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A review by minimicropup
Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity by A. Scott Duane, Micah Rajunov
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This collection of memoirs may be cathartic, confusing, frustrating, or informative depending on your background and perspectives going in. Each memoir is a different experience, so you're likely to find at least some that resonate or hit harder than others, and some that you disagree with. Some essays have an undertone of loss and injustice, others sarcasm and wit, and others are philosophical and explorative (plus everything in between).
This isn't a direct teaching non-fiction book, so if you are planning to read this for straightforward instructions and information on what non-binary consists of and what to "say" to someone who identifies as such, this isn't going to accomplish that. Rather, it offers up the perspectives, hopes, struggles, and meaning from many different persons with different backgrounds (including those who love a non-binary family member or partner). I enjoyed it because they do contradict each other sometimes, showing how being non-binary is a HUMAN experience, like so many other human experiences.
And I did learn from these essays, actually! I learned how complex and not "one size fits all" non-binary life is and how difficult it even is to define gender and make the world a safer place for all. The stories helped me see that I tend to overthink and worry about hurting others who are non-binary, instead of just asking, letting people be, and LISTENING, rather than trying to find the right answer before even meeting or getting to know someone. Being too eager or assumptive kinda makes it seem like a shameful thing, right?
This collection helps break stereotypes. No one group or belief system is picked on in any way and they all read as genuine. Although I don't identify as non-binary, I related to many of the experiences and hopes of the writers, so it was a connecting feeling for me, not something meant to ostracize or guilt.
P.S. Can we as a species stop being so obsessed with classifying and categorizing? Let's love a spectrum sometimes.
Format: Library Paperback
[I generally don't leave star ratings for memoirs, biographies, or true stories]
This isn't a direct teaching non-fiction book, so if you are planning to read this for straightforward instructions and information on what non-binary consists of and what to "say" to someone who identifies as such, this isn't going to accomplish that. Rather, it offers up the perspectives, hopes, struggles, and meaning from many different persons with different backgrounds (including those who love a non-binary family member or partner). I enjoyed it because they do contradict each other sometimes, showing how being non-binary is a HUMAN experience, like so many other human experiences.
And I did learn from these essays, actually! I learned how complex and not "one size fits all" non-binary life is and how difficult it even is to define gender and make the world a safer place for all. The stories helped me see that I tend to overthink and worry about hurting others who are non-binary, instead of just asking, letting people be, and LISTENING, rather than trying to find the right answer before even meeting or getting to know someone. Being too eager or assumptive kinda makes it seem like a shameful thing, right?
This collection helps break stereotypes. No one group or belief system is picked on in any way and they all read as genuine. Although I don't identify as non-binary, I related to many of the experiences and hopes of the writers, so it was a connecting feeling for me, not something meant to ostracize or guilt.
P.S. Can we as a species stop being so obsessed with classifying and categorizing? Let's love a spectrum sometimes.
Format: Library Paperback
[I generally don't leave star ratings for memoirs, biographies, or true stories]