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antijeffbozo_love2read's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Medical content, Excrement, Transphobia, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Deadnaming, Body shaming, and Medical trauma
Minor: Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Cancer
Injury/gore is metaphorical and features a character impaled on a spike in a couple of different instances. It metaphorically represents emotional/physical pain and features some amount of blood, nothing else. Blood warning mainly applies to menstrual blood.theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Dysphoria
Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
pacifickat's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Medical content, Outing, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
tiernanhunter's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Outing, Sexual content, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Car accident and Pregnancy
zombiezami's review
5.0
Graphic: Dysphoria, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident, Alcoholism, and Death
emoryscott's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Deadnaming, Bullying, Transphobia, Medical content, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
anna_wa's review
4.5
I have said before that I have a problem with finishing graphic novels too quickly at times and then don't "digest" them properly as a result, but this time I was able to spread this book out to 4 days and I'm glad because I was able to ruminate more on the things Kobabe talked about. I don't think this book should be slammed through in a day if you can help yourself (even though it's really good so I would understand if you couldn't stop yourself from plunging through it in one day).
One of the reasons cited for banning this book was the nude scenes and the lengthy discussions about genetalia. I am 100% certain that that was just a cop-out and not the real reason people wanted it banned, but I took it as my warning and you should too: yes, there is a lot of discussion about genetalia in this book. So if that squicks you out at all you shouldn't pick it up.
However, having said that, there aren't that many truly nude scenes. I mean yes they exist, but overall Kobabe just talks about genetalia and actually-nude scenes are not common. When they do exist, only one of them is from having sex with another person. 90% of them are non-sexual nudity.
This book is a collection of "days in the life". There is no punchline to these stories, no summary of the message you're supposed to take from each one. E just gives you the stories from throughout eir life (from childhood, adolescence, college, grad school, and beyond). At first I was caught off guard by this - since usually I read the type of graphic novel autobiography that tells me what The Point/Lesson is from each story, but I think I liked it this way.
And that's how the book ends too. There's no punch, no "I've figured it all out now, I'm good". It ends with the message that life is not over yet and e still have many more memories to make and many more things to learn about em-self. Which is definitely a message I love - because none of us "have it all figured out" ever, even if we think we do.
In a weird way I'm glad this book got banned so that I could find it. I am obviously not glad that it means less people who need to read its words will read it though.
I may not be able to relate to em, but I don't have to relate to every book to thoroughly enjoy it and feel like it made me think more about life in general. I will definitely be buying several copies of this and gifting it to friends & family who I think would also benefit from its pages (regardless of whether or not they relate).
Graphic: Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Transphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit
emfass's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Dysphoria, Medical content, Blood, Medical trauma, Transphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Vomit, and Excrement
caseythereader's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Deadnaming, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Transphobia
frogwatching's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma
Moderate: Blood and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism
brief description of two scenes related to medical trauma, including page numbers, so you know which to skip: