Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Pageboy

Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Pageboy by Elliot Page

140 reviews

matildamercury's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

2.5

This book made me feel warm and fuzzy a lot simply because I came of age as a lesbian with Elliot’s movies and coming out. I also really liked the descriptions of Canada and, as always, the dyke drama tea.

However after completing it, I realised I really disliked it.

This memoir finished with no actual introspection, self realisation or broader contextualisation. The closest thing we got was the pitiful chapter on his top surgery. He basically talked about how amazing it was and how relieved he felt but that he felt a need to express his gratitude bc of his privilege (eg lots of trans men don’t have the money, community supports etc to access top surgery) - before ending it with a “but it’s my basic rights and I shouldn’t have to feel grateful because I deserved it” ? And that was pretty much it in the way of acknowledging broader contexts for his life. Which included things such as: anorexia, self harm, emotional abuse by a parent, having a pedophilic stalker as a teenage girl, large scale homophobia and transphobia, and the list goes on !!! I was truly expecting these struggles to be rooted by Elliot societally and acknowledge the wider traumas of growing up in a patriarchy, and maybe solidarity with other gnc/trans/gay people but no. Nothing. Really disappointing.

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hannahduda's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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lauren_shilling's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I'm going to keep this review short, because memoirs are hard to rate and review. It is a person telling their own story how they feel is best, and that is very hard to critique. I will mostly leave my review at saying that this book is incredibly well written, and there were so many quotes that I was underlining and marking. I also really loved a lot of the stylistic choices he made, including the non-linear timeline. He says in the beginning that he chose to structure it in this way because he felt like the process getting to where he is today, including his transition, wasn't entirely linear, and I really respect that choice, and I think it works really well. I absolutely loved this book, and I would highly highly recommend it!!

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lambclown's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

“It’s not trans people who suffer from a sickness, but the society that fosters such hate.” - Elliot Page

A wonderfully hopeful yet sometimes heartbreaking book about life as a trans person as told by a trans person. And not just any person but a celebrity. Because of this book I now know how horrible things were for Elliot before he came out, when he first came out, and when he came out again.

The chapters where he reflects on his parents, their reactions, and how they treated him broke me into a million pieces. I love my children and always will; no matter who they are or grow up to be.

Elliot describing what it felt like to finally be able to be his true self and feel comfortable in his skin was so powerful. I’m glad the world has him and this memoir.

Though will say, speaking as a Canadian myself, Elliot talks about ketchup chips a lot. I’m surprised he didn’t bring up Tim Hortons more.

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