Reviews

Pageboy by Elliot Page

estherpew's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

I really appreciate Elliot Page writing this book. It’s difficult being vulnerable, and he shares a lot about his struggle with his family, fame, his transition and general self discovery journey, and so much more. The gossip in me wanted names of the people that said so many horrible things (and also so I could boycott/not support homophobic and transphobic people with my media choices). The nonlinear timeline was hard to follow at times but on the other hand it helped to paint an enlightening picture of the life Elliot has lived. I appreciated the nugget of history of where the name Elliot came from, that warmed my heart. I listened to the audio book read by the author, and that always adds an additional layer of emotion for me - makes a read that much more powerful. Thank you Elliot, for writing this and being a strong advocate and voice. 

meganlamming's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

2.75

spoonofnutella_'s review against another edition

inspiring sad slow-paced

3.0

I'm so happy for Page and that he's now living his authentic life! 

However, this book felt overwhelmingly sad and negative as the reader. That feels harsh to say since I'm not the one living the experience, but it was just too much and maybe could have don't with incorporating some lighter anecdotes. Also the jumping timelines was jarring and difficult to follow. 

inga_filipiak's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

alimackenzie's review against another edition

I never want to take away from trans narratives and I love Elliot, but his storytelling and the jarring back and forth in timelines wasn’t for me.

aimless's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

georgetmchugh's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

2.0

Very candid but at times feels like a tricky read purely for the amount of sadness all at once. The jumping around of time frames was also hard to keep up with.

louisek's review against another edition

5.0

An excellent book, I love elliot sooo much and the strength and bravery he shows in telling his story is so remarkable. A must read!

fanboyriot's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

Deciding to love yourself was the whole point of this book.  All the ups and downs of life, the self discovery of a trans person.  The pain of being trans and living in a world not built for trans people.

While some of the pacing was a bit awkward and the timeline was difficult to follow but I ended up loving listening to this; especially since the author was also the narrator. 

I learned a lot about this author and I’m so happy that he was in a place to write this book and share it with the world.  I also liked how he mentioned several times about his privilege in a very genuine way, actually acknowledging the problems with trans healthcare and other issues as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Transphobia, Self harm, Sexual content, and Cursing

Moderate: Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Blood, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Stalking, Rape, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Misogyny, Body shaming, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Classism, Medical content, and Drug use

clementinemac's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Shout out Nova Scotia!!!