beckisreading 's review for:

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

5.0

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I think if I read this book five + years ago, when I first heard about it, I would've walked away enjoying it immensely, but ultimately thinking "I'm so grateful things aren't as bad anymore." But five plus years ago I didn't even know I was trans, lol. I've been struggling with cultivating hope as things get worse politically. I've been intensely afraid and frozen in that fear. It's why I started reading again, so I could internalize people overcoming different circumstances, big and small. And SBB was not at all an easy read, it was so painful: the wins were minimal, and the loses were devastating. But it reminded me that there is a life worth fighting for (because what the fuck is the alternative), and I'm not alone, and people have survived. I grew up thinking all the hard work of liberation was already done in the past, and it was such a sheltered and naive perspective. It's clear to me that there is a lot of fighting left up to us now. So yeah, I still feel terrified about the state of the world, but this book, for a moment, shook me out of that inert state.

Thank you, Leslie Feinberg <3