Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Challenge - Regular
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02 - A book by a trans or nonbinary author
Sarah wrote: "There is a new release slated for 2020 by an author named Tanen Jones, whose GoodReads author profile says they identify as genderqueer. I’m not sure how accurate it is- I couldn’t find that blurb ..."This looks up my alley! I can't find anything saying she identifies as genderqueer though-- just as queer more generally, so I'm not sure if it would tick this challenges box... would love to be proven wrong though, as this seems like my best bet of all I've found books wise.
I've had Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens on my TBR for awhile. Seems like a good excuse to finally get around to it.
I'd recommend Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender. They have a couple books due to be released next year, as well.I'm currently reading and really enjoying Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, if anyone is looking for more non-fiction.
My possible reads for this one:
King and the Dragonflies
The Deep
I Wish You All the Best
Caroline's Heart
Small Beauty
Ida
Nadine wrote: "I thought maybe Eddie Izzard was non-binary but he says he’s transgender (which I don’t understand because it looks like he still uses he/him pronouns ?)"From his wikipedia page it says he felt like he was trapped in a man's body (suggesting he is trans even if he hasn't transitioned) and he's happy to be called he or she. Not everyone likes singular they as a pronoun even if they feel they are non-binary. I think either way he fits the prompt.
Anna-Marie McLemore just came out as nonbinary. I've had Wild Beauty on my shelf for a while so I'm excited to finally get to that one. They have a new book coming out in 2020 that looks really good too!
Susan wrote: "Anna-Marie McLemore just came out as nonbinary. I've had Wild Beauty on my shelf for a while so I'm excited to finally get to that one. They have a new book coming ..."
is one of my all time favorite covers. (The books is good too but that cover).
Lexi wrote: "Susan wrote: "Anna-Marie McLemore just came out as nonbinary. I've had Wild Beauty on my shelf for a while so I'm excited to finally get to that one. They have a ne..."It is really gorgeous!
Jenn wrote: "I'd recommend Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender. They have a couple books due to be released next year, as well.I'm currently reading and really enjoying "
I just read The Deep and it was really good!
Kelsey wrote: "Sarah wrote: "There is a new release slated for 2020 by an author named Tanen Jones, whose GoodReads author profile says they identify as genderqueer. I’m not sure how accurate it is- I couldn’t fi..."You’re absolutely right. I swear when I added this the other day the profile said genderqueer. I’m sorry for the confusion! I’ll let you know if I come across anything else.
Can we read something by Oscar Wilde? Even he is supposed to be a non- binary.
If anyone's looking for historical fiction or travel writing, Jan Morris has written many acclaimed books over the years. I've only read a teensy little book she wrote, but there are several more on my TBR.
I'm trying hard to stick mainly to my own physical/Kindle backlog, and didn't think I'd have anything for this. I've heard Juno Dawson speak on a few podcasts and found her really interesting, and although I'm not really a big YA reader thought I might check one of her books out the library to fill thisBut I do have Courtney Love: The Real Story by Poppy Z. Brite so I'm going to go with that. Just thought I'd flag up Juno for anyone still looking for an author.
Jonathan van Ness identifies as non-binary and his memoir, Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love is on my TBR.
If you like non-fiction, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride looks good. McBride is a trans activist.
Some options I'm considering -Space Struck by Paige Lewis
something by Meg-John Barker
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Jackie wrote: "If you like horror, I recommend Poppy Z Brite. He writes under his birth gendered name but transitioned."Oooh any excuse for a re-read of Lost Souls!
Does Virginia Woolf fit the bill?
Mod
not that I know of
Nadine wrote: "Salixj wrote: "Does Virginia Woolf fit the bill?"not that I know of"
okay. I know she is tagged as queer and I'm a bit confused on the terminology. Thank you.
Mod
I’m probably not the best person to define things, but here’s my understanding:
queer = not straight and/or not cis (so yes Virginia Woolf was queer); “queer” includes lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual people.
cis = identifies with the gender assigned at birth
transgender = identifies with a gender not assigned at birth
non-binary = does not identify as a man or a woman (in other words, does not see gender as only those two choices)
I believe both “genderqueer” and “genderfluid” fall under the “non-binary” umbrella. (No, I do not understand the differences in these terms.)
I’m sure there are nuances, subtleties, and other facets that I am completely unaware of and leaving out. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can step in.
Nadine wrote: "Virginia Woolf was married to Leonard Woolf and also had a long term relationship with Vita Sackville West, but so far as I know, both Virginia & Vita identified as women throughout their lives.I..."
Thank you for clarifying! I greatly appreciate it.
Amanda wrote: "If I Was Your Girl and Birthday by Meredith Russo were both fantastic!"I'm going to read Birthday because I already have the book, but I won't read anything by the author after that probably ever again.
Here's why, if anybody's interested: x
I don't judge anyone who still wants to read her books because lbr, If I Was Your Girl was absolutely amazing and books like hers are so important, but I personally just can't bring myself to support her anymore.
Christina wrote: "Amanda wrote: "If I Was Your Girl and Birthday by Meredith Russo were both fantastic!"I'm going to read Birthday because I already have the book,..."
