Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom

16 reviews

robinks's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this magical, fantasy-tinged memoir. I got sucked into our protagonist’s world and all the events and people that showed up. I was also satisfied with how things turned out for her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Grief, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug use, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny

ash_ton's review

dark hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

i have a lot of thoughts about this book. maybe i'll get around to writing a review someday lol. i feel i should specify that i am nonbinary afab and i feel unfair giving this book a low rating since i am not a trans woman. that is not the reason i gave it a low rating. it's mostly the style and format of the book itself!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Blood, Dysphoria, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Body shaming

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Drug use, Violence, Police brutality, and Death

mirandyli's review

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Fantastically written, anti-capitalist, anti-cop, anti-fascist, anti-classist memoir with magical elements. Really everything I could ask for in a book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Gun violence, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Drug use, Murder, Transphobia, Violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Police brutality

bashsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars is a magical "memoir" that uses poetry and allegory to show what being a trans femme is like - from running away from home, forming a found family, defending herself, and growing as a woman. Though it uses unreality to prove its points, there are no rose-colored glasses in this short book. Everything is brutal, as the lives of many trans women are. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more by Thom.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Classism, Blood, Transphobia, Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Self harm, Stalking, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use

-Usage of the f-slur as an insult.

solenekeleroux's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, Self harm, Police brutality, Murder, Hate crime, Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Drug use

bookish_afrolatina's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a super short book and I listened to it on audiobook via the Libby app (library books ftw).

When I first picked this up, the only reference I had for a memoir steeped in magical realism was Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House. I realized very quickly that Fierce Femmes is a completely different thing! While this book is still full of fantastical elements and absurdities, it is a novel/faux memoir.

The main character is a trans girl who is the daughter of Chinese immigrants (in Canada, I believe) who live in a crooked house in a city called Gloom. Her parents are abusive so, although she feels guilty about leaving her sister, she knows running away will be for the best.

The MC is a self-described liar so we already know we have an unreliable narrator, which made this kind of intriguing. I loved the stories of connecting with other femmes in the pleasure district and the MC's journey of enforcing consent. It's a much needed discussion when others feel as though they are entitled to your body.

This novel includes:
transphobia, consent, sex work, drug use and abuse, found family, love, murder, revenge, adventure, and hot ghosts, among other things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Drug use, Murder, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

willows's review

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 

Both very real and very surreal at the same time. I liked how raw it was and how the fantasy elements just kind of made sense. I liked the portrayal of how seeing yourself as dangerous can be a bit of a defense mechanism-- I don't know, I think the portrayal of trauma in general was handled really well. Like it didn't sugarcoat it and the Hurt was there but it was just as much about healing and finding your power and community and a bunch of other things that just made it really hopeful. And for a book that could have been so heavy, it was also pretty fun. Very unique and well done, I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Drug abuse, Hate crime, and Transphobia

chattie_the_mad_chatter's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

For such a small book it really packs a punch.
This has a magical realisim, surreal feel that is so full of truth.
There are wonderful metaphors abounding displayed as a physical reality and inserts of poetry.

This book I had to put down at certain moments and breathe as I felt so moved by our protagonist and their friends and know that their story Echoes so many stories that go Unheard in our world. 

So many moments that feel powerful, and give hope and show anyone who is not trans how it feels. It has been a delight and a horror to walk in her fabulous stilleto shoes for a moment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Sexual content, and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

simple_alien's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Magical and bada**. A must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Transphobia, Murder, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Addiction, Body shaming, Body horror, and Blood