Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

MISSja survival by Libba Bray

18 reviews

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This is maybe the only book of my tweenage years that has truly aged well because not aging well is the whole point of the book. All the characters are stereotypes, the plot feels completely unhinged, and the combination thereof perfectly communicates Bray’s incredulity and precise focus on the ways in which limiting expectations govern our global and personal societies. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Sexism, Abandonment, Violence, Transphobia, Gun violence, Blood, Misogyny, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

bumblemee's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.5

This was such a wild mix of emotions that I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I read Going Bovine a few years back and this one felt a lot alike writing style wise. The humor, the absurdity, the messiness.
I liked a lot of things. Seeing the beauty queens grow and develop their identities, the handling of beauty standards and societys expectations towards girls/women. I think this book can make a lot of teenage girls feel understood and maybe help them reflect on things that are so implicit in a lot of social structures that they feel too normal to be challanged. 
The characters grew on me as well. It was interesting for me to realize how I liked them all the more they became themselves. I felt for them and their individual struggles.
I also liked the amount of work that went into the audio production, like the musical elements.

However, I found this book to be a little messy. There was a little too much going on - I didn't mind that it got absurd, but sometimes I thought it tried to do a little too much at once. 
Also, while some stereotyping made sense in the context of the satire that is this book, other stereotyping didn't. I do think that the author would've done a few things differently if this book came out now instead of 2011 - which was 13 years ago at this point, holy shit. I don't know if I'm simply not aware of similar books existing over a decade ago or if it was - in some aspects at least - a little ahead of its time.

All in all I'd recommend this book, if you are okay with absurdity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Violence, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism and Sexual content

greenrequiem's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Sexism

lindsayerin's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia and Misogyny

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, Lesbophobia, and Eating disorder

Minor: Abandonment

joann3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Self harm and Deportation

c_dmckinney's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

This was both a fun and painful story. It is well written and hilarious, however it is also very dark at the same time and in part made darker by how relevant it is in today's culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Classism, Xenophobia, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Sexism, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Outing, Xenophobia, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Transphobia

Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, Fatphobia, Racism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Child death, Grief, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, War, Abandonment, Classism, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Blood, Death, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

There is a plane crash and only 13 of 50 girls survive.

averygrey24's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

4.5

this is what i think you would get if you combined lord of the flies with 1984 but made it about teenage beauty queens. you have to suspend belief because it is very dystopian in a modern sense, but it is fantastic. very feminist, anti-capitalist, pro-women, and inclusive 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Misogyny

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Racism, War, Body shaming, and Homophobia

sarasreading's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

4.0

This has been on my to read list for ages. It's part Lord of the Flies, part Drop Dead Gorgeous/Miss Congeniality, part trashy reality TV, part vintage James Bond movie, and part capitalism hyperbole, with tons of satire and words from our sponsors. 

It is a wild ride, like a teen action movie summer blockbuster in book form, if that blockbuster was a fever dream that was smarter than you. And honestly, I would expect no less from Libba Bray. If you know the experience you're in for when picking this up, you'll have a great time. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia and Death

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

2.5

TW: discussions of eating disorder, transphobia, deadnaming, and misgendering

Beauty Queens didn’t fully grab my attention until about 200 pages in. Some of the sub plots felt so unnecessary and the pacing was off. It dragged a majority of the time and the footnotes slowed me down as they became more of a distraction that pulled me out of the story. 

It was a little all over the place and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. I think a few of them could’ve been removed as we don’t see them on a deep level anyways and are treated as simply background characters. I did enjoy the character development for the more center stage characters and their relationships with each other!

Since this book is satire, the jokes/poking at society could be funny at times but other times I cringed or rolled my eyes. I particularly had a hard time with all the body shaming/fatphobia and eating disorder discussions since I myself am in recovery for an ED. I think people who struggle with any of the below TW/CW should take caution if picking up this book.

Another aspect I was disappointed by was the transphobia and deadnaming. It was problematic and not the inclusive rep that the author might think she had done. The transphobia was addressed as being problematic at times by the characters but not very strongly reprimanded. The deadnaming and misgendering was never called out/addressed and occurred far too many times. Plus Petra being trans and who she used to be was used as a “shocking” plot device rather than forming a fuller character who could’ve been amazing. Even Petra herself acts as if she’s “not really a girl” because of her lack of bottom surgery when that’s not what determines someone’s gender. 

I didn’t hate it, it’s a strange read with important discussions on self esteem, misogyny, and racism hidden in between the unique plot line. I was really excited for this one but it just fell flat and I was really disappointed in the supposed LGBTQ+ rep. Maybe satire just isn’t my thing because it was a strange mix of emotions as I read this. I did like the ending though and it was a quick read once I got further into the book-if it had continued being slow and scattered I would’ve DNFd for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Islamophobia, Sexual content, Ableism, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Death

Minor: Cancer

monapearl's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Sexism