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deldc's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
4.5
although i have mixed thoughts about some few arguments presented in this short book, i commend how Alok dismantled most prejudices towards nonconforming gender binary through concise and on point discussion. it is a short eye opener for a lot of things we still don't understand about gender. an even thought-provoking discussion regarding the way society has infused fixed concepts of gender in our daily lives to disregard the issue of oppression and violence happening in the nonconforming community.
got a lot of takeaways in this book. highly recommend.
although i have mixed thoughts about some few arguments presented in this short book, i commend how Alok dismantled most prejudices towards nonconforming gender binary through concise and on point discussion. it is a short eye opener for a lot of things we still don't understand about gender. an even thought-provoking discussion regarding the way society has infused fixed concepts of gender in our daily lives to disregard the issue of oppression and violence happening in the nonconforming community.
got a lot of takeaways in this book. highly recommend.
melimelody's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
shelvedbysara's review against another edition
2.75
I've known and admired Alok as a speaker for a while. Not just for their eloquence but also for the incredible critical analysis they use to address complex topics and respond to questions. For this reason, I had high expectations for this book - which weren't met.
For a book that seems to be an introduction to what it means to move beyond the gender binary (or at least has that intention), I actually think it doesn't do a good job at introducing anything. Here are my main reasons:
1) This lacks a lot of depth. My guess is that maybe they wanted to make this surface level for people who never heard of the gender binary or GNC/non-binary/trans experiences before. But even with the lack of depth, this book didn't seem at all accessible. Even for me. As someone who has some knowledge of this language and terms and has done a lot of research on gender-related topics, even I had trouble at times decoding the gigantic jumps that were being made in all of these associations of aribitrary things (ex: gendered toys or clothing) to political systems of power. My point is, someone who is unfamiliar with non binary/trans/GNC experiences or people, will not even begin to grasp the concept of why and how the binary was created by institutions of power. So my question is: was the point to just write a surface level book about a gigantic topic to start a conversation? And if so, then who's the audience? Is it everyone? Is it LGBTQ+ people? Is it GNC/non binary/trans people? Is it cis-straight people? Because it's really not clear and I don't think even the book knows who the audience is.
2) This lacks critical analysis. Probably because of the lack of depth. But because it lacks analysis, it actually just reads like a list of ramblings. Which isn't good (even if those ramblings are valid and based on truth). Even when they are responding to bigoted misconceptions in the 2nd half of the book, they are still incredibly shallow. Some of those responses don't even address the topic at all - I mean I wouldn't even use those answers if someone said those statements to me and I had to respond. Again, for someone who in their speeches, interviews, social media, is known for being a critical thinker and has demonstrated a strong level of education and research and just general knowledge, I know they could do better than this. So I'm not sure why they fell short here. They still touch on very important things and make great arguments here and there. But then they lack - yes - depth. And the we're back to point 1.
All in all, those are the reasons for my low rating. I still like Alok's work and will continue to follow it closely. Maybe in the future there will be more books and they'll get a better review from me. But as for this one, I just didn't get what I came here for.
For a book that seems to be an introduction to what it means to move beyond the gender binary (or at least has that intention), I actually think it doesn't do a good job at introducing anything. Here are my main reasons:
1) This lacks a lot of depth. My guess is that maybe they wanted to make this surface level for people who never heard of the gender binary or GNC/non-binary/trans experiences before. But even with the lack of depth, this book didn't seem at all accessible. Even for me. As someone who has some knowledge of this language and terms and has done a lot of research on gender-related topics, even I had trouble at times decoding the gigantic jumps that were being made in all of these associations of aribitrary things (ex: gendered toys or clothing) to political systems of power. My point is, someone who is unfamiliar with non binary/trans/GNC experiences or people, will not even begin to grasp the concept of why and how the binary was created by institutions of power. So my question is: was the point to just write a surface level book about a gigantic topic to start a conversation? And if so, then who's the audience? Is it everyone? Is it LGBTQ+ people? Is it GNC/non binary/trans people? Is it cis-straight people? Because it's really not clear and I don't think even the book knows who the audience is.
2) This lacks critical analysis. Probably because of the lack of depth. But because it lacks analysis, it actually just reads like a list of ramblings. Which isn't good (even if those ramblings are valid and based on truth). Even when they are responding to bigoted misconceptions in the 2nd half of the book, they are still incredibly shallow. Some of those responses don't even address the topic at all - I mean I wouldn't even use those answers if someone said those statements to me and I had to respond. Again, for someone who in their speeches, interviews, social media, is known for being a critical thinker and has demonstrated a strong level of education and research and just general knowledge, I know they could do better than this. So I'm not sure why they fell short here. They still touch on very important things and make great arguments here and there. But then they lack - yes - depth. And the we're back to point 1.
All in all, those are the reasons for my low rating. I still like Alok's work and will continue to follow it closely. Maybe in the future there will be more books and they'll get a better review from me. But as for this one, I just didn't get what I came here for.
leweylibrary's review
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
The 5 star is because I really can't fault it for what it is. Obviously it's tiny and I want now, but it's meant to be small and approachable, so I'm done with that. Knowing that, I think it was a good mix of some personal info and presenting what should be basic information in a digestible way. It didn't read like a reference book which is really what it is because Vaid-Menon has such a strong, beautiful voice. I also really appreciated the metaphors and other ways of explaining concepts that were fresh and clear while also not being offensive for people who would most need to read this book. Not that they will but hey some might!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Dysphoria, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide