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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
**2.5 rounded up** I was overall disappointed in this because masculine/butch pregnancy representation is so rare and not talked about, especially publically. I value A.K.'s experience and I thought that the experiences they had were super valid and tbh very real so I loved that aspect. Admittedly I don't read a ton of graphic novels, so this could contribute but I had a really hard time following this story. The cells have speech/thought bubbles, but also words on top of the cell itself and it was super hard to know what to read first. This often resulted in me reading things out of order on the page and being confused.
Also something that really took me out of the story was how much I disliked Vee...based on the end of the book they are still together. But throughout Vee was actually really mean to A.K especially during their pregmancy and were not supportive at all.
Also something that really took me out of the story was how much I disliked Vee...based on the end of the book they are still together. But throughout Vee was actually really mean to A.K especially during their pregmancy and were not supportive at all.
The author has some shitty views of the expansion of queer identities and the usage of "boi", and the art was really ugly.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
A really good illustration of a specific butch experience in the early 2000s.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Butches are some of the funniest people on the planet. I laughed a lot reading this due to the great comedic timing as well as Summers' talent for drawing the best expressions. Probably my biggest complaint was the usual weird tirade about trans men--it was too clumsily executed to understand exactly what she was trying to get across, but the animosity toward trans men for ~eradicating the butches~ was clear, never mind the fact that transfem butches exist.
It was nuanced in its portrayal of pregnancy, because it very well could have veered in the direction of a one-dimensional "pregnancy is beautiful" in order to validate butch pregnancy or something, which is a run-of-the-mill attitude toward pregnancy in general. Summers acknowledges this often, so it's not a typical pregnancy narrative, butchness aside.
It was nuanced in its portrayal of pregnancy, because it very well could have veered in the direction of a one-dimensional "pregnancy is beautiful" in order to validate butch pregnancy or something, which is a run-of-the-mill attitude toward pregnancy in general. Summers acknowledges this often, so it's not a typical pregnancy narrative, butchness aside.
Very cool book, definitely tied to an era and a bit retro at this point. I think certain bits come across as transphobic in the current context, although for me it doesn't cross the line into hatefulness or make me uncomfortable. I've heard Alison Bechdel say similar things about 'butch lesbian' identity disappearing, etc. I choose to take these comments as reflecting the idea that identity is shaped by the terms and concepts available to us, something I think is interesting, not invalidating. However, I understand that sometimes these ideas are twisted to hurt people, and I think it's worth noting if you would rather avoid it. Overall though, I enjoyed this book both for the 'time-capsule' element, and the very, very honest portrayal of pregnancy. This is the book I wanted to read on this topic in many ways. And the author's feelings about how their gender was perceived in relation to their pregnancy was something I found really relatable and personally important to my own feelings about gender. Rough around the edges, but full of great, relevant information and experience.