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heidewitzkaa's review
5.0
An anthology for nonbinary/non-cis people by nonbinary/non-cis people - exactly how it should be. This is not for the cis and I love that about this book. We have to spend too much time and energy explaining ourselves to society and I think we deserve space (in this case literature) where this is not necessary or demanded of us.
The book contains a good mixture of poems, essays and art, where some have resonated deeply with me and other have given me new or other perspectives on gender and gender identity. It shows how there is not one specific nonbinary experience, but a multitude, that are far from monolithic and how other aspects of our lives can affect or intersect with gender.
Every creators’ pronouns are listed, and the editor also put content warnings on works with sensitive matters, something that definitely should be more common.
My only criticism is that there are some small errors in the editing, for example I noticed two cases where the font could not incorporate certain symbols/letters not commonly used in English literature, leaving a white square (□) in the middle of the word. While it did not hinder my reading experience, I think it is important to be able to correctly incorporate culturally specific words.
All in all, this was an amazing read and I will hold many of the works dearly to my heart.
The book contains a good mixture of poems, essays and art, where some have resonated deeply with me and other have given me new or other perspectives on gender and gender identity. It shows how there is not one specific nonbinary experience, but a multitude, that are far from monolithic and how other aspects of our lives can affect or intersect with gender.
Every creators’ pronouns are listed, and the editor also put content warnings on works with sensitive matters, something that definitely should be more common.
My only criticism is that there are some small errors in the editing, for example I noticed two cases where the font could not incorporate certain symbols/letters not commonly used in English literature, leaving a white square (□) in the middle of the word. While it did not hinder my reading experience, I think it is important to be able to correctly incorporate culturally specific words.
All in all, this was an amazing read and I will hold many of the works dearly to my heart.
celtic_oracle's review
3.0
As with any anthology, the quality ranges. Some pieces are good, others are breathtaking. There are a few pieces in here that will definitely stay with me.
orionoconnell's review
5.0
I am uncomfortable rating people's personal experiences with stars like I am judging the quality of their lives. However, I am giving this one a five star for visibility, so that nonbinary, genderqueer, agender people and the like can find this, as I think it's a very validating read for someone identifying outside of the binary.
freckled_frog_boi's review
4.0
crying snotting throwin up
I’m feeling seen in this bus terminal tn
I’m feeling seen in this bus terminal tn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Transphobia, Genocide, and Homophobia
poetpenelopee's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I really liked it. But I'm biased because I am one of the poets in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Transphobia
sonnetsandstarfall's review
5.0
I am uncomfortable rating people's personal experiences with stars like I am judging the quality of their lives. However, I am giving this one a five star for visibility, so that nonbinary, genderqueer, agender people and the like can find this, as I think it's a very validating read for someone identifying outside of the binary.
saturniidead's review
1.0
Content warning:
Really, this was incredibly hard to review, and teetered dangerously close to being a did not finish. With all anthologies, you will have varying quality from each piece, but the overwhelming majority of contributions fell short for me. The anthology has a noble goal of covering the nuances of being nonbinary in conjunction to work, religion, race, ethnicity, relationships, disability, mental illness, and college through poems, short personal accounts, and occasional artwork. Unfortunately many of the works came off as drafts rather than a polished final product, and the anthology as a whole seems to have little editing focus put in.
I think the end product could have been significantly shorter, as redundancy and quality drops really spoiled this for me. Identical analogies, motifs, and phrases reappeared across works, feeling like a rehash of something you just read. A consistent issue was authors having too much confidence (excessive moody tone, oversimplification of topics) or no confidence at all (shaky tone, backtracking and over-explaining) in their writing ability, giving it a very grade school feel. Multiple editing errors, a long and clunky author bios section, and awkward formatting really contribute to that.
The amazing works that truly carried this book:
- A Collection Of Unfinished Statements: Almost bullet point like sentences about coming to terms with yourself while facing outside perception and the turmoil it causes.
- The Poet Reacts To Misgendering Themself, Again: A beautiful poem about self acceptance and focusing on the good aspects while trying to block out sources of discomfort.
- The Only Binary I Need: A deep look into how eating disorder intermingles with dysphoria, and the struggle to find recovery resources when they are targeted towards cis women.
- Dysphoria As Malware: My personal favorite, describing quieter or more subtle forms of dysphoria, affirming their validity. It’s a really uplifting piece about allowing yourself to follow the path to your comfort, and the confusion of understanding what gender label suits you best.