I clicked on your link and I can't even say that I understand what she was getting at with her tweets. Was she saying that all straight women are abused because all men are abusers, and then every single straight woman she knows complains about the abuse to her? I find that hard to believe. But, if so is her point that nobody, except for perhaps cis-men, should date men? Because they can abuse themselves?
I don't think her point was anything that coherent. It was just man-bashing. Specifically, lamenting the fact that straight women often go for guys who are ugly, or below their station in life, or assholes, or abusers. (But it wasn't specifically commentary on abuse)
Drakeryn wrote: "I don't think her point was anything that coherent. It was just man-bashing. Specifically, lamenting the fact that straight women often go for guys who are ugly, or below their station in life, or ..."all of that was already problematic, but that's not the main thing that's putting me off her. have you guys kept reading? I cannot and will not support an abuser. or someone who refuses to pay child support if the kid doesn't live with them. (I don't know if the latter is definitely true, but you know, abusing your wife or whoever is bad enough)
Yeah I read the whole thing, I was just answering Katy's question.
Stina wrote: "Yoon Ha Lee is a trans man. I tried Ninefox Gambit and decided I'm not nearly smart enough to understand it, but maybe I will give Dragon Pearl a try."I loved Dragon Pearl, I'd definitely recommend it!
Not sure if Beyond Magenta counts because I don’t think the person putting it all together is trans or enby but it does feature the life stories of trans and enby teens as told by themselves.
Sarina wrote: "Not sure if Beyond Magenta counts because I don’t think the person putting it all together is trans or enby but it does feature the life stories of trans and enby teens as told by themselves. "The author, Susan Kuklin, is not trans/non binary, so no, that book would not fit the prompt.
Linda wrote: "Sarina wrote: "Not sure if Beyond Magenta counts because I don’t think the person putting it all together is trans or enby but it does feature the life stories of trans and enby teens as told by th..."Ok, thank you for letting me know! I’ll remove it from my list.
Stina wrote: "Yoon Ha Lee is a trans man. I tried Ninefox Gambit and decided I'm not nearly smart enough to understand it, but maybe I will give Dragon Pearl a try."Thanks, Stina. I have Dragon Pearl and could read that for this task.
I’m only about a chapter and a half in but I’m enjoying “Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Sellout”. It an autobiography from Laura Jane Grace, a Trans woman and lead singer of Against Me! I’m generally a fan of musicians history and so far hers is another fascinating one.
George is also on the list of Banned Books, and then there's a book coming out 2020 that I am interested in, Cemetery Boys
I made feminist book recommendations for 14 of the prompts, and this was one of them.Daring to be Myself by Laverne Cox, Stuck in the Middle With You by Jennifer Finney Boylan, and A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Bornstein (which appears further down my list) wil also work.
https://feministtexicanreads.wordpres...
Drakeryn wrote: "lamenting the fact that straight women often go for guys who are ugly, or below their station in life, or assholes, or abusers."Ouch. Because being ugly or "below their station in life" is totally comparable to being an a-hole or abusive.
(This is not a comment on Drakeryn or who ever it is they are talking about, just reacting to the words.)
Elliot Wake is great and his book Black Iris was absolutely phenomenal. I think I may use a memoir for this one. There is one I have been meaning to read called: She's not there: A life in two genders.
Mod
Ouch. Because being ugly or "below their station i..."
Ugh there is this whole ridiculous society - incels, mgtows, and all the rest - that gets really worked up about these things. Drakeryn is just sort of summarizing their nonsense. It's unfortunate that this author seems to have bought into some of this crap.
I'm interested in reading The Better Liar by Tanen Jones but does genderqueer encompass trans or nonbinary? I just want to make sure I am doing this prompt correctly if I choose to go with this book.
I think I'm going to read A Big Ship at the Edge of The Universe by Alex White for this. It's a SF series and I've been wanting to check it out for a while.
I'm thinking about Jan Morris' Trieste and The Meaning of Nowhere. I've read her Venice and it was fabulous.
Ketutar wrote: "Ouch. Because being ugly or "below their station in life" is totally comparable to being an a-hole or abusive.(This is not a comment on Drakeryn or who ever it is they are talking about, just reacting to the words.) "
Yeah, the juxtaposition is exactly that weird in the tweets in the article. "Here's a woman with an ugly husband, here's another woman who I'm afraid for her safety and slipping her info for women's shelters. lmao men am i rite" (paraphrased obviously)
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir (other topics)Where Do I Pee?: A Transgenders Journey into Acceptance. (other topics)
Ancillary Justice (other topics)
Ninefox Gambit (other topics)
The Three-Body Problem (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Yoon Ha Lee (other topics)Alok Vaid-Menon (other topics)
Zeyn Joukhadar (other topics)
Kate Bornstein (other topics)
C.S. Pacat (other topics)
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Homesick: Stories looks really interesting!
In stories that foreground queer relationships and transgender or nonbinary characters, Cipri delivers the origin story for a superhero team comprised of murdered girls; a housecleaner discovering an impossible ocean in her least-favorite clients’ house; a man haunted by keys that appear suddenly in his throat; and a team of scientists and activists discovering the remains of a long-extinct species of intelligent weasels.