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kayess19's review against another edition
3.0
i literally judged this book by its cover. it was one of those the library puts out on a table randomly and it was so pretty i had to pick it up. it's a bunch of short stories written by teenagers, which i always find fascinating because most teenagers i know can barely spell their names. some of the stories were sad and touching..others were whiny and repetitious. all in all not too bad.
chrisvigilante's review against another edition
5.0
Don't fully know how to review this because it's a collection of nonfiction stories, poems, etc. I will say I think the pieces selected for this were really great. Emotional roller coaster for sure because some of the stories don't have the happiest leaving off points. Some were hopeful and uplifting. Some were way too relatable. It's a good collection to let yourself get engrossed in.
redbookpanda's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
I have to be honest, I didn't really care for most of the stories. It got kinda repetitive after the first ten stories.
braincabbage's review against another edition
2.0
So I thought these were stories by LGBT writers, but they're actually mostly of the memoir type, and often coming-out stories.
It's so weird to see the acronym GLBT :D I guess that's a relic of the past by now. I mean this book is 10 years old, and most of the stories are older.
So there were some real gems in there, my favourite being "body isn't this" by Zara Iris, but most were just 'meh' -due to writing style and ability, I suppose. I also felt like the diversity could've been better: granted, a lot of sexual and gender identities were represented, but I felt like the focus was still on white gay American cis-men. The one story about Cairo was refreshing in that context, as well as the account of a genderqueer person. There were some people who had horrible experiences that I can't even begin to understand.
So I wouldn't say this was a waste of time, but I wouldn't push anyone into reading it either. It was alright.
It's so weird to see the acronym GLBT :D I guess that's a relic of the past by now. I mean this book is 10 years old, and most of the stories are older.
So there were some real gems in there, my favourite being "body isn't this" by Zara Iris, but most were just 'meh' -due to writing style and ability, I suppose. I also felt like the diversity could've been better: granted, a lot of sexual and gender identities were represented, but I felt like the focus was still on white gay American cis-men. The one story about Cairo was refreshing in that context, as well as the account of a genderqueer person. There were some people who had horrible experiences that I can't even begin to understand.
So I wouldn't say this was a waste of time, but I wouldn't push anyone into reading it either. It was alright.
theresidentbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
During Pride Month, I've been trying to make my reading as queer and diverse as possible. I've had The Full Spectrum on my Kindle for a while so it was a perfect time to dive into it. I read the expanded edition, which features both the pieces originally published in 2006 and some new pieces for the 2016 expanded edition.
My feelings on this collection are split. The original pieces, while mostly good, also feel a little dated in 2020. The introduction acknowledges this, and I did still enjoy them. However, when comparing them to the new essays, I couldn't help notice that I connected more with the newer pieces, which felt more diverse in their selection. I almost wish they had just published a new volume of The Full Spectrum to accompany the old volume. I particularly enjoyed the essays that dealt with asexuality. They made me feel very seen, and I just wanted more of that content.
Still, this is a great collection that I would recommend for anyone who likes nonfiction and essays and wants to read LGBTQIA+ content this month.
My feelings on this collection are split. The original pieces, while mostly good, also feel a little dated in 2020. The introduction acknowledges this, and I did still enjoy them. However, when comparing them to the new essays, I couldn't help notice that I connected more with the newer pieces, which felt more diverse in their selection. I almost wish they had just published a new volume of The Full Spectrum to accompany the old volume. I particularly enjoyed the essays that dealt with asexuality. They made me feel very seen, and I just wanted more of that content.
Still, this is a great collection that I would recommend for anyone who likes nonfiction and essays and wants to read LGBTQIA+ content this month.
fuzzyxxxp's review against another edition
3.0
mostly outdated so i was like :/ i didnt finish it rip :(
flaviaaalouise's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars
This is a collection of different nonfiction queer/LGBTQIA+ experiences in different formats, so obviously I enjoyed some more than others. In this case that means I really didn't like some and adored others. My 5 favorites in chronological order were:
1. A Gay Grammar
2. Queer: Five Letters
3. Don't Tell Me I'm Overly Sensitive and Paranoid
4. A Quietly Queer Revolution
5. body isn't this
This is a collection of different nonfiction queer/LGBTQIA+ experiences in different formats, so obviously I enjoyed some more than others. In this case that means I really didn't like some and adored others. My 5 favorites in chronological order were:
1. A Gay Grammar
2. Queer: Five Letters
3. Don't Tell Me I'm Overly Sensitive and Paranoid
4. A Quietly Queer Revolution
5. body isn't this
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book because it was banned in New Jersey - not far from where I grew up. A high school library was asked to remove this from the shelves. I just wanted to see what caused all the fuss. I believe that the book should not have been banned.
