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A review by girlonbooks
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺 (five stars as rated in flowers because for whatever reason this book just makes me feel like flowers)
I was given a free review copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. Just... wow. What a spectacular debut. So much about this book blew me away and left me really questioning what I knew - or thought I knew - about gender dysphoria. Truth be told, I am still somewhat reeling from the experience.
Detransition, Baby asks a lot of questions that made me, frankly, super uncomfortable - though, I realize that that was kindof the point. To be clear, my discomfort does not stem from my having a problem with any of what was asked, but because I'm not at all equipped to answer! And that is not a position I love being in, though I'm admittedly working on it... I am a cis-het woman who is woefully under-educated in anything relating to gender theory. Which is precisely why I felt it was important for me to read this book. Torrey Peters wanted to ask the hard questions, to push the boundaries of what it means to transition, to be a woman, and to be a mother. And holy shit, did she ever succeed at that.
I will admit that this book was hard for me. It isn't a light read. In fact, it was super tough for me to get through and took about two months for me to finish. There are so many little things within its pages that deserves attention, and yet, Detransition, Baby isn't a book that I feel comfortable dissecting. Because sometimes it's better to just shut up and learn it. And, like I said before, I'm still kindof mulling over what I just consumed. What I can tell you, though, is that this book is worth your time and then some. I want Detransition, Baby to get all the attention and win all the awards. It really is a phenomenal novel.
✨ Rep in this book: Transgender women, Asian female supporting character, queer family, own voices
✨ Content warnings for this book: homophobia, trans-phobia, dead-naming, outing, attempted suicide, physical assault, sexual violence, infidelity, divorce, abortion, medical stuff, toxic relationships
I was given a free review copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. Just... wow. What a spectacular debut. So much about this book blew me away and left me really questioning what I knew - or thought I knew - about gender dysphoria. Truth be told, I am still somewhat reeling from the experience.
Detransition, Baby asks a lot of questions that made me, frankly, super uncomfortable - though, I realize that that was kindof the point. To be clear, my discomfort does not stem from my having a problem with any of what was asked, but because I'm not at all equipped to answer! And that is not a position I love being in, though I'm admittedly working on it... I am a cis-het woman who is woefully under-educated in anything relating to gender theory. Which is precisely why I felt it was important for me to read this book. Torrey Peters wanted to ask the hard questions, to push the boundaries of what it means to transition, to be a woman, and to be a mother. And holy shit, did she ever succeed at that.
I will admit that this book was hard for me. It isn't a light read. In fact, it was super tough for me to get through and took about two months for me to finish. There are so many little things within its pages that deserves attention, and yet, Detransition, Baby isn't a book that I feel comfortable dissecting. Because sometimes it's better to just shut up and learn it. And, like I said before, I'm still kindof mulling over what I just consumed. What I can tell you, though, is that this book is worth your time and then some. I want Detransition, Baby to get all the attention and win all the awards. It really is a phenomenal novel.
✨ Rep in this book: Transgender women, Asian female supporting character, queer family, own voices
✨ Content warnings for this book: homophobia, trans-phobia, dead-naming, outing, attempted suicide, physical assault, sexual violence, infidelity, divorce, abortion, medical stuff, toxic relationships
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt