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maureenky's review
2.0
DNF: I ended up skipping around to the ending. I greatly disliked the extra stories in the middle. I kept getting details of these extra stories with the ones of the main author. There were also parts of this book that I felt boring and unnecessary.
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review
3.0
A few of these essays, mostly the ones about pregnancy, breastfeeding, and parenthood, really spoke to me. And it's very cool to hear about these topics from a nonbinary person! Honestly the parts about anxiety and fear of death and mortality were alternately too close to home and anxiety-inducing even though those topics are not particular sites of anxiety for me. The interludes with short bios about small town queers I liked in theory, but in practice I didn't feel like there was real meaning added to the journalistic details. Actually, overall the writing in this collection felt too journalistic for my taste. A good book, but not one that necessarily fit me as a reader.
lpineo's review
2.0
Review by Lisa Pineo
*I received this eARC from Arsenal Pulp Press via Edelweiss+ in return for an honest review.
My ratings: * I hated it ** It was okay *** I liked it **** Really good ***** Great
TW (trigger warnings): homophobia, transphobia
"Like a Boy but Not a Boy: Navigating Life, Mental Health, and Parenthood Outside the Gender Binary" by andrea bennett, a new voice in the LGBTQIA+ memoir category, fails to keep me interested enough to finish the book. 2 stars
Description from the publisher:
"Inquisitive and expansive, Like a Boy but Not a Boy explores author andrea bennett's experiences with gender expectations, being a non-binary parent, and the sometimes funny and sometimes difficult task of living in a body. The book's fourteen essays also delve incisively into the interconnected themes of mental illness, mortality, creative work, class, and bike mechanics (apparently you can learn a lot about yourself through truing a wheel).
In "Tomboy," andrea articulates what it means to live in a gender in-between space, and why one might be necessary; "37 Jobs 21 Houses" interrogates the notion that the key to a better life is working hard and moving house. And interspersed throughout the book is "Everyone Is Sober and No One Can Drive," sixteen stories about queer millennials who grew up and came of age in small communities.
With the same poignant spirit as Ivan Coyote's "Tomboy Survival Guide", "Like a Boy but Not a Boy" addresses the struggle to find acceptance, and to accept oneself; and how one can find one's place while learning to make space for others. The book also wonders it means to be an atheist and search for faith that everything will be okay; what it means to learn how to love life even as you obsess over its brevity; and how to give birth, to bring new life, at what feels like the end of the world.
With thoughtfulness and acute observation, andrea bennett reveal intimate truths about the human experience, whether one is outside the gender binary or not."
I DNFd this book at the 50% mark. This is only the second or third one I've done that to but that doesn't mean there weren't some great things about this memoir. I was really interested in the subject of this book as there aren't too many queer memoirs by parents writing about that particular topic, as well as including other queer short essays about how being LGBTQIA+ has affected their lives. The first chapter was great. The second didn't resonate with me at all. The first few stories by other writers were terrible. The writing seemed to be done by people who had never had to write about themselves before and didn't know how to do it. I wanted to stop there but forced myself to continue, hoping andrea's sections would at least hold my attention. They did get better and I found myself interested if not quite enjoying myself. But my interest waned and I just didn't have the motivation to keep reading. I really hate giving this book such a low rating since I really love the ideas behind the memoir but it didn't keep me wanting to come back for more. Recommended to actual queer people (I'm the parent of an LGBTQIA+ person but not queer myself) who want a memoir along with queer topics and can push through some less than stellar writing.
*I received this eARC from Arsenal Pulp Press via Edelweiss+ in return for an honest review.
My ratings: * I hated it ** It was okay *** I liked it **** Really good ***** Great
TW (trigger warnings): homophobia, transphobia
"Like a Boy but Not a Boy: Navigating Life, Mental Health, and Parenthood Outside the Gender Binary" by andrea bennett, a new voice in the LGBTQIA+ memoir category, fails to keep me interested enough to finish the book. 2 stars
Description from the publisher:
"Inquisitive and expansive, Like a Boy but Not a Boy explores author andrea bennett's experiences with gender expectations, being a non-binary parent, and the sometimes funny and sometimes difficult task of living in a body. The book's fourteen essays also delve incisively into the interconnected themes of mental illness, mortality, creative work, class, and bike mechanics (apparently you can learn a lot about yourself through truing a wheel).
In "Tomboy," andrea articulates what it means to live in a gender in-between space, and why one might be necessary; "37 Jobs 21 Houses" interrogates the notion that the key to a better life is working hard and moving house. And interspersed throughout the book is "Everyone Is Sober and No One Can Drive," sixteen stories about queer millennials who grew up and came of age in small communities.
With the same poignant spirit as Ivan Coyote's "Tomboy Survival Guide", "Like a Boy but Not a Boy" addresses the struggle to find acceptance, and to accept oneself; and how one can find one's place while learning to make space for others. The book also wonders it means to be an atheist and search for faith that everything will be okay; what it means to learn how to love life even as you obsess over its brevity; and how to give birth, to bring new life, at what feels like the end of the world.
With thoughtfulness and acute observation, andrea bennett reveal intimate truths about the human experience, whether one is outside the gender binary or not."
I DNFd this book at the 50% mark. This is only the second or third one I've done that to but that doesn't mean there weren't some great things about this memoir. I was really interested in the subject of this book as there aren't too many queer memoirs by parents writing about that particular topic, as well as including other queer short essays about how being LGBTQIA+ has affected their lives. The first chapter was great. The second didn't resonate with me at all. The first few stories by other writers were terrible. The writing seemed to be done by people who had never had to write about themselves before and didn't know how to do it. I wanted to stop there but forced myself to continue, hoping andrea's sections would at least hold my attention. They did get better and I found myself interested if not quite enjoying myself. But my interest waned and I just didn't have the motivation to keep reading. I really hate giving this book such a low rating since I really love the ideas behind the memoir but it didn't keep me wanting to come back for more. Recommended to actual queer people (I'm the parent of an LGBTQIA+ person but not queer myself) who want a memoir along with queer topics and can push through some less than stellar writing.
thebookofmaps's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
There were definitely some gems in here. But the whole time I was reading I was just waiting to hear an account of a younger queer person (teens to young 20’s). I feel like with all the commentary about how it must be easier to be queer nowadays, there was an oversight of the continued difficulties. While I understand that the author comes from a place of growing up with this widespread hush about anything “outside” the norm, some of their same issues have not gone away for queer teens now, and it can be harmful to assume or imply that all experiences are generally more positive and open.
Overall, I still loved this and it was a great read. I found many stories that I connected with. As well as some that I didn’t, but that helped to expand my worldview. Would recommend to anyone looking to unpack society’s views on gender.
Overall, I still loved this and it was a great read. I found many stories that I connected with. As well as some that I didn’t, but that helped to expand my worldview. Would recommend to anyone looking to unpack society’s views on gender.
beanjoles's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault