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thereadingwren's review
5.0
5/5
I cannot explain the emotions this book brought up or accurately describe my love for this book.
The whole time reading this I kept nodding along. It honestly felt like I was reading my own diary. There’s is very little in this book that I myself didn’t feel or experience. It’s kind of insane.
Nevo’s story is such an important one that I hope reaches many young people so they can see themselves represented.
Everyone should know they are valid.
I cannot explain the emotions this book brought up or accurately describe my love for this book.
The whole time reading this I kept nodding along. It honestly felt like I was reading my own diary. There’s is very little in this book that I myself didn’t feel or experience. It’s kind of insane.
Nevo’s story is such an important one that I hope reaches many young people so they can see themselves represented.
Everyone should know they are valid.
thereadingchallengechallenge's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This is an exquisite memoir examining the author's journey with their Jewishness, gender and sexuality growing up in Australia in the 2000s/2010s. Zisin talks about their struggles and experiences with such openness and with such simple language that it's easy to lose yourself in the world they grew up in. I also just really enjoyed reading about an Australian queer person for a change, getting to read about moments in our recent queer history that I remember, that struck me just as hard. Cultural shifts that I lived through, have scars from too. It was comforting to read about, really, but still eye-opening in lots of ways. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to expand their queer nonfiction horizons.
littleelfman's review
4.0
Finding Nevo is the story of a person trying to find their place in a world that cannot seem to wrap its head around the very idea of a non-binary existence. Personal and heart felt, the fact that this book exists now places the ball in your court to educate yourself on the ways that society (you and me included) causes harm with expectations.
"It is absurd to expect people of oppressed minorities to calm themselves and educate you delicately on a topic you don't understand because you haven't put in the effort."
That goes for me too. Thanks, Nevo.
"It is absurd to expect people of oppressed minorities to calm themselves and educate you delicately on a topic you don't understand because you haven't put in the effort."
That goes for me too. Thanks, Nevo.
jasgrace's review
5.0
Couldn't put this down. An essential read for family and friends to better understand how to support trans people in their life.
beautifulpaxielreads's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
For the first time in my history of assigning star ratings to the books I read, I have made the decision not to do so for Finding Nevo.
I made this difficult decision not because I disliked the book or that it is badly written - far from it, in fact. The reason I have chosen not to rate Finding Nevo is that it is a highly personal work, and Nevo Zisin themself goes into great detail about their experiences, thoughts and feelings as they recount the story of their life. It would be as if Nevo and I had been having a conversation in real life, and after they had finished pouring out their soul to me, I would respond "sorry, it didn't really grab me. Two stars." I would never do that in real life, and I won't do it in this review.
There were issues I had with the book and Zisin's writing style. The topics they broach can be confronting - what does it mean to be a woman? To be a man? What if you don't feel like you fit in either box? Sometimes the descriptions got a little too graphic for my taste. But Finding Nevo did make me think about and question my own attitudes and preconceived ideas about gender and misogyny.
Nevo Zisin writes with great honesty, and I commend them for their bravery in doing so, given the world is still a very difficult place to be if you are trans or non-binary.
I made this difficult decision not because I disliked the book or that it is badly written - far from it, in fact. The reason I have chosen not to rate Finding Nevo is that it is a highly personal work, and Nevo Zisin themself goes into great detail about their experiences, thoughts and feelings as they recount the story of their life. It would be as if Nevo and I had been having a conversation in real life, and after they had finished pouring out their soul to me, I would respond "sorry, it didn't really grab me. Two stars." I would never do that in real life, and I won't do it in this review.
There were issues I had with the book and Zisin's writing style. The topics they broach can be confronting - what does it mean to be a woman? To be a man? What if you don't feel like you fit in either box? Sometimes the descriptions got a little too graphic for my taste. But Finding Nevo did make me think about and question my own attitudes and preconceived ideas about gender and misogyny.
Nevo Zisin writes with great honesty, and I commend them for their bravery in doing so, given the world is still a very difficult place to be if you are trans or non-binary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Transphobia
Moderate: Blood, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Medical content, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Outing
Nevo Zisin discusses their deadname at length - acknowledging the fact that deadnaming is a source of distress/trauma for many trans folk - and justifies their decision to do so as follows: "...I love my birth name. Revealing that name to people is a recognition of closeness. So by choosing to include my birth name at this point in my book, I am allowing you to see a very guarded part of me."alleycatzx's review
4.0
Nevo has a conversational, free-flowing writing style, and their vivid descriptions sweeps you along in the journey they let you witness.
As a transmasculine non-binary person myself, many of Nevo’s thoughts and experiences hits very close to home. Some sections brought me back intensely to where I had been in a similar point in my transition, and that’s a commendation to their strong writing.
The book is very accessible, even to people who are not immersed in queer/LGBTIQ+ culture. There is not a lot of jargon, and the trans-specific terms are explained in a clear and non-condescending way.
A great read for an intro into trans, nonbinary and genderqueer experiences!
As a transmasculine non-binary person myself, many of Nevo’s thoughts and experiences hits very close to home. Some sections brought me back intensely to where I had been in a similar point in my transition, and that’s a commendation to their strong writing.
The book is very accessible, even to people who are not immersed in queer/LGBTIQ+ culture. There is not a lot of jargon, and the trans-specific terms are explained in a clear and non-condescending way.
A great read for an intro into trans, nonbinary and genderqueer experiences!
alonsonm's review
I decided not to rate this book to honour Nevo’s battle against labels and stereotypes. That said, this book is beautiful but challenging. The story of Nevo confronted me with my own ignorance and prejudices about trans people. I learned a lot about this community through Nevo’s journey but I learned even more about myself. If you have big heart and tons of courage, you should read ‘finding Nevo’