moonyreadsbystarlight's reviews
585 reviews

There was a lot I really liked about this. The relationship was cute and well paced, not forced (although I had to have a laugh at how similar the feelings of supposed hatred sounded like attraction). The friendships in this really shined as well, I'd say as much or more than the romantic relationship. There was also really good discussion of mental health and complicated family dynamics. Even with the resolution being maybe too clean to be realistic, I do think they were able do explore a decent amount of nuance. And I've got to say, I'm not a sports gay, but by the time we get to the big game at the half way point, I think I had a decent idea of what was going on game-wise which speaks to the author's writing and the way that the game play ends up being integrated into the scene I think. 

I'm kind of mad it took me so long to get to this, but once I got started, I read it in a little over a day. A nice start to my reading year!

In it's time, a lot of this would have been groundbreaking. While we discuss concepts like familial homophobia with more nuance today, it was nice to see an earlier work about it. Seeing Schulman's own experience with this was impactful and definitely added to this. 

The biggest thing I got out of this is that *we* as a community can be the solution to a lot of things. As cheesy as it may sound, speaking out can do so much in interpersonal situations. And homophobia at large has justified abuses and lessened the likelihood that people will speak out. A lot of what she said makes me very excited to read Conflict is Not Abuse, which she published quite a while later. 

I do think it could have been more developed in some ways and it really would have benefited from research backing her points. The question of course would be, were there people out there doing psychology or sociology research on familial homophobia? It was probably slim, so I understand her decision to lean on her own experiences here. 

I also take issue with some of her proposed solutions. She mentions things like bringing in court-ordered therapy and relying on the state to diffuse certain situations. I don't think that is viable (and I'm not even sure whether or not the author would either at this point). There is also a lot that would have benefited a lot by an analysis of race in all of this as well. These, like the bit around gay marriage, I think says more about the state of discourse then (which is valuable to understand I think). 

Over all, it was a neat read. Not her best, but it meditates on important topics, many of which remain relevant, and definitely tells us something about its time.

This was an essay collection that covers topics including climate change, colonialism, grief, writing, and more. There are some really strong essays in here as well as a few that had points that I felt really needed more. So in this way, I think that some of this would have benefitted from being longer form to dig into nuances that are sometimes mentioned only briefly. But this covers a lot of really interesting and important ground overall, especially looking at the environment, the military, and what is happening politically in Guam 

An incredible poetry collection! It's one that will live in my head for a long time, and one I'm sure I will revisit. Haunting, layered, and full of literary and historical references

This had so much great information about the university's ties to settler colonialism and how education exists necessarily outside of the university and is necessary to oppose settler colonialism. This brings up a lot of great history and concepts that are essential to understand. I do think it could have been better organized in some sections, particularly towards the end, it felt rushed or incomplete (for instance, there could have been a more rigorous dive into modern student protests. And I don't think online organizing or education was really considered well enough). That being said, I do think this is a really great read and important particularly for people who are in academia, have been in it, or are considering a future in it. 

Short but effective, this uses the serviceberry (as it is in nature, but also in the author's life specifically) as a jumping off point to put together actionable ways that we could have a more caring and connected world. 

I read 20 pages of this yesterday and the other 320 today. Holy shit! Definitely one you won't want to put down. I am obsessed with the setting and how perfect of a role it played and the fact that such incredible (often overlooked) history was integral to it. The queer rep was great, particularly because of the nuanced conversions that were happening. I also don't think I've ever felt so seen by autistic rep in a fiction book. I really appreciate the overt discussion of politics and community was in this as well. 

I can't beleive it's taken me this long to read Andrew Joseph White but I am so excited that there are at least two others to read (also a little scared if this is the least supernatural and horror of the bunch as some people have said... but scared in a good way!)

This is a neat collection of short pieces and interviews with trans people doing many different kinds of work, especially that which goes unacknowledged as "real" work. It is really beautiful to see so many different kinds of trans people being passionate about what they do -- and seeing the diversity in what that can be. The art is really beautiful. While the choice to do the words in more handwriting slowed my reading down, I do think that was a benefit actually for me (but may be more difficult for folks who are dyslexic and the like). I think naming this an "oral history" may make this seem like a deeper scope than this actually is (like I said, these are pretty short pieces). But I really enjoyed this.

People in Trouble, indeed. This follows a woman, her husband, and her lesbian lover in a most timultuous time in their relationships with themselves and each other. Each chapter is told from rotating perspectives. Though it is all in third person, the narration is clearly colored by each character's worldview and biases, and at times include touches of surrealism.  We see each of the many characters faults and eventual growth (some more than others). This is set in late 80s NYC, deeply affected by AIDS, drugs, and capitalist.

A lot of this is about political apathy and questions about boundaries and when to put yourself first, as well as clear themes about corperatization and gentrification. While the other novels by Schulman that I have read (Rat Bohemia and Empathy) incorporate a lot of details about conditions of the city, like many houseless, drug abuse, and AIDS, this is the first one that has talked about activism and the experience of being in spaces where people are dying so directly (certainly it was central to the other works, but this is probably the most direct and less surreal of the three). 

I have lots of thoughts, especially reading this alongside her other works, but I'll save those for perhaps something that isn't a book review for just one of them.

Such a powerful story! Well-written and engaging, it tells the horrific experience of living under apartheid and, as a child, facing crimes against humanity. An important read for context of what continues to happen in Palestine, and made me think a lot about  prison writing more broadly (this wasn't written IN prison, but details her time there a lot)