Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

45 reviews

saritaadam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

It broke my heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, Death, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual content, Sexism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Deadnaming, Medical content, Grief, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Gore

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, and Suicide

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

oh_bother's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

I have so many feelings about this book. Gratitude, sadness, reverence, rage, guilt. Mostly gratitude, to Leslie for writing this beautiful story that so mirrored her life, and to all of the queer and trans people who came before me and fought so hard for the things I tend to take for granted in my sweet little queer bubble.
 I was surprised by how tender this story was. I was expecting more rage and sorrow, maybe. But Jess is such a beautifully complex and lovable character. I just wanted everything to turn out ok for her. Every time she was happy the world stepped in and gave her more pain. Her growth and strength are inspiring to me. And I’m so glad the ending was hope and light. That is what I am walking away with. Hope and love and light. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Homophobia, Violence, Racism, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Sexism, Outing, Murder, Misogyny, and Hate crime

Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Minor: Suicide

vidoc's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Vomit, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Deadnaming, Torture, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, and Outing

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Deadnaming, Violence, Medical content, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Outing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Bullying, Classism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Racism

merandacree's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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: Sexual violence, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Violence, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Bullying, Abandonment, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

It's not a fun book to read, the content is challenging, but I still needed to read it. 
The 5 stars are less due to the writing style or story, since this is not an ordinary novel. They are for what it made me think about and what I felt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, Homophobia, Rape, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Bullying

Moderate: Suicide and Racism

Minor: Antisemitism

dandydoodle's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

Reading this book 40 years after it’s initial publication doesn’t take away from it’s ability to reach a hand deep into my chest and squeeze my heart until about ready to burst, only to cradle it afterwards. This copy has been sitting on my shelf for years and I cannot believe it took me so long to pick up, but I feel as though it found me when I needed it most. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Bullying, Racism, Transphobia, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Outing, Violence, Homophobia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Death, Cursing, Dysphoria, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Drug use, Addiction, War, and Classism

nothing is gratuitous, once an experience has been touched on it will be referred to again but not in detail. context is merely provided for experiences necessary to communicate the reality of the situations the book describes. this could be triggering, no doubt.

hippiequeen's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Get ready to tear up. As a queer person who is and has been in a relationship with afab and amab trans* people/nonbinary folks, this book hit me hard without having had to experience the struggle with gender and dysphoria on my own skin. I understood and lived through the pain of violence and hate crime, because that I understand. 
The History that accompanies the story is simply beautiful. I loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Dysphoria, Vomit, Dementia, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, Child abuse, Blood, Deadnaming, Violence, and Excrement

Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Bullying, and Drug use

breaklikeafish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

2.75

Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues, as she describes it, is not a masterpiece of "high" art but a call to action, much like a working-class organizer's leaflet. While the book succeeds in being an inspiring and nuanced exploration of gender identity and expression, coupled with an interesting historical perspective, I can't help but acknowledge its flaws that made the journey a bit of a struggle.

Following the life of gender-nonconforming butch lesbian Jess Goldberg, Stone Butch Blues presents a journey of self-discovery through numerous hardships and relationships. One commendable aspect is witnessing Jess grow over the years, but the narrative often suffers from disjointed scenes and sudden shifts in the supporting cast, making it challenging to track time and characters. This hindered my ability to connect with anyone beyond Jess, impacting the emotional depth of her relationships. The book eventually rectifies this issue in the latter half, reintroducing old characters and enhancing the overall reading experience.

A significant drawback lies in the overwhelming adversity faced by Jess at the beginning. While I understand the intention to portray the harsh realities of some individuals, it proved to be a bit much, almost causing me to disengage from the narrative. The early intensity seemed to desensitize me, making subsequent hardships less impactful than they might have been with a more gradual build-up.

Completing Stone Butch Blues left me with mixed feelings. I am grateful for the educational journey it provided, shedding light on the everyday struggles of trans, lesbian, and gender-nonconforming individuals in the 1940s–1970s USA. The insights into working-class life were valuable, contributing to my understanding of a topic I was largely unfamiliar with. However, the initial challenges in the narrative structure and the overwhelming hardships faced by the protagonist detracted from the overall impact. While I can appreciate its educational value, I can't wholeheartedly say that I'm glad I read it, as the experience was more of a mixed bag than a resounding success.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Medical content, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Transphobia, Sexism, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia

zuikerpot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Homophobia, Violence, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Cursing, Homophobia, Hate crime, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Drug use, Blood, Dysphoria, Suicide, Pedophilia, Racism, and Drug abuse