Reviews tagging 'Outing'

Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada

4 reviews

solusipse's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Classism, Suicide, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Outing, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Deadnaming, Drug use, Blood, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Murder, and Domestic abuse

maxgdy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Abandonment, Cursing, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Outing, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Suicide

merenguita's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Maravilloso. Tengo una debilidad por el realismo mágico y este libro tiene algunos elementos hermosos de esta corriente. 
Aunque la narradora es la misma durante todo el libro, nos cuenta la historia de varias de sus compañeras, algunas me hicieron llorar de ternura y otras de dolor, pero disfruté leerlas a todas. 
100% recomendable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Alcohol, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Excrement, Outing, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

bookdragon217's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

"Death was a concept I couldn't get my head around. All I knew was hot to get through the day and avoid the dangers that stalked me at every turn. I didn't yet know that death had been with me since I was born, that she had my name tattooed on her forehead, that she holds my hand at night, sits down to eat with me, that we breathe in unison".

Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada is a coming of age, translated work about travesti sex workers in Argentina. The author includes a note as to why they choose to identify as travestis and why language is important in claiming their own narrative. 

This story was heartbreaking and compelling. It really brings to light the importance of community in the trans world for survival. Society asks them to continually die to themselves in order to be worthy of being loved and accepted.  They are met with unspeakable violence if they live as their authentic selves. 

The author uses visibility as an important theme to show the ways that trans women long to be fully seen in their humanity but at the same time have to stay hidden to avoid violence at the hands of men. This story also talks about the importance of owning their own bodies and what bodies society deems valuable and worthy of respect. Camila, the main protagonist speaks of the ways many transwomen struggle with acceptance and love because of the rejection of their parents that forced them onto the streets. 

It was interesting to see how class affects who gets to come out, what economic opportunities are available and how privilege is traversed between worlds. The magical realism aspects added layers to the story and were a metaphor for the ways that some tranwomen literally transform because of the pain that they feel.

The aspect of community is at the core of this story. Being in relationship with others just like themselves is how transwoman form their identities, get the support & safety that they need and literally how they survive day to day. Society pushes this community to the outskirts of the margins and slowly kills them through medical discrimination, gentrification,  criminalization & patriarchal violence. 

The aspect of language is crucial to identity as well. It is one of the only things that allows them to  not only identity themselves but to voice their stories to the world. Motherhood is explored in a nuanced way as you see their community mother tap in to her maternal instincts when she finds an abandoned baby and takes him in. They all play a part in mothering this child as the neighborhood rallies against them and hurls violence and threatens legal action. They cling to motherhood for their own survival and for the survival of their community. This an essential read and I highly recommend that you pick this one up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Suicide, Outing, Rape, Transphobia, and Violence