Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

65 reviews

saritaadam's review

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

kacheekah's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Violence, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Murder, Police brutality, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Outing, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

oh_bother's review

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 against another edition

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

courtsport's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

A bruising, heart-wrenching, utterly important tale of queer history and gender exploration 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Police brutality, Transphobia, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Outing, and Suicide

dandydoodle's review against another edition

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.

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

beepmbop's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

i cannot say enough about this book. i felt seen in a way i haven’t since i read Jane Eyre for the first time. Like i was reading my own history. I have spent so much of my time being queer feeling out of touch and disconnected from the community, but this felt like coming home - warts and all. I found myself wishing Leslie Feinberg will still alive so i could thank her, over and over and over. 

the ending is especially gut wrenching if you read the 2004 edition. I finished this in the first few days of 2024 and thinking about the change that has taken place in the 20 years since her death- it really is astounding. 

dark at points and deeply upsetting, but vital to understanding the history of afab gender non conforming people in the US as well as our vital place in the labor rights movement 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, Violence, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Rape, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Grief, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Outing, Vomit, Death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Minor: Forced institutionalization

magpiemars's review

challenging emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, Rape, and Hate crime

Moderate: Child abuse and Forced institutionalization