readingpicnic's reviews
487 reviews

The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waters

4.75

What a fascinating book. Gave me a lot of context for the trans gender debates in sports nowadays and how tied in they are with Naziism. And also gets into how cisgender women are also targets of transvestigations in sports, especially if they’re muscular or have any traits perceived as “masculine.” One of the most engaging history books I’ve ever read, honestly.

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 4 by Mokumokuren

4.25

Lots of lore dumps, and not sure I like this arc as much as the previous, but I still love them. What is Gojo doing here?

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam

4.0

Very introspective about labeling people from the past, people from different cultures, people from non-western contexts, but the author still includes these people even if it’s a little messy and complicated, as gender is wont to be. 

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 3 by Mokumokuren

4.5

I love Asako and Yuuki are so cute. I love a good mlm and wlw duo in manga (and then Maki’s just there I guess). I had to set the book down and go on a long walk after

Yoshiki stabbed Hikaru.

I’m so obsessed with the art style of Hikaru’s gory, swirly insides—would be SUCH a cool tattoo.

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul

4.0

I feel like the pacing really quickened after RuPaul got his big break and skipped over a lot, but overall this was a well told memoir. I really enjoyed the narration of the audiobook since he has such a nice voice. I can see the growth in acknowledging and respecting trans people in the drag scene present in the language used in this book, which is good to see. I feel like this could have been longer, but oh well!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent

The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 2 by Mokumokuren

5.0

The metaphors for experimenting with gay smex in a close-minded country town D: God, I love this art style and want a tattoo of Hikaru going monster-mode. Major Omori vibes. They’re so cute it makes me sick!!!

Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known by George M. Johnson

3.75

This was a very brief book, but I liked the idea of taking the introductions of people from this book and pursuing more in depth biographies and writing on your own time, which the author suggested. I didn’t love the poems at the beginnings of the chapters, but I’m just not a big poetry person in general. I will have to find a physical copy so I can see the pictures!

Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker

2.5

First of all, there are some really good definitions in this book of “neurodivergent,” “neurodiversity,” “neurodiverse,” “neurotypical,” and more that I will definitely make use of for papers and presentations. I realized I’ve been referring to myself as neurodiverse when I really meant neurodivergent, which I’m glad to know, but the author made me feel so ashamed and uneducated for doing so. That’s how I felt reading a lot of this book, which reads as incredibly academic in the most pompous way. Me and my friends call each other and ourselves neurodiverse, which I don’t think is that big of a mix-up, but the author implies that it makes us sound uneducated in disability studies and that others who are more educated will judge us, which I took issue with. I also took issue with the chapter on person-first vs identity-first labeling, as it is a disabled person’s personal choice for which they use!!! There is not a right answer!!! The author took the stance that identity-first language is the only right answer and that otherwise you are ableist and autistophobic, which I disagree with. Even though I use identity-first language for myself and see validity in the arguments against person-first language, some disabled people are just going to prefer person-first language for themselves and we should respect that. I found some value in this book, but I wouldn’t recommend it to other neurodivergent people.

We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre'vell Anderson

5.0

I loved this personal history and reckoning with trans*, gender nonconforming, and trans imaginary representation in media. The watching guide at the beginning/end of each chapter is also incredibly helpful, so I’ll have to find a physical copy and write those down ✍️ 
PHENOMENAL audiobook narration from Tre’vell!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia

Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensée

5.0

This graphic novel is so cool!! I love this reimagining of Alice as an Indigenous nonbinary child. The art style and story were incredible, and I'm obsessed with the lines: 
"Who are you? A little boy? A girl?" 
"A gamer." 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Transphobia, Colonisation