In the Darkroom

In the Darkroom was critically acclaimed.[7] The New York Times' Michelle Goldberg described the memoir as a "rich, arresting and ultimately generous investigation of [Faludi's] father",[3] while The Guardian's Claire Harman called it a "remarkable, moving and courageous book".[6] Also writing for The Guardian, Rachel Cooke concluded that, "Faludi's book, reticent and elegant and extremely clever, will not be to everyone’s taste. But this doesn’t preclude it from being an out-and-out masterpiece of its kind."[8]

NPR's Maureen Corrigan noted that the book "seems like especially pertinent reading in these, our own dark times, when questions of identity keep coming to the fore, as matters of life and death."[9] Entertainment Weekly's Tina Jordan gave the memoir an "A-" rating, concluding that: "It’s a gripping and honest personal journey—bolstered by reams of research—that ultimately transcends family and addresses much bigger questions of identity and reinvention."[10] According to The New York Times' Jennifer Senior, Faludi "challenges some of our most fundamental assumptions about transsexuality,"[11] although The Washington Post's Hanna Rosin felt that Faludi "never quite completes" the "broader counter-narrative about identity" that she starts.[12]

In a rare lukewarm review, USA Today's Sharon Peters gave the book two stars out of four, concluding that: "In the end, though, In the Darkroom fails to shed real light."[13]

In the Darkroom won the 2016 Kirkus Prize in the nonfiction category[4] and was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.[5] The book was also selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review as one of the 10 Best Books of 2016.[14] Laura Miller of Slate named it one of her 10 Favorite Books of 2016.[15]