“A beautiful book of poetry following one human’s journey towards themselves, illuminating gender identity and the culture that surrounds us all—insightful and inspiring!”

— Rosie O’Donnell, Performer/Activist

“Funny and surprising, a real gem.”

— Hannah Gadsby, Comedian/Writer

“The poems found in I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side are as intentional and full-bodied as the poet who penned them. J Brooke is a truth-teller with a gift for precise storytelling who walks the reader through the dark and light spaces of a life evolving, becoming anew.”

— Amanda Johnston, 61st Texas Poet Laureate

“J Brooke’s I Can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side is a book of rare courage—one that refuses performance, explanation, or any version that might win easy sympathy. Instead, these poems stand in the full, contradictory glare of memory and body, and say: I am here, I will not simplify what I carry. What lingers isn’t a neat resolution but the stubborn dignity of survival—the daily, unspectacular ache of choosing to live honestly, with humor and care, even when the world demands a tidier answer. This is a collection that trusts the reader with what is unfinished and unfixable, and in doing so, offers something like hope—hope that we, too, might live inside our own contradictions and be seen.”

— Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez: Stories & Fire Exit