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nadiamsahi 's review for:
Something That May Shock and Discredit You
by Daniel M. Lavery
Ortberg's self-described "memoir-adjacent" work is smart, amusingly deprecating, and not overly concerned with interrogating Ortberg's sense of self, purpose, or his decision (or eventual reluctant side-step) to transition. While not every one of his chapters resonated with me, the ones that hit the mark, Really hit the mark, and had me working to stifle my laughter at work. He pokes fun at the traditional trans memoir, while not altogether ignoring the fact that this work is partially that. You will not find the metaphor of "Mermaids/Centaurs/Sirens/Sphinxes/Butterflies/Snakes/Werewolves/Any Other Cryptid" applied to being trans, but you will have his experience compares to biblical stories, Mythology, The Golden Girls, Pretty in Pink, Existential philosophy, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. The references are numerous and varied, and many (I admit) went over my head. Even though I left feeling like I was in dire need of a complete reading list to be at least as well-versed as Ortberg, I also finished the book glad to have read something so un-genre-able and still enjoyable.