If you’re looking to diversify your reading, pick up Detransition, Baby. This novel focuses on the complexities of gender and womanhood, centering the experiences of trans women and was written by a trans woman. It also focuses on the validity of all types of motherhood and parenthood. While being a fictional novel, there’s also a fair amount of LGBTQ+ U.S. history peppered throughout the book. Do you want to be challenged on your preconceived notions of sexuality, sex, and family? Read this book. Torrey Peters is a skilled author and her writing is just so raw, witty, and unapologetic. The timeline of this novel is non-linear, but Peters does an impeccable job of letting you know where you’re at in time. As in life, the characters are messy and constantly struggling with various aspects of identity. The ending is truly something else and lets the reader imagine for themselves what the characters’ futures may or may not hold.
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I have to admit, I hadn’t thought of detransitioning before, so this book was also a way for me to learn and listen.
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On a totally different note, as someone from the Madison, WI area I was laughing OUT LOUD when Middleton was described and the National Mustard Museum got a shoutout!