I feel like Daniel Ortberg (now Lavery)'s stuff can be pretty hit or miss with me, and that's fine--I think his ideal audience is probably people who, like. him were raised Christian and/or are trans. There are tons of references that I just don't get, and that's fine, I'm sure they're making a lot of other readers feel seen.

That said, this book is very Christianity-heavy up front, in a way that almost made me put it down. It's not preachy, but I'm just not equipped to enjoy those deep dives into Pilgrim's Progress etc. After some skimming I found myself in more familiar and enjoyable (to me) territory with references to pop culture and/or classical mythology.

Danny is a great writer with a real ability to analyze media and turn witty phrases, and this book can get by pretty far with that, whether or not you're interested in/familiar with the topics he's writing about.