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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Fèms magnifiques et dangereuses: Mémoires affabulées d'une fille trans by Kai Cheng Thom
32 reviews
joyful_patatas's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I did sincerely enjoy the book, but felt like it was trying to cram many different aspects of trans issues in a limited amount of time. It definitely brights the reality in fiction in regards of the realities of trans people, but certain aspects were confusing as to whether which version of the story the narrator tells is the right one. It was probably the author's intention to have the narrator be unreliable in certain regards and have readers try and interpret the book, but I felt more confused rather than intrigued.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Rape, Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Police brutality
orchidd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Hate crime, Sexual content, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Abandonment
chonkooch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
it grew on me like mold on blue cheese
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicide, Self harm, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Drug abuse
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was a very strange experience. I treated it more like non-fiction with heavy metaphor than fiction iwth real life inspiration, but I rated it like I would fiction, so I really don't know. But in any case, I don't agree with every theme the author included in here (opening with "I don't believe in safe spaces" certainly had my back up from the get go), but I do think they are presented in a deep way. The writing style is amazing, and the audiobook narrator includes inflections that make it almost sound like listening so spoken word poetry at every moment. I really enjoyed this book over all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Transphobia
emfass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautiful, gut-wrenching read. Honestly I don't want to say too much more because I think it is best to go in knowing very little, except perhaps that this is a fictionalized memoir, not a true-to-life nonfiction one, though it carries many truths. The narrator remains nameless, and is a young Asian trans girl trying to find a place for herself.
Haunting, heartbreaking, powerful, hopeful, full of magical realism and the power of trans femininity. I read it on audiobook and would love to revisit it in hard copy form.
Many many quotes I loved that I forgot to capture as I was voraciously listening, but one I did write down:
Haunting, heartbreaking, powerful, hopeful, full of magical realism and the power of trans femininity. I read it on audiobook and would love to revisit it in hard copy form.
Many many quotes I loved that I forgot to capture as I was voraciously listening, but one I did write down:
"That's the difference between love and hunger. Hunger is a story you get stuck in. Love's the story that takes you somewhere new."
I'm so grateful to the Bad Bitch Book Club's LGBTQIA+ subgroup for picking this one, I don't know if I would have heard about it or read it otherwise!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Sexual assault is a definite undercurrent, and is threatened or implied many times, but I can't recall if any instances happened explicitly on-page.shaunashares's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Police brutality and Sexual assault
plantbasedbride's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What an entrancing memoir, unlike anything I’ve ever read. Dark, imaginative, fast paced, thoughtful, and, in equal measure, harrowing and joyful, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars explores the experience of a young Asian trans girl stepping into womanhood through a fantastical lens of colourful metaphor. A story of sisterhood and transformation.
Kai Cheng Thom has found a unique literary voice through which to share her lived experience, and I am endlessly grateful that she has chosen to share it with the world. Thom’s work is poetic yet blunt, dreamlike yet firmly rooted in reality.
“Little cocoon apartment, I love how you rattle and shake in the wind. You are mine like nothing has ever been before. Someday you'll tear open, and I'll fly out with the wings I have grown inside you. Still shimmering. Still wet.”
I highly recommend!
Kai Cheng Thom has found a unique literary voice through which to share her lived experience, and I am endlessly grateful that she has chosen to share it with the world. Thom’s work is poetic yet blunt, dreamlike yet firmly rooted in reality.
“Little cocoon apartment, I love how you rattle and shake in the wind. You are mine like nothing has ever been before. Someday you'll tear open, and I'll fly out with the wings I have grown inside you. Still shimmering. Still wet.”
I highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Death, and Medical content
stephaniekane's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.5
This is a very generous four stars because to be honest I did not *love* the experience of reading this book BUT I did find myself internally screaming, "THIS IS A PLAY. THIS JUST NEEDS TO BE A PLAY." And that's saying something cause 90% of the time when I read books I am adapting it in my head to either a film or a prestige mini series, rarely a play. So if any non-profit new play development oriented theatre company wants to throw some money at this property and commission the writer to adapt her work, employ an all trans/GNC cast and creative team, and make some theatrical magic, please do it! All I ask is a special thanks for the idea in the program .
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom is, first and foremost, not a memoir, and I don't appreciate being misled by the title. Putting that initial annoyance aside, Thom has created a mythical world filled with poetic language and poetic justice, flowing in between prose, poetry, dialogue, and epistolary segments (in the play the epistolary segments would be direct address, I have the whole thing planned out). With locations like the City of Gloom and the Street of Miracles, it takes place everywhere and nowhere, providing a universality and allowing the reader to insert their city (or an imaginary city of their choice) in the places she describes. At times, this felt a little juvenile because so much inspiration is derived from the tropes of fairytales, and I do feel like the reading level of the book is most appropriate for YA readers, although it does deal with mature subject matter, such as self harm, sexual assault, and the ongoing systemic injustice that is the murder of trans women of color.
At the end of the day, this is a book by and for trans girls, specifically trans girls of color, and that's incredible and honestly off the top of my head I don't think I've read anything by a trans writer before in my life, and that's embarrassing for me and for the literary world, but this is my first step to remedying that gap. Thom writes the most badass, beautiful, and complex trans characters, and I (a cis woman), felt so connected to the narrator's desire to create her own narrative, break out of the box society has put her in, and just figure out who she is. It is a coming of age story, after all. So, while the book wasn't for me, I still appreciate it for what it is and what it can be.
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom is, first and foremost, not a memoir, and I don't appreciate being misled by the title. Putting that initial annoyance aside, Thom has created a mythical world filled with poetic language and poetic justice, flowing in between prose, poetry, dialogue, and epistolary segments (in the play the epistolary segments would be direct address, I have the whole thing planned out). With locations like the City of Gloom and the Street of Miracles, it takes place everywhere and nowhere, providing a universality and allowing the reader to insert their city (or an imaginary city of their choice) in the places she describes. At times, this felt a little juvenile because so much inspiration is derived from the tropes of fairytales, and I do feel like the reading level of the book is most appropriate for YA readers, although it does deal with mature subject matter, such as self harm, sexual assault, and the ongoing systemic injustice that is the murder of trans women of color.
At the end of the day, this is a book by and for trans girls, specifically trans girls of color, and that's incredible and honestly off the top of my head I don't think I've read anything by a trans writer before in my life, and that's embarrassing for me and for the literary world, but this is my first step to remedying that gap. Thom writes the most badass, beautiful, and complex trans characters, and I (a cis woman), felt so connected to the narrator's desire to create her own narrative, break out of the box society has put her in, and just figure out who she is. It is a coming of age story, after all. So, while the book wasn't for me, I still appreciate it for what it is and what it can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Violence
Minor: Self harm and Sexual assault
claudibonini's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I didn't expect this book to grip me quite in the way it did. I was blown away by the ability of the author to bring us on such a dark coming-of-age journey but still keep the writing seemingly lighthearted. A journey that includes self-harm, heartache, finding others and in this process, finding ourselves. I felt like the dichotomy between the cover design, the chapter titles, and the actual content of the book was purposeful and brilliant. I cried when the main character contemplates the difference between hunger and love...beautiful, and visceral.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Sexual assault
simonamiller's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Addiction, Police brutality, Drug use, Death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Transphobia