ambershelf's reviews
1295 reviews

In this intimate and honest memoir, Elliot Page details his life from his childhood living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, becoming one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, and his journey of discovering his sexuality & gender identity.

I wasn't familiar with Page's work apart from his role in Inception and was surprised to learn that he started acting at a young age and is Canadian!

Apart from these interesting tidbits, Page walks the readers through his experience of finding himself as a queer person and later identifying as a trans individual. The memoir moves between timelines of his childhood experiencing gender dysmorphia as early as 10, and his experience in Hollywood constantly being asked to wear feminine clothes & being gaslit about his identity/sexuality.

As a cis & straight woman, I deeply appreciate PAGEBOY as a window to understanding the struggles of trans & queer people. Even for someone as successful as Page, he still faces severe harassment & hatred. I also adore how Page emphasizes the non-linearity of his journey and how he's still evolving & discovering something new about himself.

While PAGEBOY details plenty of homophobic/transphobic/sexual assault situations that Page experienced, he beautifully portrays the relationships that helped him through his journey—friendship, familial, or romantic love.

PAGEBOY is a profound memoir of one man's journey navigating criticism & abuse and his courageous path to self-discovery & acceptance

Ann Tran has worked hard to build a seemingly perfect life—a beautiful house, a successful boyfriend, and a comfortable lifestyle. But when she gets news of the passing of her grandmother, Minh, Ann returns to her childhood home and faces her estranged mother, Huơng. Upon learning that Minh left their childhood home to the mother-daughter duo, Huơng and Ann must work together to repair the crumbling old manor and their relationship.

BANYAN MOON is a stunning multigenerational and multi-POV novel. Shifting between Minh, Huơng, and Ann's perspectives, Thai expertly crafted a compelling story with distinct voices, allowing readers to deeply connect with their experiences and emotions. This masterful character development creates a rich tapestry that beautifully weaves together the lives of three generations of women.

A powerful exploration of the complexities of family, love, and sacrifice, BANYAN MOON delves into the depths of human emotions. It portrays both the joys and heartaches that come with motherhood. Thai's ability to delve into these universal themes with sensitivity and authenticity is a testament to her skill as a storyteller.

At its core, BANYAN MOON is a celebration of single mothers and the power of intergenerational love. Thai explores the uncertainties, joys, and challenges of motherhood through the lens of three women with different lived experiences. The strength, resilience, and courage displayed by Minh, Huơng, and Ann are both inspiring and relatable, and left me with a profound appreciation for the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child. BANYAN MOON is an ode to the intergenerational love that shapes us and the indomitable spirit that enables us to overcome life's challenges.

I need to reread this in physical form because there are parts I didn’t understand. But the portions where I did I freakin loved it. This book won’t be for everyone because of the mixed genre but great for those that enjoy working out your brains a bit. And her essays on transracial adoption is phenomenal.

Mickey Hayward has finally made it—she has a fancy media job and a loving girlfriend. But when she finds out another Black woman is replacing her, Mickey finds herself doubting everything she's worked hard for, her (now dying) career, (seemingly perfect) relationship, and (only down for fun) friend group.

HOMEBODIES is a coming-of-age story that depicts how tiring it is to exist in spaces that constantly overlook you. At work, Mickey faces microaggressions from her white-dominant coworkers. At home, she can't confront her girlfriend's mom's homophobia for fear of causing fights.

While Mickey has her spiraling moments, I appreciate how Denton-Hurst writes with so much sympathy and compassion. She doesn't cast blame on Mickey's (sometimes questionable) decisions but raises systemic issues that often force BIPOC women to fight for scraps. Propulsive and insightful, HOMEBODIES is reminiscent of MAAME (Jessica George) and ALL THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT (Sarah Thankam Mathews).

Thank you to Libro.fm for the gifted ALC

Set in the late 1980s Taipei, 20-something Lazi chronicles her attraction to Shui Ling, an older woman. In navigating her romantic escapades, Lazi turns for support to a circle of queer friends, some just as lost as Lazi herself.

NOTES is composed of Lazi's diary entries and interspersed with the uncanny journey of a crocodile trying to "assimilate" into the human world. Through the two parallel narratives, NOTES portrays the experience of queer individuals in a unique, ingenious, and layered fashion. Reminiscent of NORWEGIAN WOOD (Haruki Murakami), NOTES distinguishes itself by delving into the struggles and triumphs of those in the LGBTQ+ community in 1980s Taiwan through the reflection of love and identity.

There is no shortage of juxtapositions in NOTES exploring the constant struggle of living as a queer individual in a heteronormative society; Lazi's melancholy vs. the crocodile's carefree disposition, the characters' sexual desires vs. longings for love, the yearning for a soulmate vs. the fear of getting hurt, the joy of freely loving women vs. the pain in forcing oneself to love men. These competing factors create a fascinating dichotomy, highlighting the contrasting emotions of exploring one's sexuality.

Such is the profound impact of NOTES that Lazi (拉子) is a term used by lesbians to identify themselves in Taiwanese LGBTQ+ communities. This demonstrates the book's significance as a pioneering work in queer literature, shedding light on the importance of self-identification and community building.

While NOTES may not appeal to all readers due to its all vibes and no plot structure, its strength lies in the richly layered exploration of themes and emotions. It is a book that demands careful attention and contemplation, and in my case, lots of googling & reading academic papers on the symbolisms in NOTES