Yes, some of these issues have to be hard to deal with in high school. I am sorry for any one of any age who has to deal with the reality of glbqt in their life. This country is so fearful of the whole issue of sex.
However, we can't bury our heads in the sand. There is no point. If I was unsure of my sexual orientation, this book would be a godsend. So many young people telling their life stories has got to help others.
I am sorry we are so fearful as a society. These issues do not go away if you stop talking about them.
Yes, some of these issues have to be hard to deal with in high school. I am sorry for any one of any age who has to deal with the reality of glbqt in their life. This country is so fearful of the whole issue of sex.
However, we can't bury our heads in the sand. There is no point. If I was unsure of my sexual orientation, this book would be a godsend. So many young people telling their life stories has got to help others.
I am sorry we are so fearful as a society. These issues do not go away if you stop talking about them.
lawralthelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
The pieces in this anthology tackle a myriad of topics: coming out, religion, first love, unaccepting parents/peers, religion, supportive parents/peers, the Boy Scouts, the military, religion(!); in a variety of settings: high school, New Your City, college, junior high, Egypt. They are written by young people who fall under the umbrella term "queer," but identify as gay, bi, trans, lesbian, gender-variant, and more. Some of the pieces are positive and affirming, some speak of overcoming unbearable hardship and hate, some end as hopeless as they began. All of them are important and valid, just like the young people who wrote them.
As a collection, The Full Spectrum is ambitious. It strives to present a multitude of experiences and identities, and it does. The mix of guys and girls, trans or not, is great. The mix of topics is also expansive, and given how much religion is mentioned, the mix of opinions on it is also widely variant. Also the mix of poetry, prose, letters, and diary entries was great. I never felt bogged down in too much angsty poetry or journal writing; all was in balance. This mix of writing styles will, hopefully, make this book accessible and attractive to readers of all stripes.
My main problem was with the editing. Some of these pieces are beautiful bits of polished writing. Some of them are not. I imagine this has a lot to do with the state they were in when they were submitted. Many of these pieces were written by young people about the most traumatic periods of their lives! Everything is in their writing and everything is raw. Everything. It is completely understandable that some of them lack polish. These pieces could have used the guidance of a good editor, and it is a shame that they didn't get it. That said, these stories are compelling, each and every one. If I, an almost-30-year-old, engaged, queer woman had such a strong reaction to this book, I cannot even begin to imagine how much solace and revelation this book could provide for someone still going through the experiences described there in. I saw myself in these stories. I saw my friends. Everyone deserves to be able to see themselves in stories like these too.
Book source: I bought it
As a collection, The Full Spectrum is ambitious. It strives to present a multitude of experiences and identities, and it does. The mix of guys and girls, trans or not, is great. The mix of topics is also expansive, and given how much religion is mentioned, the mix of opinions on it is also widely variant. Also the mix of poetry, prose, letters, and diary entries was great. I never felt bogged down in too much angsty poetry or journal writing; all was in balance. This mix of writing styles will, hopefully, make this book accessible and attractive to readers of all stripes.
My main problem was with the editing. Some of these pieces are beautiful bits of polished writing. Some of them are not. I imagine this has a lot to do with the state they were in when they were submitted. Many of these pieces were written by young people about the most traumatic periods of their lives! Everything is in their writing and everything is raw. Everything. It is completely understandable that some of them lack polish. These pieces could have used the guidance of a good editor, and it is a shame that they didn't get it. That said, these stories are compelling, each and every one. If I, an almost-30-year-old, engaged, queer woman had such a strong reaction to this book, I cannot even begin to imagine how much solace and revelation this book could provide for someone still going through the experiences described there in. I saw myself in these stories. I saw my friends. Everyone deserves to be able to see themselves in stories like these too.
Book source: I bought it
xgebi's review against another edition
4.0
If I were gay I'd probably liked it more. One thing that I didn't like was that editors didn't balanced content more. In my opinion it lacked woman's touch.
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