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the_true_monroe's review
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Transphobia, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Outing, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Minor: Slavery, Misogyny, Deadnaming, and Murder
deadeye's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Grief, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Police brutality, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Outing, Alcohol, Drug use, and Medical content
katsbooks's review against another edition
4.5
"Navigating in a space that questions your humanity isn't really living at all. It's existing. We all deserve more than just the ability to exist."
"American history is truly the greatest fable ever written."
"Knowledge is your sharpest weapon in a world that is hell-bent on telling you stories that are simply not true."
I always feel weird rating memoirs so take my star rating with a grain of salt. The strangeness lies in giving a star rating to someone's life. Like, how can I do that? So my rating is mostly based on social content and writing style.
I loved a lot of things about this book. I really like that it is written in a way that is accessible to teenagers. It is clear and concise in it's messaging while also being personal and impactful. It also doesn't shy away from tough topics. The author often addresses the sentiment that he wants this book to serve as an example of queer, Black human existing and thriving as a full human with a lifetime of positive and negative experiences. I especially appreciated the chapters on his school experiences. As an educator, it's always good to hear students have experienced the school system.
My only major critique is that tone of the writing felt... immature? I'm not sure if that's the verbiage I want to use but I got the feeling sometimes that I was reading an essay from one of my high school students. That being said, though, it's meant for high school students so I can definitely understand if that was done on purpose.
Graphic: Dysphoria, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Racial slurs, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Outing, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Death, and Transphobia
hmatt's review against another edition
3.0
From a stylistic perspective, I cannot stand memoirs that self-reference/break the fourth wall/"Dear Reader"-me. I lost count of how many chapters the author stated were "the hardest chapter to write" or similar.
When it comes to the content of the memoir: I felt uncomfortable in spots because it read as though the author has not unpacked or processed some of the trauma he describes. I understand that these were formative experiences and it would have defeated the point of the memoir to exclude them; but, as a reader, they were presented in... almost a casual way? A way that excuses or brushes off the traumatic nature of these experiences?
I haven't come across anything else in my limited reading that fills this specific genre/experience, so I guess I understand the higher star ratings from that lens? Read it, if you have a few hours. But maybe don't go into it with the expectation that this is a groundbreaking literary memoir.
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Grief
theshrinkette's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence