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grey_jayne's review against another edition
My DNF is not because of the memoir's quality. I enjoy how it was written. It's been a tough time lately and I can't get myself to focus on this book, so taking a pause for now.
edamamebean's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I’m trying to read more memoirs this year and this was the first one I tackled. It’s a short read and super easy to get through. I enjoyed the author’s style of storytelling, though I knew that going in as I’m familiar with her work. I thought it would be more about coming into her queer identity, but really it’s more of a coming of age story. A celebration of Ohio and the combination of “white trash” and “punk” cultures that made her who she is. But at the center of it, I think this book is actually a love letter to her mother, which gave the book a lot of heart. I recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Classism, Eating disorder, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
hopifer's review
2.0
I wanted so bad to love this book but it just wasn’t written well - the story had some beautiful moments and scenes but the writing style would go from bland dry retelling to preaching at me scholarly sources to something in poetic detail without a good flow. Also when the word femme is on the cover I expected more talk about being queer and growing up poor rather than only peppering in some queer stuff mostly towards the end. I really wasn’t interested in the in depth retelling stories of cis men that sounded really annoying hah and there was a lot of that - I also really hated the one part about being happy about femme and butch roles “i know this isn’t very feminist of me but” like lol ew and I didn’t like the part where she talked about being white trash like it made her not white and it came across like she didn’t see she has white privledge because that’s so wrong! This is coming from who grew up poor and a closeted lesbian and white
mercenator's review
4.0
An acquaintance of mine wrote this book, so I was delighted to read it. While some of the other comments here about tense *are* correct, I appreciated the pulse of music, punk and femme-ness that thrummed throughout. The book is short, digestible, and not-too-heavy, in the way that some memoirs can be. Was it incisive? No. But it was a nice vacation of the mind, and time-traveled me back to my own similar ages in my own lifetime.
laurynreads's review
4.0
This kind of memoir, about queerness and class and the ways these things intertwine plus a lil bit of social history, is absolutely my favorite type of memoir. All I wanted was more! But definitely underlined the especially poignant lines.
mrobison576's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
"She has on lipstick so dark purple it is nearly black. A black velvet choker necklace rests tight on her neck. I decide she is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She catches me staring and I quickly look away. A few years later, someone will mention "the lesbian witches of Coventry" and I will think of her and I will think, Maybe that's what I want to be."
Really good! Reminded me of Tacky by Rax King.
Really good! Reminded me of Tacky by Rax King.