Reviews with content warning for Blood - Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition

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Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition by Maia Kobabe

244 reviews

inkdrinkers's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

“Sometimes I feel like my brain is a machine built by someone who lost the instruction manual.”

Gender Queer is as much a reference book on gender identity as it is a memoir. Maia Kobabe not only discusses e/em/eir pronouns and how e personally related to them once learning about the use of alternate pronouns, but also addresses an entire gamut of queer identity.

I really enjoyed this! My only qualm with it (and what docked a star for me) was that it feels incredibly disjointed at times. A lot of the timelines are chronological, but will suddenly fly back to em childhood and I was left struggling to keep up. There were more than a few times I tapped back in my phone to make sure I didn't miss a transition between thoughts/moments.

I do, however, think this is a fascinating read for anyone who has struggled with any kind of gender identity issues or sought out gender confirming actions (like painting your nails! or getting a different haircut!) because at the end of the day, it's about e becoming comfortable with eirself. I did really enjoy all the discussion and thought put into the comics about Maia growing up and experimenting and toying with labels. This is the kind of book that just deserves a place on any shelf that will be browsed by people searching for themselves and their own identities.

Content Warnings: Dysphoria, Blood (menstrual, multiple discussions), Medical trauma (pap smear, on page)

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emotional informative fast-paced

2.5

I really wanted more from this book. Like other readers, I felt like it didn’t have a strong conclusion, and that it didn’t really extend the author’s experience beyond emself into a broader understanding of queerness and transness.
I also agree with other reviews saying that the inclusion of Tumblr culture weakens the book. Besides the short cultural relevancy of such things, I do not really need to know about the fact that you shipped two brothers with each other in a TV show, or that you wrote 1D fanfiction in college. Both of those inclusions left a bad taste in my mouth, especially the part where e “researched” for fanfiction by finding someone to make out with on a dating app. You can disagree with that, and maybe I just don’t know enough about dating life, but making out with someone as “research” felt odd to me. Do I think a memoir needs to portray the author in the best light? No! I think there’s merit to being real. But I do think when those inclusions are not super…necessary? Then it does muddle the message a bit. Additionally, the constant Harry Potter references felt odd especially considering (gestures vaguely).
I think it’s hard to draw the line between truthful memoir and a book that helps others discover themselves and see themselves. Personally, I think some clearer reflection or a stronger message or thesis would have helped this book a lot, other than just “this is me.” For example, with eir aunt’s concerns about transness and misogyny—why Not break those down for the reader??
I really wanted to like this memoir, but it felt not quite finished or concluded enough for my tastes. I enjoyed the art style and the real depiction of the author’s experience, but there were just too many missteps to overlook, and it feels very stuck in a certain time period.

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erikachung182's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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