Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson

5 reviews

marysia_p's review

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emotional hopeful reflective

4.5


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the_vegan_bookworm's review

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emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Another beautiful poetry collection from Andrea Gibson. As always, their work strikes a chord deep within me and pulls my feelings out into the open. Andrea is incredibly vulnerable and raw in the most moving way. 

Some particular favourites include:
  • Acceptance speech after setting the world record in goosebumps
  • Time piece
  • Queer youth are five times more likely to die by suicide
  • No such thing as the innocent bystander
  • To whom it definitely concerns
  • Every time i ever said I want to die
  • What can't be taken
  • Wellness check
  • What you wish you'd said to the high school guidance counselor
  • What sucks about the afterlife

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sara_m_martins's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I can always trust Button Poetry to publish incredible collections and this one is no different!
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it. 

when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,

I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)

aren't there.



I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

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armontheroad's review

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emotional funny

4.0

TW/CWs: Sexual assault, rape, self-harm, depression, chronic illness, homophobia, transphobia, etc.

Very appreciative to have received an E-ARC from Button Poetry through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Immediately after finishing this, I went online to watch Andrea Gibson performing their poems live. My god, they are such a talented poet!! The wordplay is immaculate. A lot of these poems discuss hard topics, but it’s done brilliantly. Gibson knows just when to throw humor into their pieces, when to cut things short, and when to run with their point. With discussions on climate change, space, politics, transness, queerness, chronic illness, and being a rape survivor, this collection is unbelievably moving and deeply personal. 


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skudiklier's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Usually when I'm reading an ARC to review, I take a lot of notes while I read, so that no matter what I think of the book I'll have something to say after. While reading You Better Be Lightning, I took three notes during the first couple poems, and then absolutely forgot to take any more for the entire rest of the book. I was just so sucked into the poems that all I could do was read them. There were a couple footnotes I found hilarious that I took screenshots of, but just because I loved them so much, not for the review.

So many of the poems in this book took my breath away, and it was so hard not to share them with any of my friends. I can't wait for this book to come out so that I can tell them to read it.

I didn't love every poem, but I loved most of them, and I loved some of them a lot. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this book; thank you to Netgalley and Button Poetry for the chance to read and review this ARC. 

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