- The Art Of Gender Performance: An account about being a nonbinary sex worker trying to appeal to the adult industry, while also grappling with the dysphoria forced femininity causes.
Many factors contributed to my one star, but the work titled Dangling cemented this decision. TW for child abuse:
Summary:
Readability: ★☆☆☆☆, This book needs heavy content warnings- if you need to avoid mentions of sex, self loathing, body dysmorphia, weight, and eating disorders, the majority of this will be rendered totally unreadable. The repetitive nature and dismal tone often made me want to quit reading altogether.
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆, The few works that I liked are why I give this two. They stood out but were in such short supply that I can’t go any higher.
Audience: Really, I wouldn’t say this is a fantastic book for allies, I feel like it will leave them with more questions, or even leave them with a bad taste in their mouth. Having to say that utterly embarrasses me, which makes me really ashamed of the filtering job done with this anthology. Even curious binary trans people wouldn’t be a great fit, especially because of the heavy consistent use of gendered body language, this isn’t dysphoria friendly whatsoever. The only people that could possibly benefit are those questioning gender and gender presentation, or those looking for support in not abiding to gender roles and stereotypes. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this.
Spoiler
beating, transphobia, dysphoria, self hatred, body dysmorphia, mentions of weight, religion, sex, homophobia, biphobia, transmisogyny, pregnancy, eating disorder, assault, surgery, child abuse, porn, sex work, sexual assault, racism.Really, this was incredibly hard to review, and teetered dangerously close to being a did not finish. With all anthologies, you will have varying quality from each piece, but the overwhelming majority of contributions fell short for me. The anthology has a noble goal of covering the nuances of being nonbinary in conjunction to work, religion, race, ethnicity, relationships, disability, mental illness, and college through poems, short personal accounts, and occasional artwork. Unfortunately many of the works came off as drafts rather than a polished final product, and the anthology as a whole seems to have little editing focus put in.
I think the end product could have been significantly shorter, as redundancy and quality drops really spoiled this for me. Identical analogies, motifs, and phrases reappeared across works, feeling like a rehash of something you just read. A consistent issue was authors having too much confidence (excessive moody tone, oversimplification of topics) or no confidence at all (shaky tone, backtracking and over-explaining) in their writing ability, giving it a very grade school feel. Multiple editing errors, a long and clunky author bios section, and awkward formatting really contribute to that.
The amazing works that truly carried this book:
- A Collection Of Unfinished Statements: Almost bullet point like sentences about coming to terms with yourself while facing outside perception and the turmoil it causes.
- The Poet Reacts To Misgendering Themself, Again: A beautiful poem about self acceptance and focusing on the good aspects while trying to block out sources of discomfort.
- The Only Binary I Need: A deep look into how eating disorder intermingles with dysphoria, and the struggle to find recovery resources when they are targeted towards cis women.
- Dysphoria As Malware: My personal favorite, describing quieter or more subtle forms of dysphoria, affirming their validity. It’s a really uplifting piece about allowing yourself to follow the path to your comfort, and the confusion of understanding what gender label suits you best.
- The Art Of Gender Performance: An account about being a nonbinary sex worker trying to appeal to the adult industry, while also grappling with the dysphoria forced femininity causes.
Many factors contributed to my one star, but the work titled Dangling cemented this decision. TW for child abuse:
Spoiler
The author described how breastfeeding helped their dysphoria through pregnancy, but goes on to explain how nursing failed, and yet they continued trying without regard to the child’s health as their coping mechanism. They even go on by admitting how the child possibly starved or had slowed development as a result. This unapologetic depiction of child abuse rolled my stomach and it truly made me question the editor’s train of thought when compiling this for print.Summary:
Readability: ★☆☆☆☆, This book needs heavy content warnings- if you need to avoid mentions of sex, self loathing, body dysmorphia, weight, and eating disorders, the majority of this will be rendered totally unreadable. The repetitive nature and dismal tone often made me want to quit reading altogether.
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆, The few works that I liked are why I give this two. They stood out but were in such short supply that I can’t go any higher.
Audience: Really, I wouldn’t say this is a fantastic book for allies, I feel like it will leave them with more questions, or even leave them with a bad taste in their mouth. Having to say that utterly embarrasses me, which makes me really ashamed of the filtering job done with this anthology. Even curious binary trans people wouldn’t be a great fit, especially because of the heavy consistent use of gendered body language, this isn’t dysphoria friendly whatsoever. The only people that could possibly benefit are those questioning gender and gender presentation, or those looking for support in not abiding to gender roles and stereotypes. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this.