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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I think I read most of this book, but was impeded by having never read any part of the Bible. I didn’t need Bible-background to enjoy some bits of biblical humor, of course, but found myself bogged down in some areas that bridged religious philosophy and gender + transition. I was kinda disappointed in myself for not finishing the book, because I admire so much about Danny and his many talents. Perhaps should return to this one down the road.
Daniel Lavery has been one of my favorite writers since the Toast and this book is everything I want out of a trans memoir and out of a collection of funny pop culture essays.
Every word of this book rang with dazzling intelligence. This is the second of Ortberg's books I've read, and it cemented my belief that he is a brilliant writer. I struggled with this book though because the majority of the essays were heavy with cultural and religious references that I had little, if any, knowledge of, and so I couldn't not relate in anyway to the scenes, stories, actors he was discussing. The essays I liked, I LOVED. But many of them bored me. Not giving this book a starred rating because my emotional reaction to it had everything to do with me and nothing to do with the quality of this book. As I said at the top, it's so smart and if I was a smarter person I probably would have loved the entire thing.
I am a very loyal reader of Dear Prudence, the advice column Daniel writes for Slate. This is the first non-advice writing of his that I've ever read, and it was a joyful read. Some of it was over my head, and I did skip a few essays that referred (cleverly, I'm sure) to Bible stories and classic literature that I am unfamiliar with. All in all, this book is a collection of essays exploring his experience transitioning. Daniel is clever, cute, and extremely intelligent in his writing.
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
1) I feel like I need an English degree.
2) Transnesses are not the same.
3) Religion, question mark, Christianity, interrobang.
4) As an essay collection making up a nonlinear memoir, the main thing I came away with was a sense of a very eloquent shrug, accompanied by a thoroughly cited "Only speaking for myself, of course." Which is - of course. I don't know if the kind of transition memoir Lavery says he DIDN'T want to write, full of sea allegories, actually exists, and hypervisibility is nearly as misleading as invisibility when it comes to the representation of marginal experiences. It's reductive to read Something That May Shock and think one understands the narrative of transition; Lavery is talking about HIS and his alone, with occasional reference to trans friends, mainly in the context of am-I-doing-this-right anxiety (which, by the way, is extremely relatable). It's going to be cool when we/I reach the point where a double handful of personal narratives in trans-space doesn't define the bauplan for The Trans Experience. (I'm nonbinary, for instance; my cohort isn't in mainstream awareness except as curiosities, hyperbole, and the occasional atavistic outburst about grammar.)
5) I love the interludes. Dirtbag Sappho and Lord Byron are my favorites.
2) Transnesses are not the same.
3) Religion, question mark, Christianity, interrobang.
4) As an essay collection making up a nonlinear memoir, the main thing I came away with was a sense of a very eloquent shrug, accompanied by a thoroughly cited "Only speaking for myself, of course." Which is - of course. I don't know if the kind of transition memoir Lavery says he DIDN'T want to write, full of sea allegories, actually exists, and hypervisibility is nearly as misleading as invisibility when it comes to the representation of marginal experiences. It's reductive to read Something That May Shock and think one understands the narrative of transition; Lavery is talking about HIS and his alone, with occasional reference to trans friends, mainly in the context of am-I-doing-this-right anxiety (which, by the way, is extremely relatable). It's going to be cool when we/I reach the point where a double handful of personal narratives in trans-space doesn't define the bauplan for The Trans Experience. (I'm nonbinary, for instance; my cohort isn't in mainstream awareness except as curiosities, hyperbole, and the occasional atavistic outburst about grammar.)
5) I love the interludes. Dirtbag Sappho and Lord Byron are my favorites.
A perfect book to read on the airplane. I so enjoy Lavery's introspection-meets-commentary-meets-fanfiction approach to writing, and I have since The Toast. This felt so rich, if a little all over the place. But I think it's supposed to be all over the place.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
If you're a book nerd, and have any gender dysphoria, this is an amazing book. It's like the bible, Sappho, Greek myths, Anne of Green Gables and the legend of Arthur are playgrounds to explore gender - I don't know how he did it, but this book is my kind of weird. Some chapter titles include "Captain James T. Kirk is a Beautiful Lesbian" and "No one understands Henry VIII like I do".
Some gems, a lot more bible passages than I expected. Too much popculture. The personal essays were in general too worthy and didn't Strike me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a transition memoir that talks about the author’s experience with gender and transition through the eyes of pop culture, religion, and humor.
I first picked up this book a year ago in ebook format after I saw a quote from it online comparing transitioning to the gift of creation and another more humors section about Gomez Adams. I didn’t always understand all of the references but I found it deeply impactful how this book put to words much of the doubt and complicated feelings I was experiencing as a trans man about the potential future where I transition.
It’s extremely rare that I reread books but I read this book later again that year in ebook format, then went on to buy a physical copy to annotate it, and most recently when experiencing some anxiety around meeting a therapist that specializes in gender affirming care I checked it out again on my phone and reread some of my favorite parts.
It was clear when I looked on Amazon reviews that this is a book that people either love or hate. So I’m by no means saying Something That May Shock and Discredit You is for everyone or even every trans person but it definitely was the right book for me and I will very happily sing it’s praise.