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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Danny Lavery's third book is an essay collection that mixes transition memoir, literary criticism, and parody of a wide range of highbrow/lowbrow cultural subjects including the Bible, Lord Byron, Anne of Green Gables, and Columbo. If you've read his Substack, The Shatner Chatner, it's like that (some of the pieces debuted there).
As a trans man myself, I found Lavery's writing about his transition painfully accurate. and, therefore, difficult to read. It evokes a very specific confused, embarrassed, disbelieving early-transition feeling with eerie specificity. At times, I felt more than just "called out", but also deprecated by his self-deprecation. I know that Danny is exploring an earlier time/though process in many of these pieces, and that he has since gone a long way toward healing from the self-doubts and internalized transphobia that he so perfectly captures, but at the particular place in my transition when I read this, it's an awkward place to revisit; I'm too removed from those feelings to be delighted by being "seen" and too close to look back on them with gentleness.
I'm an old school Toast fan, so I really enjoyed the parody and pop culture interludes. I couldn't follow the Biblical stuff so much. The thing about Lavery's literary pastiche is that if you don't get it, it's pretty confusing, but if you do get it, if you're in the 2% that this particular joke is FOR, it's so unbelievably good! The bit of fan fiction at the end where Marilla and Rachel Lynde react as if Anne of Green Gables transitioned to male was like the most perfect and healing thing for me to read, ever.
As a trans man myself, I found Lavery's writing about his transition painfully accurate. and, therefore, difficult to read. It evokes a very specific confused, embarrassed, disbelieving early-transition feeling with eerie specificity. At times, I felt more than just "called out", but also deprecated by his self-deprecation. I know that Danny is exploring an earlier time/though process in many of these pieces, and that he has since gone a long way toward healing from the self-doubts and internalized transphobia that he so perfectly captures, but at the particular place in my transition when I read this, it's an awkward place to revisit; I'm too removed from those feelings to be delighted by being "seen" and too close to look back on them with gentleness.
I'm an old school Toast fan, so I really enjoyed the parody and pop culture interludes. I couldn't follow the Biblical stuff so much. The thing about Lavery's literary pastiche is that if you don't get it, it's pretty confusing, but if you do get it, if you're in the 2% that this particular joke is FOR, it's so unbelievably good! The bit of fan fiction at the end where Marilla and Rachel Lynde react as if Anne of Green Gables transitioned to male was like the most perfect and healing thing for me to read, ever.
i think i might be a little bit too dumb for this book
funny
informative
medium-paced
Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a memoir that combines transition, pop culture, religion, literature, and generally overthinking everything in a witty way. Known from The Toast and a host of comedic essays on pop culture and literature, Lavery combines this with personal memoir about transition, including internal battles, relating to others, and generally dealing with having a body.
This is a fast-paced collection with short chapters and various interludes on literature and pop culture topics that will be familiar in tone to any of his fans. My personal highlight of these was the reworking of Lord Byron's reflections on his birthday, because I'm a huge Byron fan and it was hilarious. Another great one was the re-describing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is both an accurate retelling and a great look at the sheer confusion Gawain faces. Some of the pieces about literature or the Bible need some knowledge of them (both of my favourites are based around the fact I know about Byron and Gawain, and indeed have studied both), though it doesn't necessarily stop enjoyment when you don't have all of the background (I spent two English degrees not understanding most Biblical references and I got by then). The memoir side of things is perhaps even better, written with thought and self-deprecation, as he reflects on deciding to transition, being in your thirties, growing up, and how gender is treated in society as you transition.
This is a charming book which combines a host of references and discussions on culture with self-reflection and humour, showing that memoirs don't have to be just sincere reflections on a journey or process (as is mocked in the opening chapter). The writing style makes it less focused on the personal detail than the observations, though there are some sweet details (such as the build up on the relationship with his now-wife), and in general it feels very fresh as a memoir, though very in keeping with Lavery's style from reading his writing online.
This is a fast-paced collection with short chapters and various interludes on literature and pop culture topics that will be familiar in tone to any of his fans. My personal highlight of these was the reworking of Lord Byron's reflections on his birthday, because I'm a huge Byron fan and it was hilarious. Another great one was the re-describing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is both an accurate retelling and a great look at the sheer confusion Gawain faces. Some of the pieces about literature or the Bible need some knowledge of them (both of my favourites are based around the fact I know about Byron and Gawain, and indeed have studied both), though it doesn't necessarily stop enjoyment when you don't have all of the background (I spent two English degrees not understanding most Biblical references and I got by then). The memoir side of things is perhaps even better, written with thought and self-deprecation, as he reflects on deciding to transition, being in your thirties, growing up, and how gender is treated in society as you transition.
This is a charming book which combines a host of references and discussions on culture with self-reflection and humour, showing that memoirs don't have to be just sincere reflections on a journey or process (as is mocked in the opening chapter). The writing style makes it less focused on the personal detail than the observations, though there are some sweet details (such as the build up on the relationship with his now-wife), and in general it feels very fresh as a memoir, though very in keeping with Lavery's style from reading his writing online.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
such a delightful read!! lavery's voice is so distinct and unique and his humor is beyond. neccessarily emotional and poignant at times but overall a really kind of joyous exploration of transmasc identity
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Transphobia
challenging
tense
slow-paced
funny
reflective
slow-paced
An interesting mix of memoir and The Toast-style interstitials (Jacob's - sorry, *Israel's* - name change was my favorite) made listening to the audiobook confusing at times, but this was a delight.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced