tracithomas's Reviews (1.05k)

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-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

Danzy Senna keeps getting better. This book is a total joy and a wild ride. Senna captures the limits of reality before it tips into fully wild unbelievable chaos. She gets understated but also zany perfectly. She builds tension for her characters and her readers (almost like a thriller) and make the mundanity of life feel so high stakes. She doesn't get the credit deserves for her skill. Not to mention the ways she talks the world of mixed people seriously, she is unmatched.
challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Nguyen is a professional writer and it shows. This book pushes the nonfiction/memoir form and pulls it off. Smart and cutting. There is an underlying rage that reads beautifully. I also love the way he incorporates art, pop culture, literature, and history into the telling of his and his family's story. It runs a tad long at the end, but overall it is really really great. 
hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

I liked the book and think its a good personal entry into racism in medicine. It is a surface memoir but really illustrates and overview into medical racism.
challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad fast-paced
reflective slow-paced

I mostly kept reading this book to figure out what the two lies/stories were, but there was little to no pay off for me. This book would've been better as an essay. I think the author tried to do to much and also not enough at the same time. It felt very much like a good idea without great execution or even a strong reason to exist. The writing is fine but it can't carry the book. 
dark emotional funny sad 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: Yes

This is stellar debut novel. I loved the writing so so much. Just glorious sentences. The book switches between perspectives and the voices all sounded the same with the same tone and that annoyed me a hair. Overall thrilled about this book and think it’ll be on lots of lists come years end. 
challenging informative medium-paced

I love Shakespeare and found this reading of his works interesting. It’s relatively accessible (though knowing the plays helps) and it helps make the bard more modern. A little clunky and repetitive in spots but mostly very good.
challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced
dark funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I mean Everett is so smart and funny and he always gets the joke and it is never the easy joke. I love what the book has to say about authenticity, audience, art, critical reception, race. It is just so smart.
informative slow-paced

This book was a little lackluster for me as far as writing and style. The information is good and very easy to follow. It felt a bit like a 101 class on trans experiences which I think is valuable for many people, but I wanted a little more from the book. This would be great for young people and parents of young people, teachers, and those family members who just refuse to get it. Its also for any one who wants to support trans folks but don't know where or how to start.