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unread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
4.5
idk why I'm not giving this a 5 but I think this is at once hilarious and poignant and insightful honestly
aherman18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lbarsk's review against another edition
5.0
Okay where to even start here. First, DETRANSITION, BABY is as good as everyone says. Peters’ prose is funny and acerbic and unrestrained and frankly just a hoot to read. Just really fun. Second, the way she depicts characters’ mindsets feels very particular and studied without feeling… I dunno, melodramatic? Overwrought? In a book that is VERY emotionally charged, the pacing of these emotions and the ways in which characters express them is spot-on.
On a whole other level, it is fascinating to me that this book BLEW UP because it is SO queer and EVEN MORE trans. Peters deserves such a wide audience — as do trans women of color authors, which she acknowledges in interviews around this book — but the whole time reading it I was like, okay will people outside the community get this stuff? And it doesn’t matter, tbh, because there’s also stuff I don’t have firsthand experience with (i.e., MOTHERHOOD) that still resonated with me and was affecting to read about. But it was shocking in a way, to see stuff I’ve only heard talk about behind closed doors or in crowded bar corners or online so OUT IN THE OPEN.
Finally, despite the amount of time it took me to read this book it’s a fast read — I read it in chunks. Grad School has just kind of sapped so much energy from my life that I have to make a concerted effort to get back to non-coursework books, and I’m hopeful for that effort as 2022 progresses. What a book to kick off the year with !!!
On a whole other level, it is fascinating to me that this book BLEW UP because it is SO queer and EVEN MORE trans. Peters deserves such a wide audience — as do trans women of color authors, which she acknowledges in interviews around this book — but the whole time reading it I was like, okay will people outside the community get this stuff? And it doesn’t matter, tbh, because there’s also stuff I don’t have firsthand experience with (i.e., MOTHERHOOD) that still resonated with me and was affecting to read about. But it was shocking in a way, to see stuff I’ve only heard talk about behind closed doors or in crowded bar corners or online so OUT IN THE OPEN.
Finally, despite the amount of time it took me to read this book it’s a fast read — I read it in chunks. Grad School has just kind of sapped so much energy from my life that I have to make a concerted effort to get back to non-coursework books, and I’m hopeful for that effort as 2022 progresses. What a book to kick off the year with !!!
ludicwren's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pandoramedusa's review against another edition
4.0
This is the kind of book you need to digest. You want to understand all three of the main characters in both their flaws and strong points. The premise of this books is as complicated as it sounds, but the way the author wrote about each individual experience is exquisite and the raw representation I would like to see more of.
dwarnian's review against another edition
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48890225-detransition-baby#
cloverflux's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
droo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
spregasaur94's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book - especially as a trans person excited about a very different narrative being shared. Unfortunately, I really did not.
I found the writing to feel forced and it made it hard to read. I also just didn’t really like the story or the way it was portrayed - there was a lot of stereotype reinforcement and the way the plot happened didn’t even really make sense to me (who offers a baby to a third party without consulting the mother?). I almost DNF, but I forced myself to finish because a) I hate not completing books and b) I was convinced it would get better. It never really did.
I hope others like this book and, most importantly, I hope others feel seen and represented by it! It simply was not for me. I will say that I appreciate how unapologetically queer it was, and that the author really did not try to make this palatable to a cis audience but instead owned the trans experience and all the realities that come with it. We need more voices like that writing these books.
I found the writing to feel forced and it made it hard to read. I also just didn’t really like the story or the way it was portrayed - there was a lot of stereotype reinforcement and the way the plot happened didn’t even really make sense to me (who offers a baby to a third party without consulting the mother?). I almost DNF, but I forced myself to finish because a) I hate not completing books and b) I was convinced it would get better. It never really did.
I hope others like this book and, most importantly, I hope others feel seen and represented by it! It simply was not for me. I will say that I appreciate how unapologetically queer it was, and that the author really did not try to make this palatable to a cis audience but instead owned the trans experience and all the realities that come with it. We need more voices like that writing these books.
lidia_fraile's review against another edition
Still unsure about how to rate this novel. It was very raw and unapologetic in its crudeness. Interesting how it portraits both the cis perspective and the trans perspective (with all the differences between each personal story and reality) and how it confronts it’s completely different approaches to trans reality.
I very much enjoyed my time with Detransition, baby. It did take me quite a while to read it and it made my uncomfortable to read certain parts of it but I feel like this book has certainly impacted my way of thinking and I so cherish that.
I very much enjoyed my time with Detransition, baby. It did take me quite a while to read it and it made my uncomfortable to read certain parts of it but I feel like this book has certainly impacted my way of thinking and I so cherish that.