In the 1930s, John "Gene" E. Dawson was a shy, insecure boy who had been born to a struggling Iowa farm family during the Great Depression. In his memoir, "Farm Boy, City Girl," Gene first recalls his years as a "Farm Boy," when he and his brothers worked alongside their parents as soon as they were able and attended country school. But life wasn't all work and school, and he writes about his love for and time with his extended Irish Catholic family.As a teenager, the "Farm Boy" realized that he never would be like his male peers and interested in girls. When Gene eventually decided that he could not lead a double life and pretend to be heterosexual, he began his life away from the farm as a "City Girl," complete with beautiful clothes and makeup. But that chapter in his life came to an abrupt halt when tragedy struck his family. It would be four more years before he again would live in a city.Gene's life story takes the reader through the twists and turns of reconciling his love of family, God, and the Catholic Church with being able to accept himself as "Miss Gina." As Gene tried to live his life true to himself, he escaped being seriously injured more than once by some who didn't approve of his lifestyle.