Reviews with content warning for Medical content - The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice

It’s so important to read trans books my trans authors written in this current political climate. The writing was immaculate, being both accessible and far beyond surface level. The chapters were structured in a clear way, separating trans issues into different categories while also showing how they interlinked. The writing also lends itself well to being a good starting place to non-fiction, as it uses anecdotes to interweave story telling into the facts, and the chapters are almost chronological - it begins with the struggles of trans children and moves onto the struggles faced in later life.

It took such a uniquely intersectional approach to highlight that trans problems are everyone’s problems. It compared the oppression fo trans people to the oppressive of women and gay people, to help understand how homophobia, patriarchy, and transphobia go hand in hideous hand. The anti-capitalist approach was so refreshing, especially due to the liberal form that most activism takes. It brought so many new things to my attention, such as the fact that abortions do transphobic ales both act in favour of upholding the gender binary, and the struggles that trans people face in old age, which was particularly enlightening as trans issues are something typically associated with the younger generations.

The only fault I could find was in a few menial grammar and capitalisation issues, that are more the fault of the editor than the author. I will read anything Shon Faye writes in the future, as her work is so nuanced and well researched.

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pachelrooley's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

This book is important, informative, compassionate and insightful on it's topic, refusing to engage with devaluing arguments and instead clearly and methodically showing exactly how the systems in the UK today impact trans people, and points a path to how this can change in the future. Most of all though, this book is absolutely exquisitely written. I tend to have a hard time finishing non-fiction even if I find the topic interesting, but this book was so engaging, the pacing so well done, the links between topics so seamless that it was as easy to read as a book on difficult topics could ever be. I really look forward to reading more from this author!

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balfies's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Absolute must read. One of the best books of the year.

Trans journalist and advocate Shon Faye cuts deeply into the issues facing the trans community - this is not an argument for recognition or acceptance, but a demand for justice, and a scathing critique of the aggressive and dangerous anti-trans politics within the UK.

The chapter on class struggle was particularly astute. This is a vital piece of writing which verbalised and crystallised so many complex ideas into essential, clear gems.

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