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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
i’ve been a fan of daniel’s writing for years, ever since early hairpin days. i’m so sorry, this just absolutely wasn’t even remotely it for me. it seemed important and cathartic for you, and i’m happy for you. dnf for me.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I'm not saying this book was made specifically for me, but as someone who grew up in a rapture obsessed fundamentalist church who is now trans, in my thirties, and trying to unpack my own relationship to faith and faith community, a very solid thank you to Daniel for this one.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Book that makes you want to make appointments to go on T
Some of this I really enjoyed, and then there were all the Biblical satirical interludes which really didn't work for me, but maybe they'd work better for somebody who had similar points of reference as the author.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
It was the fourth chapter of Ortberg's book (well, actually, the second interlude, but he was alternating chapters and interludes, so it was the fourth piece of separated text) where I came to two realizations: the first realization, that the sole subject of this book was Ortberg's transition and, more specifically, his mindset, emotions, and beliefs concerning the entire process of transition, and the second realization, that this was a deeply religious work, not in the sense that Ortberg details his dependence on Christian faith during the transition (although some dependence is mentioned irregularly and often in a way that would drive traditional evangelicals crazy), but in the sense that he uses Christian imagery and Christian and Hebrew scripture as metaphor, as analogy, as a means to illuminating what it means to transition, most specifically comparing the sudden appearance of spiritual awakening to the sudden questioning in his own mind about his gender, and yet the constant use of Bible quoting in the first three chapters (or whatever) pales to the commitment in the fourth chapter (or whatever) wherein, to explicate on the doubts and hopes that accompanied his transition, Ortberg, moving outside the pages of scripture, calls upon not C. S. Lewis or some other highly regarded twentieth century conservative apologist for the faith, not upon some twenty-first century commentator on the facts of Christian life in a post-modern world, but upon an extended passage from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. If you are excited by the use of seventeenth century religious fiction to shed light on gender transition, this is the book for you.
I knew Ortberg from his long standing stint as the advice giver on Slate's Ask Prudence column and almost nothing else (although I had read an short excerpt of the book on Slate). At the least, Ortberg's prose here is much loftier than those columns (and, of course, more personal). That change was a bit jarring for me, but not as surprising as the wide range of cultural influences Ortberg calls upon. Besides the use of scripture and Bunyan, there are allusions to, pastiches of, and critiques of (deep breath) Greek mythology, Arthurian mythology, Golden Girls, Destry Rides Again, the Addams Family, the Munsters, Lord Byron, Evelyn Waugh, the works of Mark Twain, Mean Girls, and Anne of Green Gables. (One, that's not everything. Two, I am unfamiliar with the last two works on that list, meaning that two chapters (or interludes or whatever) meant absolutely nothing to me.)
And all of that is meant to highlight Ortberg's mental state. This is not a transition story that details each decision, each medical treatment, each reaction from friends and family in order. Instead, it's a wide ranging discussion that always returns to the mental questions and conclusions of transitions. Which means that, as much as the subject of the book is the question of the human body, it's a remarkably interior work.
It's also quite funny. And I read passages aloud to my wife on a regular basis. And I greatly appreciated Ortberg's exegesis of scripture. And I don't really know what I thought of the whole thing. It is a remarkably complex work with a singular focus and a sense of humor rooted in medieval and late twentieth century pop culture sensibilities.
I knew Ortberg from his long standing stint as the advice giver on Slate's Ask Prudence column and almost nothing else (although I had read an short excerpt of the book on Slate). At the least, Ortberg's prose here is much loftier than those columns (and, of course, more personal). That change was a bit jarring for me, but not as surprising as the wide range of cultural influences Ortberg calls upon. Besides the use of scripture and Bunyan, there are allusions to, pastiches of, and critiques of (deep breath) Greek mythology, Arthurian mythology, Golden Girls, Destry Rides Again, the Addams Family, the Munsters, Lord Byron, Evelyn Waugh, the works of Mark Twain, Mean Girls, and Anne of Green Gables. (One, that's not everything. Two, I am unfamiliar with the last two works on that list, meaning that two chapters (or interludes or whatever) meant absolutely nothing to me.)
And all of that is meant to highlight Ortberg's mental state. This is not a transition story that details each decision, each medical treatment, each reaction from friends and family in order. Instead, it's a wide ranging discussion that always returns to the mental questions and conclusions of transitions. Which means that, as much as the subject of the book is the question of the human body, it's a remarkably interior work.
It's also quite funny. And I read passages aloud to my wife on a regular basis. And I greatly appreciated Ortberg's exegesis of scripture. And I don't really know what I thought of the whole thing. It is a remarkably complex work with a singular focus and a sense of humor rooted in medieval and late twentieth century pop culture sensibilities.
Listened as an audiobook. Absolutely hilarious. I laughed so hard I cried. It was actually dangerous. I was lost a bit (okay, a lot) in the Biblical and greek references. But overall, his description of his transition was something that was deeply valuable, especially as someone who prescribe T. Would recommend.
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced