Reviews

Growing Up Queer in Australia by Benjamin Law

annabelle42688's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I love this essay series.

malcolmmcp's review against another edition

5.0

I didn't expect to like this book quite as much as I have. It wasn't that I had any expectations. Ben Law has assembled a magnificent and highly varied cast of contributors. Varieties of sexualities, gender identities, ages, ethnic backgrounds and abilities are all included in a diversity of storytelling. To select just a few, Stephanie Convery's account of bisexuality is intriguing. Mike Mullins' account, an older gay man from a small country town, is not so different my own story of growing up at the very edge of Sydney. Dang Nguyen's piece is beautifully and evocatively written. The piece by Thomas Wilson-White provides a fitting hopeful conclusion. There are few if any Sydney voices, most being from Brisbane or Melbourne. However, Australia is not Sydney. There are voices from Sydney that I would have liked to include but also voices from Canberra, Albury, Bathurst, Adelaide and Perth to name a few more towns.
My recent reading has included Mama's Boy by Dustin Lance Black and Sally Rugg's How Powerful We Are. I noticed how many contributors mentioned the plebiscite and the resultant marriage equality legislation. It is part of our recent queer experience in Australia, painful and challenging during the plebiscite. The positive legislative outcome although wonderful, was, by no means, a magical solution to queer oppression in Australia.

roisinie's review against another edition

5.0

Highly recommend the audiobook

sjayne_reads's review against another edition

4.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an anthology of stories covering all things queer. This means everything from intersex to being trans, gay or nonbinary.

It’s a good picture of what it was like growing up queer in Australia and as a queer woman, it made me feel less alone. I found comfort in reading stories that were similar to mine and learning from ones that weren’t.

lottie1803's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

ardour's review against another edition

very much enjoy it but seeing as there’s so many stories i wanna pace myself, pick it up every now and then and read some to savour it :-)

melancholicapple's review against another edition

4.0

8/10
This really hit home for me, and made quite a problem as i usually read on the train, i would find myself more often than not, tearing up due to the stories. Some mirrored my experiences too closely, others provided insight on the queer aussie scene that i don't think i would've otherwise.
I took time off reading recently to focus on school activities and homework, but these stories provided a breather in the moments i had alone to spare.
I read an earlier release copy that my school luckily got, so i'm sure the finalised version is even better and would surely reccomend it to others.

rhiannonhoward's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

donkegump's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

elianaaajade's review against another edition

emotional inspiring

5.0