sara_m_martins's reviews
333 reviews

(english below)

Uma história que repete O Principezinho em citação e em alma, comovente para todas as idades. 

Paola Peretti descobriu há mais de quinze anos que tem uma doença genética rara, de nome Doença de Stargardt, que leva a uma perda progressiva de visão até à cegueira completa. Mafalda, a menina de 9 anos (e meio!) que seguimos neste livro, tem um fado similar: dentro de seis meses, a doença macular degenerativa levará a uma cegueira irreversível.

Através deste livro, e usando os olhos de Mafalda, Paola Peretti dá a experienciar aos leitores como é passar por este processo, fornecendo uma representação essencial sobre estas doenças pouco conhecidas. Porque não só de não-ficção se faz a comunicação de ciência e educação para a saúde! A literatura pode representar esse papel de forma fantástica! 

Mafalda/Paola diz-nos algo que vale sempre a pena recordar: “que o verdadeiro sentido da vida está dentro de nós, que somos sempre mais fortes do que aquilo que imaginávamos e que só com a ajuda de todos podemos ser inteiros, livres e felizes”. 

Porque o essencial é invisível aos olhos. “Encontra a tua rosa, Mafalda. O teu essencial. Uma coisa que possas fazer mesmo sem ver.”

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A story that repeats The Little Prince in quotations and in soul, a moving tale for all ages.

Paola Peretti discovered more than fifteen years ago that she has a rare genetic disease called Stargardt Disease, which leads to progressive loss of vision until complete blindness. Mafalda, the 9-(and a half!)year-old girl we follow in this book, has a similar fate: within six months,  macular degeneration will lead to irreversible blindness.

Through this book, and using Mafalda's eyes, Paola Peretti gives readers the experience of what it's like to go through this process, providing an essential representation of these little-known diseases. Because science communication doesn't need to be all non-fiction! Literatura can fit that role in a fantastical way! 

Mafalda/Paola tells us something that is always worth remembering: “that the true meaning of life is within us, that we are always stronger than what we imagine and that only with the help of others can we be whole, free and happy”.

Because the essential is invisible to the eyes. “Find your rose, Mafalda. Your essential. Something you can do even without seeing.”

Bottom line - the thing that made me stop this book were religious references and whatever brand of religious trauma i seem to carry with me. 
I kept reading it, because the concept seeming interesting - a cozy mystery with a wlw romance between women approaching 60 seems really interesting - but ultimately there wasn't enough to make me keep going until the end.
I enjoyed the way the author described the surroundings and people and it seemed quite atmospheric to me. 
I think the mystery has a lot of potential.
I really enjoyed the two teenage characters in the story. And I really appreciated the inclusion of characters and the representation of those in recovery and of the story line of teenage pregnancy. 
Unfortunately, the quirks of the two main characters may work for some people, but for me... they just weren't my people, and bc of that I couldn't get into their romance. If you are someone who would enjoy that type of personality it wouldn't be a problem, but for me it was too much of a "i'm a weirdo" vibe. 
I really hope to pick other books from this publisher/author in the future that better fit my reading preferences. 

Trans Medicine is a sociological book analysing the medical field(s) that work with trans people, namely the professionals involved - following trans medicine since it's conception in the 1950s up until contemporary times.
As a sociological work, this feels academic, but the writing is very accessible to non-academics; however, this book is not a "one-sitting" type of book, nor do I think it should be.
Throughout, shuster (non-binary trans person) lays out the assumptions and bias of medical professionals in the 1950s, contextualizing them in post-WWII medicine, and shows how that starting point is still affecting trans medicine today. For this, I think this book is an invaluable resource to any health professionals (or training to be), both physicians and in mental health. I also think it is appropriate for a non-medical audience, as it will clarify the way medicine operates, not only regarding trans patients but other demographics.
There are some things described in this book that can be very disconcerting, mostly the older records, but also some of the discourse of newer physicians (especially because you're given the historical context beforehand and you can see the root of it) regarding who should have access to trans medical care, and how - gatekeeping for "non-worthy patients" in the 50s and, currently, for some outside of the binary. So I advise care for anyone not in a good place with their gender identity, if they suspect they won't be able to digest some of the content. 

this was the first manga i've ever read and i really enjoyed it! i liked the art style and the writing, and it only took me a little bit to get used to the way you have to read it

i picked it up for the trans representation, but i really got interested in the characters and their motivations! while the marketing has focused a lot on the trans rep (which is own voices!!) and, while being trans is an important part of our character, it's also not the only plotline.

the story follows the MC, who meets the ~new radical guy in his highschool class~ and together they start a fashion brand. we follow them discovering how to own and pursue their passions (and themselves), and a third character gets introduced to this plotline and their group towards the last half of the story. I found this particularly fun, as it makes me think that the gang will keep growing throughout the series, which is one of my favourite things to see in a story!

as i said, i found the characters and their interactions pretty compelling, not only these two main ones, but all the supporting cast too, including the antagonists.
for any new manga readers, I think it's pretty easy to get into the story, even if you have to read it in a different order than usual, and at the end there's a super useful glossary for japanese slang/non-translatable language used in the book!

I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for review. 

Pando is a great non-fiction about a very specific living creature: The Trembling Giant, an aspen grove that is not a bunch of trees, but one single organism, with many clones. But not any aspen grove either - the oldest and biggest aspen grove of our planet! Which is also currently in danger of dying out...
Really well written to explain to an younger audience what Pando is, and also introduces the idea of the importance of environment conservation and taking care of it.
The illustrations are beautiful too

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for honest review. 

The Strangest Thing in the Sea is a great non-fiction about sea life, that will marvel adults and children alike!
The illustrations are beautiful and super fun!
The chosen animals are sure to attract the interest of an audience and the facts presented will keep readers engaged throughout
The text is written not only to be informative but to be funny as well - i loved all the closing sentences!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for honest review.