Dr James Barry: A Woman Ahead of Her Time by Michael du PreezMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Dr James Barry: A woman ahead of her time" is the astonishing true story of Margaret Anne Bulkley - a woman who, for most of her life, pretended to be a man and worked as an army surgeon. That she managed to "get away" with her disguise for so long would have been an impressive feat by itself but she also did this while working her ways through the ranks to become one of the highest ranked medical officers in the British army.
The tragic part is that she was probably extremely lonely - she daren't get too close to anyone for fear of them discovering her secret. Plus, she doesn't come across as the easiest of people; her temper frequently being the cause of many falling outs and career set backs.
Perhaps, Barry could be seen as a transgendered man but that's impossible to know. Had Margaret had the same opportunities to be a doctor as "James" had, then you could ascribe "his" decision to live as a man as an indication that "he" saw "himself" as a man. But, her choices as "Margret" were to be a governess or get married - so deciding to be "James" could well have been she simply wanted a better life for herself. Particularly as there were indications she missed being able to live as a woman.
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