REVIEW: None of the Above by Travis Alabanza

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGBTQ+

Release Date: 6th July 2023

Publisher: Canongate

“Ladies, gentlemen and those lucky enough to transcend gender” - you need to read this book.

None of the above is a powerful book from an equally powerful voice; that authentically explores the experience of living life outside of the socially accepted gender binary.

This is a deeply personal memoir like no other — using seven phrases that seem to be continually targeted at the author as a black, mixed race non-binary person, the ones that are used to attack and hurt, to judge and condemn, that spring from ignorance and misinformation and things other people just don’t hear. It provides a unique, intersectional gaze at the world and a society that cannot accept life outside of their own opinions.

This book is accessible and easily readable — each section is both informative but conversational and direct to the reader. It sits somewhere between a string of thoughts, a collection of stories and a well-laid out essay. Not only giving an insight into living life outside the binary, but into arbitrary gender roles, societal expectation, racism, mob mentality. healthcare inequality and community. As a Queer white person, there was still plenty for me to learn from Travis and their own experience of how racial inequality and erasure shaped their own journey with identity.

There was a real sense of connection, of support and care with Travis throughout this, as though they were a friend talking to us directly. This is a timely and critical work that everyone should read whether for self-reflection or understanding more about people that exist outside of your understanding.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Comments

REVIEW: This Could Be Us by Clare McGowan

Genre: Fiction | Literary Fiction Release Date: Expected 1st June 2023 Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group | Corsair Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she abandoned and reck...

REVIEW: Live, Laugh, Lesbian by Helen Scott

Genre: Non-Fiction | Memoir | LGTBQ+ Release Date: 19th October 2023 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Part memoir, part guide, part conversation and all queer joy — Live, Laugh, Lesbian is a brilliantly warm and friendly journey into the queer experience, not only from the author but from plenty of other lesbian, queer, bisexual and pansexual contributors who bring a unique viewpoint and voice and also show a beautiful diverse, intersectional scope of the queer spectrum and welcomes in queer people and allies of any kind to come feel the love. The book is very conversational, talking to the reader in a fun, friendly way — at times I rolled my eyes as the use of “famalam” but as a previous patron of Colours and Chicagos I’m not in a position to judge the Essex-isms. It’s full of anecdotes and observations that were witty and relatable as well as talking is through the more difficult side of queerness like dealing with workplace discrimination, religious trauma and coming out to family...

BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen

" This town has secrets that are best left alone." Author Hannah is a success, on paper at least. She's receiving critical acclaim and praise worldwide and her work is regarded as some of the best. She writes literature, not just books. But the reality is, outside of the literary circles nobody actually reads her work. But when she finally snaps at a book event and publicly criticises the genre fiction books that outsell hers, claiming they're easy and mindless she's challenged to write her own crime fiction novel in just thirty days by an author she loathes. Desperate not to lose to him, her editor arranges for her to spend a month in a quiet, cold village in Iceland hoping that the solitude will spark inspiration. But instead of writing a murder story - she's in one . Just before she arrives, the body of a young man is pulled from the icy waters and her search for ideas soon becomes a search for a killer. And if she's not careful, she might end up the...

On Bee's Bookshelf

Search This Blog