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illustratedjai 's review for:
The Appendix: Transmasculine Joy in a Transphobic Culture
by Liam Konemann
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
This was a quick little read on an evening. I would say a nice little amuse-bouche, but it's not very amuseing.
I knew the subject matter would hit home for me, and I knew I'd probably feel emotions reading it, and I did, but at the same time, it feels slightly like I wasn't exactly the target audience.
The premise a laying out of how we can find joy even in a transphobic world, and as a trans masculine person myself, I felt slightly like I was always about a paragraph ahead of the author, like I could skip a section here or there and still be on the same page. The writing is funny and poignant and relatable, but doesn't broach anything that trans masculine readers will be unfamiliar with.
Honestly, the main reason for my 5 star rating is the sense of community, the sense of same-ness, and one-ness I felt while reading. Certain passages reminded me of my partner's experiences; certain passages could have been lifted from my own life. And given the conclusions of the book, that feels.. fated somehow. Like we're all in this together.
If you're not trans yourself and have trans friends and family, this is probably an excellent choice to get a bit more familiar with what we're all going through. If you're trans and have a parent or sibling or someone that you'd like to enlighten, I'd definitely recommend this. It's a quick read, and one that provides additional reading at the back.
I knew the subject matter would hit home for me, and I knew I'd probably feel emotions reading it, and I did, but at the same time, it feels slightly like I wasn't exactly the target audience.
The premise a laying out of how we can find joy even in a transphobic world, and as a trans masculine person myself, I felt slightly like I was always about a paragraph ahead of the author, like I could skip a section here or there and still be on the same page. The writing is funny and poignant and relatable, but doesn't broach anything that trans masculine readers will be unfamiliar with.
Honestly, the main reason for my 5 star rating is the sense of community, the sense of same-ness, and one-ness I felt while reading. Certain passages reminded me of my partner's experiences; certain passages could have been lifted from my own life. And given the conclusions of the book, that feels.. fated somehow. Like we're all in this together.
If you're not trans yourself and have trans friends and family, this is probably an excellent choice to get a bit more familiar with what we're all going through. If you're trans and have a parent or sibling or someone that you'd like to enlighten, I'd definitely recommend this. It's a quick read, and one that provides additional reading at the back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
The first page of the book lays out the trigger warnings, including uncensored usages of the t word and the f word.
The material of the book deals directly with and actively analyses transphobia.