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susanw's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. Maybe even a 4.5, but this is out there. Hard drugs and sex for the first half, then a really meta the second half, oh and throw in an apocalypse for good measure. But very well written. If you can handle a wtf story with graphic descriptions, grab this one.
getradified's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
92aliboo's review against another edition
1.0
Just not for me. Didn’t grab me. I gave up part way through.
halschrieve's review against another edition
4.0
Michelle Tea’s latest memoir mixes her classic style of raging, riotous calamity vignette with a lightly fictionalized apocalypse, a dissection of the fourth wall, and a last-minute sobriety that, for me at least, was sufficient to make this book into something greater than the sum of its parts.
After Tea wrote “How To Grow Up,” a surprisingly composed, blog-mom-ish exploration of what it means to teach at a college , have money for the first time, realize how dysfunctional past relationships you have had have been, and reckon with the mistakes you have made in the past , I didn’t know what to expect from further books. I had mixed feelings about How To Grow Up, because on one hand it is nice to see someone get their life together and feel good about themselves and not hurt others , but on the other hand Tea makes a somewhat hypocritical, chaotic and smug mentor—a little like being given life advice by a lady orc who has lived through a lot of things but whose take on existence is limited to a very narrow realm (for instance, Tea’s understanding of non-substance-related mental illness and trans people outside of lesbian culture is pretty restricted, and her reference points for working class culture are monolithically white, which makes her reputation as a seer of the gay zeitgeist complicated). I say this with a good measure of love and think similar critiques can be leveled at Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Sybil Lamb, Imogen Binnie, Sarah Schulman, etc etc.
Anyway, Black Wave is unique because it starts as one kind of Tea book , the voyeuristic disaster memoir, and then morphs into a more complex literary endeavor that is primarily centered on synthesizing all the shit Tea’s life and experiences have been about into some kind of vast coherent metaphor for the end of the world. She has frequent asides in which she reveals fictional affairs as fantasy or anachronism, reflects on her real life sobriety, and conducts long analyses of when her life changed and why based on past dysfunctional relationships. It is new, self aware, Michelle talking about an older, more whiskey-spittled edition. It is also about the way history , specifically queer history, gets made and told and retold and refracted .
I like Black Wave because as a trans queer teenager , whatever those words mean, I felt like I was living past the edge of an apocalypse that had traumatized every grown up I knew. I was aware that adults envied my amazing good fortune to step into adulthood in a supposedly less violent era (though my peers often suffered as much as Gen X in rural towns and cities alike, running away from abuse and into poverty, suffering assault and coercion, becoming addicted to a range of drugs because of desperation and inability to access more productive outlets). I was aware that all the grown ups I met were seriously fucked up in the head and had a range of narratives about how they had gotten that way. My life so far has been about unpacking the trauma of my immediate elders and figuring out how much is generational and historical and vast and how much is personal, specific , and lonely. By isolating her process and by turning questions of reliability into part of the narrative, Tea renders this effort to unpack visible. She isn’t a historian—she is an archive. But she works diligently for her own preservation and at the same time makes art that is engaging and exciting still.
I really like this book if that isn’t clear.
This book Really Really reminds me of I’ve Got A Time Bomb by Sybil Lamb, though the prose is more accessible and more studied and is written from a safer distance. I have to wonder if Tea knows Lamb’s work.
After Tea wrote “How To Grow Up,” a surprisingly composed, blog-mom-ish exploration of what it means to teach at a college , have money for the first time, realize how dysfunctional past relationships you have had have been, and reckon with the mistakes you have made in the past , I didn’t know what to expect from further books. I had mixed feelings about How To Grow Up, because on one hand it is nice to see someone get their life together and feel good about themselves and not hurt others , but on the other hand Tea makes a somewhat hypocritical, chaotic and smug mentor—a little like being given life advice by a lady orc who has lived through a lot of things but whose take on existence is limited to a very narrow realm (for instance, Tea’s understanding of non-substance-related mental illness and trans people outside of lesbian culture is pretty restricted, and her reference points for working class culture are monolithically white, which makes her reputation as a seer of the gay zeitgeist complicated). I say this with a good measure of love and think similar critiques can be leveled at Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Sybil Lamb, Imogen Binnie, Sarah Schulman, etc etc.
