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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Although I feel like a real jerk saying this, I didn’t find this memoir to be particularly interesting or moving. It was very focused on boxing, which is a subject that has been written to death. I was excited to read a book about masculinity by someone who had transitioned, yet I didn’t learn anything about masculinity or transitioning that I hadn’t read or heard before. And the writing was very journalistic — it didn’t make me *feel* anything new. I’m glad other readers got something out of it, because it seems like a rich premise.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5 stars* Absolutely loved this powerful exploration of masculinity. Every man, cis or trans should read this.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
It's profoundly fascinating to hear what masculinity can be defined as, whether nature or nurture, by someone who has lived so thoroughly in both worlds. This is a lovely, earnest exploration of being a trans man with the focused arc of training for a charity boxing match. In it, he discovers the tiny compulsions of men, both around him and within him, as well as their shared world of inherent dominance. I just dug the hell out of what it offered and investigated, for who men are and who they have the potential to be.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
DNF at 20%
Either this book gets way better or everyone else is reading something else because this felt... really essentialist and weird! I expected that as a trans man I'd resonate more or at least understand the message but seeing manhood defined around things like wanting to punch a dude who's being a dick and not being comforted (???) felt deranged.
Either this book gets way better or everyone else is reading something else because this felt... really essentialist and weird! I expected that as a trans man I'd resonate more or at least understand the message but seeing manhood defined around things like wanting to punch a dude who's being a dick and not being comforted (???) felt deranged.
Excellent! A tender, honest, and facinating exploration of masculinity. Writing is uneven to start but gets better. More journalistic than literary.