Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

14 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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

2.5

While interesting, I really struggled to get into this book. In part, I think it was the way it was written — the back and forth between characters and time periods made the book feel choppy and disconnected. The entire time I was reading, I never fell into the story. It just felt like I was reading — not experiencing it. The insights about being trans were the highlight for me. I felt deep sorrow for the characters who wanted so deeply to be themselves in ways society or biology would not allow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Medical content, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Transphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Homophobia, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Pregnancy, Death, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Abortion, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Sexism

squidknees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Abortion, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Drug use, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

lovegriefandgender's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

It's tough being trans. As I was reading Detransition, Baby a 16-year old trans girl was murdered in London, and unable to articulate so much rush of feeling I turned hungrily, savagely back to the pages of the book. It seems to be a place, being trans, of endless longing and therefore endless loss, where we are summoned to question our own pain and circular motions and regret and suffering against any other group who had experienced any of those things. I don't think we're brave. Not really. I think we live in an interrogated space, a grey space, where no future can be known as fact.  Then we have to ask what we want: motherhood? Career? Love? Sex? Most of us would be happy just to have something meaningful to say. Yeah. This is where we live. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Self harm, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Outing, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

annabulkowski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Hate crime, Suicide, Blood, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Sexism, Transphobia, Classism, Deadnaming, Gaslighting, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Pregnancy

maggieparedesauthor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Adult/minor relationship

haileydawn's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Outing, Transphobia, Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

booksjessreads's review against another edition

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

When I read this book, I definitely became utterly obsessed, to the point where I sticky-tabbed it, which is a rarity. I think there are some things in this book that are incredibly symbolic and have such great synthesis for the development of a complex, tangled and ultimately amazing plotline.

I think perhaps my favourite thing, is that it is packed full of complex characters and themes of motherhood, queerness, gender identity and race. It is thought-provoking, messy and heavy. I found Peters has fully fleshed out these characters and really gets into the psyche of them. I have not read a book that delves so deep into that psyche for a long time, and it really made me feel like I was the one making the decisions, and experiencing the emotions of the characters alongside them. The emotional depth of these characters is astonishing.

This book is also full of unreliable characters, which are like us. They are human. They are navigating their individual identities, out there trying to live life to their own potential, whilst also making it messy and complicated. I think Peters also makes a great point that not every trans person lives their life in the way the trans characters in the books do, and she really emphasises that everyone is different. There is the banality of every day life juxtaposed with a very unique, yet realistic, story-line and I really liked this also. 

This book answered a lot of questions you might subconsciously, or even consciously, have about the trans community, and even answers ones you never even knew could exist. It is unapologetically queer and completely wonderful and I would highly recommend this to anyone!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Transphobia, Miscarriage, Bullying, and Outing

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse

grets_reads's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicide, Transphobia, and Alcohol

elisabeths_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying

Minor: Suicide

alid73's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry