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stevia333k's review
4.25
Anyways, after a while certain parts about being trans were like oh good my transfemme self isn't alone.
The relationships though & the shadow work kinda went over my head because I'm aromantic but the workplace accident (because of how wreckless the directors were to black & queer lives) helped connect me to the kind of stuff he meant, so I am thankful he included workplace incidents like that.
Also the memoir isn't told as chronologically, so basically if you're taking notes then I recommend trying to make a character list sort of glossary since the time dimension doesn't sort them, but some segments are like public letters.
Graphic: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Confinement, Death, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Sexual content, Transphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Self harm
subbasileia's review
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Cursing, and Transphobia
Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
dorhastings's review
- The organization (lack thereof) was absolutely all over the place. I don't mind a nonlinear plot, including in a memoir, but this was particularly difficult for me to get through.
- Endless accounts of sexual assault and sexual harassment. It is absolutely awful that Page endured all of this hateful behavior, no question. I could not handle it. At just under 2 hours, I could not fathom how I would listen to another 6 hours of this book. I gave myself another day, and I just could not listen to it anymore. Switched audiobooks mid-drive.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
marmaladereads's review against another edition
I love Elliott Page's work and I love him no less for having read this book, but I probably would not recommend this to other queer readers. This is an incredibly difficult, depressing, and mostly tragic story of mental illness struggle, how cruel society is towards queer and trans people, and a first hand account of why trans people have such a high rate of mental illness and suicide.
There is an incredible amount of explicit, graphic on page homophobia, transphobia, and abuse in this book.
It's highly relatable, well written, and feels incredibly true, but also made me feel sad and scared about the state of the world, and I have quite enough of that in my life already, tyvm.
Do check the content warnings before reading.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Transphobia, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Sexual content, Hate crime, and Body shaming
badbadwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual content, Medical content, Dysphoria, Bullying, Homophobia, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment
clarelou07's review against another edition
3.5
- The chapters feel like short stories, scattered throughout Elliot's life
- There is a lot about sex and relationships (which makes sense given Page's coming out as gay paving the way to be himself). However, there are some sex scenes from their younger years which read as sexual abuse. Beware if this is a trigger.
- As a Southern queer nonbinary person, Elliot's reflection on sexuality and gender was refreshing to read. I wish the world were kinder to exploration like this, and I'm happy Page exists publicly to share his story.
- While wanting to love this, the book was okay for me. I'm generally not a memoir person, but wanted to give this a shot.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Car accident, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Addiction, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Stalking, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Suicidal thoughts
dani_reis's review against another edition
0.5
Graphic: Self harm, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Excrement, Alcohol, Body horror, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Vomit
niquee3317's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Self harm
Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Bullying, and Stalking
barefootsierra's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child abuse
chamomiledaydreams's review
3.0
I was not expecting the wide variety of topics that Page addresses, from emotionally manipulative fathers to eating disorders. Those subjects disturbed me a lot, and I was surprised by how off-kilter this book made me feel. It's still worth the read, and I wouldn't have acted differently had I seen a list of content warnings going in. It just goes to show that you can't assume anything about a person or their memoir. I thought, "Elliot Page is widely known for being a trans actor. So I'm sure that those will be the main topics in his book: being trans and acting." In reality, "Pageboy" is about so much more.
I enjoyed learning about the history of Halifax and the areas in Canada where Page grew up. I even had a dream last night that I discovered a nearby ice cream shop that sold the flavor "moon mist," which I am now intent on trying at some point. I also thought it was interesting to hear the story of someone who knew that they were trans for years but didn't act upon it for decades. I relate to Page's experience of feeling worse about my gender as time goes on, but unlike him, I can't say that I "always" knew I was nonbinary. For most of my life, I didn't even know that was an option!
Page and I are only twelve years apart, but I felt our age gap viscerally while listening to this audiobook (which he does a great job narrating, by the way). I'm shocked at how different being queer in middle school is today, for my friends' younger siblings, and I'm shocked at being reminded of how different it was for people ten years my senior. It's amazing how quickly things change, and even if it wasn't easy to be out in grade school in the 2010s, even a handful of years has made a major difference in how tolerant people are of one another.
I'm glad that Page decided to share his story, and I'm happy that I finally got the chance to read his memoir. I haven't seen him in any shows besides "The Umbrella Academy," and I'm very glad that Viktor's identity has grown with Page's. It's amazing to see a trans character on TV, especially one whose story was allowed to develop in unanticipated directions. I think that the TV show and its audience are all the better for it.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia