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smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
A moving, heartfelt memoir from a famous Filipino trans woman beauty pageant queen who immigrates to America and becomes a famous super model. Heartfelt and incredibly moving, this is perfect for fans of authors like Amanda Jette Knox, Meredith Talusan or Alicia Roth Weigel. Great on audio read by the author, my only complaint was that she spoke VERY slowly and I wished I was able to speed up the narration. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!!
libraryofmiscellania's review
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5
Format: Audiobook
Long overdue review but: Words cannot even. I loved hearing Geena’s story from her and with her voice. I haven’t listened to a lot of audiobooks but I do love to listen to them when either I’m having trouble getting the rhythm of the book or if it’s an autobiography. This book, without question obviously falls into the latter category.
Ok it also helped that Geena actually speaks Tagalog so I didn’t have to stumble through the inevitably horrible pronunciations that my brain would try to attempt.
I loved hearing about her experiences growing up and ultimately getting to know the Filipino culture a bit more. I never knew that the country had such a vibrant beauty pageant scene! I loved hearing about the community that took Geena under their wing and supported her with such unconditional love, and hearing about her family and her journey to where she is today.
Geena tells the story with such love, warmth and heart that I am so grateful that AAGC Book Club was able to interview her for a Q&A. And let me tell you, yes she is THAT gorgeous in person - well, through a screen but you know what I mean. Seriously, she came on screen and her hair was blowing in the wind like something straight out of a movie. She had a fan since it was hot where she was and the wind was most certainly a paid actor.
Format: Audiobook
Long overdue review but: Words cannot even. I loved hearing Geena’s story from her and with her voice. I haven’t listened to a lot of audiobooks but I do love to listen to them when either I’m having trouble getting the rhythm of the book or if it’s an autobiography. This book, without question obviously falls into the latter category.
Ok it also helped that Geena actually speaks Tagalog so I didn’t have to stumble through the inevitably horrible pronunciations that my brain would try to attempt.
I loved hearing about her experiences growing up and ultimately getting to know the Filipino culture a bit more. I never knew that the country had such a vibrant beauty pageant scene! I loved hearing about the community that took Geena under their wing and supported her with such unconditional love, and hearing about her family and her journey to where she is today.
Geena tells the story with such love, warmth and heart that I am so grateful that AAGC Book Club was able to interview her for a Q&A. And let me tell you, yes she is THAT gorgeous in person - well, through a screen but you know what I mean. Seriously, she came on screen and her hair was blowing in the wind like something straight out of a movie. She had a fan since it was hot where she was and the wind was most certainly a paid actor.
finnthehuman217's review
5.0
Holy mother this fucking audiobook is so incredible!!! Geena is a badass mofo and the audiobook utilized spatial audio with the correct effect! I fucking loved all of it. 10 stars!
enby_egg's review
5.0
Beautiful, moving story. I love how Geena's goofy side shone through the pages!
As someone whose parents will never understand or accept their identity, I was especially moved at how loving and accepting Geena's parents were. It was especially difficult for me to read some of those excerpts, but I know that I can and will do better for our future LGBTQIA+ generations.
What a wonderful story of self-discovery and self-love.
As someone whose parents will never understand or accept their identity, I was especially moved at how loving and accepting Geena's parents were. It was especially difficult for me to read some of those excerpts, but I know that I can and will do better for our future LGBTQIA+ generations.
What a wonderful story of self-discovery and self-love.
siriface's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
year23's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I wasn't familiar with Geena prior to reading this but am so glad she wrote her story as I'm not sure I would have had the opportunity to learn about her journey. She shares insight into being trans in both the Phillipines and the US during the 90s and aughts, detailing the challenges as well as the tremendous strength/talent Geena clearly had. Themes around colonialization, gender dysphoria, the modeling industry, colorism, and more.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.