Book excerpt: This is the story of how Emery Walters became whom he was supposed to be. I knew I was male at an early age, something that was a societal no-no in the 1950s and still is in parts of the country today. Burying my male identity, I strove to be the best woman possible. But after raising my four wonderful children from two debilitating marriages, I found myself alone and nearly penniless. That was when Emery asserted his identity. Life became better with the shift from female to male, a third marriage, and a wife who, herself, transitioned from male to female.