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lzimmeade's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Eating disorder
jellerie's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Homophobia
dafni's review against another edition
2.75
Elliot has shared in his interview that transness is not linear, and this conceptualisation formed the basis for presenting his story in a non-chronological order. I respect that, but it did not work for me at all. I found the writing to be all over the place, jumping around and going back and forth to the point that was extremely confusing and unpleasant. Elliot was not just jumping between past and present, but even between past and past or present and present, so there was absolutely no coherence in the writing. He did not contextualise the lived experience at the beginning of each chapter and as a reader I found myself often halfway through a chapter to understand we are back at his teenage years or a different point in time.
I appreciate the pain of identity concealment, parental rejection, homophobia and transphobia. This memoir acts as an account of Elliot’s pain and struggles, but only scratched the surface. I felt Elliot did not dive deep into the felt experience and lacked reflections of his own privileges in this battle.
The narration of the audio book was colourless and with no expression in his voice, which made the experience of listening difficult and disengaging.
Should you read the book? Unsure.
Would I recommend it? Unsure too.
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Eating disorder and Dysphoria
Minor: Drug abuse
aoife_mdc's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Stalking
inkerly's review against another edition
4.0
The memoir broke me. Literally. My heart would break in every chapter or my jaw would drop . Im not an Elliot Page fan but I enjoy movies he’s been in (Juno, Inception), and I like that he is one of the more relatable celebrities. Elliot has been through a lot in his 37 years of living and he was failed multiple times by the adults around him. I thought I would be reading a book about the inspiring journey of a transman coming into his identity but what I’m left with is the story of a man who is still trying to pick up the pieces of his life and resolve undue childhood trauma while breaking barriers and staying true to himself. I think the fact that Elliot’s journey is still “to be continued” makes this book raw and real, but at the same time reading it also felt like reading a sequence of disjointed events (all sad) that didn’t provide complete closure. Based on recent articles and photos of him I sense that his journey with his body dysmorphia is not completely over. I support Elliot and hope that this new chapter of his life makes him stronger and better than he can ever imagine.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Dysphoria, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming
Minor: Death of parent
amylangdown_'s review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Homophobia, and Child abuse
vixenreader's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Cancer, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Self harm, Drug use, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Biphobia, Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, Classism, and Drug abuse
Be aware that there are themes of parental neglect, rejecting a trans child, bi-erasure, putting actors in harm’s way, the influence of the internet, tension within unhealthy relationships, unhealthy polyamory, heartbreak, threats towards trans and queer folks, nudity in film, erasure of queer identity, and being forced back into the closet.melist6's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Self harm
barefootbetsy's review against another edition
4.0
There was also more explicit material than I'd been expecting, but it was all relevant, not gratuitous.
All things considered, I'm glad I read it. If you're interested in Elliot's story then I'd recommend you read it, if you aren't interested in his story then you probably won't enjoy the book very much.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Rape, Bullying, Grief, Transphobia, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Blood, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Self harm
crybabybea's review against another edition
3.75
I will say this felt a bit unedited, especially near the end. Page repeats himself pretty often (one of the most memorable being his constantly feeling like he needs to "shit blood") which isn't too terrible but was something I noticed. I didn't factor this into my review, but the audiobook also felt a bit lesser quality; there were multiple times that lines were repeated because takes weren't edited properly, and there were random drops in audio quality that weren't awful but definitely noticeable.
This is overall an inspiring, heartfelt story but there is a healthy mix of heartbreak as well. I was especially moved by the way Elliot told his experience with homophobia, internal and external, and how that kept him from finding his identity for so long. I also found the perspective of trying to navigate queerness while also trying to navigate celebrity culture and his career as an actor super intriguing.
I think if you go into this knowing it's not going to be a typical memoir with a clear, linear timeline, you will enjoy it, and especially if you are already a fan of Elliot.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Cursing, Dysphoria, Sexism, Homophobia, Bullying, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault