing kids minds or whatever. This book is about LEWI... READ MORE
Perfect
I cried, it’s so beautiful, i feel so understood and i never have. After i finished reading it i went to sleep hugging it. Its a must read!!!!