Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Man o' War by Cory McCarthy

28 reviews

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

What a raw, honest, gorgeous, heartbreaking, joyful, witty, beautiful exploration of authenticity, love, and self-exploration. McCarthy not only shows you River’s experiences, but you feel them as if they were your own. Following River from their high school to college years while discovering what makes them feel the most comfortable and authentically themselves was an experience I feel so grateful to have read. Working through and processing in real time pronouns, name change, dysphoria, and more felt so authentic and true to River’s character. Watching them discover such a full and authentic life was such a joy. River and Indy’s relationship, how they come together, fall apart, and find one another again, was so complicated and beautiful and messy. The ending of the book truly reminded me that there are books that are essential in this world, and I believe this is one of them.

The ending acknowledgements from McCarthy were so kind and left me emotional. Like River, Knowing that McCarthy is also an Arab-American, nonbinary trans person, who also swam competitively, was so incredible to know how important this story was to McCarthy and his experience.

Finally, E.R. Fightmaster did an outstanding job narrating this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual content, Self harm, Racism, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Medical content and Islamophobia

ashaberstroh's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Outing, Deadnaming, and Dysphoria

felishacb's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

This might be the best fiction book I've read about a young person exploring and discovering their gender identity. Man o' War is an own voices tale from a transmasc nonbinary author who is Irish and Arab American. 

As a cis person who is "constantly exploring the evolution of my relationship to gender as a construct, and my own indentit(ies),"* I also think this book is a generous bridge offered to cis folks. 

Cis folks and conventional tropes of heteronormativity are referred to as  'dinosaurs' or 'the way of the dinosaurs' in this book, with familiarity, exhaustion, derision, and acceptance. I can see why people who are scared of removing boxes and barriers might find this scary, but trans people (and this book) make it very clear that you are invited to expand, too. Find out what lies beneath and between the labels you did not pick 

McCarthy doesn't only show, rather than tell you, River's story in Man O' War; McCarthy's words help the reader *feel* the story. 

The metaphor and parallels with marine biology and the man of war, specifically, offer an extra layer to understand the main character's story. McCarthy talks about how this piece helped illustrate the "cultural captivity" River feels being closeted, and how McCarthy felt growing up. 

One reason this book will stick with me is the ability that McCarthy has to show the fluidity and flexibility of gender and expression in an authentic, organic way for both Indy and River. (The best names, btw!). 

McCarthy also explores how River's Lebanese mother and background play into their life. There are discussion of race, Islamaphobia and colorism while still allowing River to exist as an individual who experiences life through a variety of lenses. 

*quote from Rebecca Minor

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Outing, and Sexual content

Minor: Blood, Self harm, Medical content, Sexism, Racism, Islamophobia, Confinement, and Deadnaming

garlinds's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Racism

Minor: Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship

moxiemin's review

hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

It won't let me give more then 5.75 stars, but if it would... I so would give it more.  A great YA read, real coming of age story.  Hits very close to home when you have a Trans Masc son, who happens to turn 18 the day after you finish reading this.  (yes I know that is super specific).  I don't want to give spoilers but this book both made my  heart happy and sad, and yes I cried a little.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

Minor: Xenophobia and Racism

anarmandameg's review

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Grief, Bullying, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Toxic relationship

tinytrashqueen's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Dysphoria, and Transphobia

Moderate: Mental illness, Drug use, Sexual content, Racism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Grief, Islamophobia, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, and Pandemic/Epidemic

niararain's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Vomit, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Racism, Outing, Sexual assault, Self harm, Biphobia, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Medical content, Body horror, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

tak_everlasting's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-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? It's complicated

this book felt very much semi-autobiographical, especially with the added context of McCarthy's prior works and the little i know about him from the booksleeve. specific songs, cultural icons, basis for nicknames and other details carry over and are used in the situations. like, the exact same songs. there's only so many times when different characters can have their signature song be Under Pressure by Queen because they play it when they're under stess, and other characters comment on it being their favorite song. 

because of this, it's hard to offer a genuine review of man o' war, because i don't want to critique someone's lived experences. 

this book has an interesting structure, with focus on periods of River's life in which major events happen then cut to the next period, with a fun fact about a marine creature to bridge the gap between months or (usually) years of river's life. this works well here. the writing itself has places where it suffers from style over substance, especially in the earlier chapters. There's a love story, but we also get to hear often about how hot river is and how much sex he's having. this is especially grating when it's directly juxtaposed with them having a committed long term crush on their love interest.

this is a very important story, and McCarthy doesn't pull punches on traumatic stuff. we spend a lot of time with river experiencing a range of heavy emotions as they grow up and into themselves. that being said, we don't spend nearly any with them when they're finally happy and no longer the angry kid from the first page that isn't summarized 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Self harm