Anyway, Black Wave is unique because it starts as one kind of Tea book , the voyeuristic disaster memoir, and then morphs into a more complex literary endeavor that is primarily centered on synthesizing all the shit Tea’s life and experiences have been about into some kind of vast coherent metaphor for the end of the world. She has frequent asides in which she reveals fictional affairs as fantasy or anachronism, reflects on her real life sobriety, and conducts long analyses of when her life changed and why based on past dysfunctional relationships. It is new, self aware, Michelle talking about an older, more whiskey-spittled edition. It is also about the way history , specifically queer history, gets made and told and retold and refracted .
I like Black Wave because as a trans queer teenager , whatever those words mean, I felt like I was living past the edge of an apocalypse that had traumatized every grown up I knew. I was aware that adults envied my amazing good fortune to step into adulthood in a supposedly less violent era (though my peers often suffered as much as Gen X in rural towns and cities alike, running away from abuse and into poverty, suffering assault and coercion, becoming addicted to a range of drugs because of desperation and inability to access more productive outlets). I was aware that all the grown ups I met were seriously fucked up in the head and had a range of narratives about how they had gotten that way. My life so far has been about unpacking the trauma of my immediate elders and figuring out how much is generational and historical and vast and how much is personal, specific , and lonely. By isolating her process and by turning questions of reliability into part of the narrative, Tea renders this effort to unpack visible. She isn’t a historian—she is an archive. But she works diligently for her own preservation and at the same time makes art that is engaging and exciting still.
I really like this book if that isn’t clear.
This book Really Really reminds me of I’ve Got A Time Bomb by Sybil Lamb, though the prose is more accessible and more studied and is written from a safer distance. I have to wonder if Tea knows Lamb’s work.
librar_bee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4 stars. Somehow, Tea manages to blend satire, queer joy, looming gloom, and thoughtful commentary in one. Part-autobiographical, Black Wave follows Michelle as she leaves San Francisco for LA on the cusp of the apocalypse. Along the way, she tries to write her second book.
Both a cli-fi masterpiece (it really sneaks its way in there) and poignant reflection on whose stories we can tell in the telling of our own, Tea's classic wit and humor have created something unforgettable.
The Matt Dillon sex scene was also surprisingly sexy. I was into it.
Both a cli-fi masterpiece (it really sneaks its way in there) and poignant reflection on whose stories we can tell in the telling of our own, Tea's classic wit and humor have created something unforgettable.
dizzydes's review against another edition
2.0
Spoilers!
DNF Wanted more of the apocalypse elements and less about the poor decision making. I was expecting most of the book to take place in LA but half of the book was still in San Francisco about events that didn't seem particularly relevant to me
I'm sorry Michelle, I appreciate your vulnerability and influence in the queer community but this one wasn't for me.
DNF Wanted more of the apocalypse elements and less about the poor decision making. I was expecting most of the book to take place in LA but half of the book was still in San Francisco about events that didn't seem particularly relevant to me
I'm sorry Michelle, I appreciate your vulnerability and influence in the queer community but this one wasn't for me.
robin_vdputte's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
carmenere's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is divided into 2 halves, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The main focus is on Michelle. She is a transplant from Boston and, when we meet her, living the artsy/hipster/LGBTQ lifestyle. Her sexual liaisons are many. Sometimes casual, sometimes more meaningful. She spends her nights drinking and doing drugs, her days are spent getting sober so she can do it all over again. This lifestyle carries on until she receives a call from her brother in LA with news that the world is about to end soon and she should come out to LA and be with him. As with many literary journey's, her drive down the coast brings a change, a transition if you will. I think, and I'm saying this because I'm really not all that sure what the author wants the reader to take away from this story, Michelle realizes a few things about her life in San Francisco and learns what she wants but now the world is ending.
Although this novel was quite a stretch from my usual genre I'm glad the Tournament of Books pointed me in this direction and hear a new voice.
Although this novel was quite a stretch from my usual genre I'm glad the Tournament of Books pointed me in this direction and hear a new voice.
leosunns's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
this book was incredible. it told characters as a whole, as imperfect people, as people who loved and experienced things. the end was devastating and beautiful and i cried.