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A review by fiendfull
What It Feels Like for a Girl by Paris Lees
4.0
What It Feels Like For A Girl is a memoir about Lees' teenage years, growing up in Nottingham and trying to find an escape. Teenager Byron is fed up of living in Hucknall, fed up of parents who don't care, and fed up of nothing to do. When Byron meets a new group of friends, including the unforgettable Lady Die, a new life of dancing, drink, and drugs awaits, but things aren't always straightforward.
This is an immediate and bold memoir, written in the present tense, and with a sense of narrative, character, and linguistic creativity that feels more like fiction than a lot of memoirs do, but also means that it feels more honestly like looking back and telling stories too. There's a lot of early 2000s culture packed in, as well as a real sense of both Hucknall and Nottingham (and the amount of public transport you have to get if you don't live in the local city/big town). Being trans is crucial to the memoir, but there's also a lot about class and sexuality and bullying.
As someone who's heard of Lees from her journalism but didn't know much about her life, this is a fascinating and frank look at growing up, getting in trouble, and finding direction, written in a distinctive, conversational way. It was a good book to become immersed in, fairly short and sharp, and as a fan of Lord Byron the references to him were an added bonus!
This is an immediate and bold memoir, written in the present tense, and with a sense of narrative, character, and linguistic creativity that feels more like fiction than a lot of memoirs do, but also means that it feels more honestly like looking back and telling stories too. There's a lot of early 2000s culture packed in, as well as a real sense of both Hucknall and Nottingham (and the amount of public transport you have to get if you don't live in the local city/big town). Being trans is crucial to the memoir, but there's also a lot about class and sexuality and bullying.
As someone who's heard of Lees from her journalism but didn't know much about her life, this is a fascinating and frank look at growing up, getting in trouble, and finding direction, written in a distinctive, conversational way. It was a good book to become immersed in, fairly short and sharp, and as a fan of Lord Byron the references to him were an added bonus!