Legendary: Inside the House Ballroom Scene
Book
Gerard H. Gaskin's radiant color and black-and-white photographs take us inside the culture of house...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Pants Project in Books
Feb 13, 2018
This is an excellent YA novel that draws you in immediately. I found the storyline to be interesting from the very beginning, and it never wavered. Liv is a wonderful, amazing, resilient young man, and I loved him from the moment I met him. Liv's story is heartbreaking at times, but also very poignant. I see this tale as a must-read for transgender kids, but also all middle school kids, as it offers a wonderful chance to teach empathy. But, seriously, just having this story, and the way Liv expresses his thoughts on being transgender is so key. Yes, a lot of the story is probably a tad simplified, but still. It's just so refreshing to see this in book form.
Liv also has same-sex parents (two mothers) for which he is teased at school, which breaks my heart (being part of a same-sex marriage and having two young daughters). So much of the story hurts your heart at times and makes you just despair how much young kids have to go through at school. Liv meets a new friend in middle school, Jacob, and in reading this book, I just hope that the world continues to be filled with more Liv and Jacobs: it will make it a better place for sure. (I also enjoyed that Clarke seemed to insert an inside joke about how awful and cliche lesbian films can be!)
Overall, I loved this book, and I wish it was on the shelves of every middle school (and high school) -heck all libraries and bookstores-- everywhere! Huge portions of it make you smile, and you will find yourself just rooting for plucky, wonderful Liv and his spirit. There's a great sappy message in this book that I wish everyone could read in these troubled times. Liv has a wonderful sense of humor, and Clarke's writing is perfect for the targeted age group. I do think a great deal is this book is probably a little simplified (not all parents may be as supportive of Liv, for instance), but the bullying aspects at school are spot-on. Just seeing a transgender "tween" in print is great. I would like to see a list of support resources at the end of the book (and I just read an ARC, so it's not the final version) for those who do not have the same support system as Liv. Yes, this book goes a long way toward showing acceptance, but it's not as easy for everyone. I certainly hope it inspires kids to treat everyone equally: it's an important message. I definitely recommend this wonderful novel for kids and adults alike.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 03/01/2017.
Becoming Julie: My Incredible Journey
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Julie Clarke was born a boy in the 50s in central Scotland. From a very early age she knew she was...
Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet
6.7
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Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via...
romance young adult
Queer British Art
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IN 1967, Sex between consenting men in England and Wales was fi nally decriminalised an entire...
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The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good Business
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'I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier in my tenure as CEO of BP. I regret it to this...
The Unstill Ones: Poems
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An exciting debut collection of original poems and translations from Old English An exciting debut...
Women and Nature?: Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment
Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey
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Women and Nature? Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment provides a historical context for...
Bethr1986 (305 KP) rated Girl in the Walls in Books
Jul 19, 2021
oh my this is one of the most gorgeous stories ive read! my heart well and truely went out to Vernon/Violet and the internal struggles their dealing with. with the self harming section i felt like somebody had stepped into my head and put my fellings on paper, when i was alot younger i used to cut because i felt like it released what i couldnt say. I felt every raw emotion going, the doubt the fear the hope the love and the warmth from finally being able to find her true being.
Its nice to be able to have a bit of an understanding of the internal struggle a transgender can go through and how much pain they can deal with and the importance of having a good support network.
i wish there were more understanding and willingness to learn in this world
An absolutly gorgeous story, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time 4/5
_RainAllTheTime (17 KP) rated Ugly Betty - Season 1 in TV
Sep 4, 2019
The show does bring up important isses, such as Betty's fathers immigration issues, Christina's trouble with trying to raise funds for her husbands medical treatments, grief, feeling you don't fit in etc. Unfortunately some of the other important issues didn't age well......
For example the storyline of Alexis being transgender. The use of some of the words, the use of the wrong pronouns (at the beginning), the use of some of the phrases leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. I understand that in 2006 people weren't in much light towards those kind of issues as we are today but still, that storyline hasn't aged well.
Another example is the body shaming, again another issue which wasn't as spoken about then as it is today but another storyline that didn't age well.
All that a side, the show is still enjoyable and Betty is a very loveable and sweet character who we get to see grow and become more confident as the seasons go on