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shane_the_reading_rat's Reviews (1.21k)
honestly i just need to pick my middle grade reads extremely carefully anymore cause im just not in that age range and some books (like this) just dont appeal to me
does not mean that this is a bad book!! it touches on some really important topics, such as islamophobia and bullying. im just bored by it, but that doesnt mean a kid will be bored too
does not mean that this is a bad book!! it touches on some really important topics, such as islamophobia and bullying. im just bored by it, but that doesnt mean a kid will be bored too
lets start with the positives: this art style is so cute??? it + the color palette is so chill and nice.
but the negatives (and oh god theyre some pretty serious negatives): this book is set in Israel (which is never mentioned in any blurb or promotion, and i believe that’s definitely on purpose). i would have had many more mixed feelings about reading this if i’d known that, given the tragedies happening in Palestine.
and i would feel differently if it had engaged critically with Israel, but it just… didn’t. i understand this is meant to be cozy, but you can touch on serious things briefly, that’s better than ignoring it completely.
i also wish this had discussed queerness and gender non-conformity in Israel more, rather than just glossing over it (mainly because i just recently read Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin, which discusses in depth his experience of traveling to Israel for a year as a young adult and transitioning while there).
also Rotem is ableist to Ayala yet thats never discussed again, Rotem never apologizes, and they still get together. im tired of that shit.
but the negatives (and oh god theyre some pretty serious negatives): this book is set in Israel (which is never mentioned in any blurb or promotion, and i believe that’s definitely on purpose). i would have had many more mixed feelings about reading this if i’d known that, given the tragedies happening in Palestine.
and i would feel differently if it had engaged critically with Israel, but it just… didn’t. i understand this is meant to be cozy, but you can touch on serious things briefly, that’s better than ignoring it completely.
i also wish this had discussed queerness and gender non-conformity in Israel more, rather than just glossing over it (mainly because i just recently read Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin, which discusses in depth his experience of traveling to Israel for a year as a young adult and transitioning while there).
also Rotem is ableist to Ayala yet thats never discussed again, Rotem never apologizes, and they still get together. im tired of that shit.
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i cannot stand this narration. one narrator sounds like an adult woman and the other narrates with an extremely flat tone and its driving me bonkers
molly knox ostertag at the top of her game and making me cry like a little baby
god i love gothic horror
this was super good i loved pretty much everything
especiallythe finale when thomas begins to put the plaster saints in the yard and gradually moves them closer??? omg i loved that
i do think the setting could’ve been done better, as there was not much description of the mansion and, though this was set in the netherlands, it really didn’t feel unique and just felt like yet another horror book set in america or england (but feel free to contest that, im not from the netherlands and have never been there so to be fair my knowledge is limited)
this was super good i loved pretty much everything
especially
i do think the setting could’ve been done better, as there was not much description of the mansion and, though this was set in the netherlands, it really didn’t feel unique and just felt like yet another horror book set in america or england (but feel free to contest that, im not from the netherlands and have never been there so to be fair my knowledge is limited)
In order to be seen and treated in the way I felt was appropriate, I had to meet many standards set by social norms. But l often found myself wondering, what does it actually mean to be a man? Or a woman? Who gets to decide these criteria? And why are we afraid to embrace notions of "other"?
The whole journey of passing was incredibly important, but I hope that in future we can shift focus away from trans people needing to "pass".
I don't need to sit, stand, walk and talk a certain way to be believed as a man. The only thing that should influence whether someone sees me as a man or not is how l identify.
If that is what I say lam, it's as simple as that. I shouldn't need to meet rigid ideas of masculinity.
this was one of the books in my airbnb, so i decided to pull a jack edwards and read it. it was fine, all the ponies were pretty cool :)
~short review because on road trip and phone battery is low~
good book!! please read it!!! got to learn more about historical & international queerness!!!! yippee !!!!!
good book!! please read it!!! got to learn more about historical & international queerness!!!! yippee !!!!!
this is probably the perfect book for some people, but the framing of “oh haha this looks and reads like nonfiction, but its actually fiction!” is making me grumpy. plus i have too many books borrowed on libby so ones gotta go