katara42's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: War, Violence, Transphobia, and Rape
Moderate: Dysphoria, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
nevial's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Outing, War, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Violence
mamacroonie's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse and Homophobia
Minor: Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Rape
fee2007's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Transphobia, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Deadnaming
Minor: Self harm
jennaleece's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Torture, and Transphobia
eli99's review against another edition
4.0
Very insightful to something that was going at the same time as my youth that I didn't understand at the time.
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Outing, War, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Police brutality
martinza's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Alcoholism, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, and War
booitsnathalie's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, War, Confinement, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide attempt
foxo_cube's review against another edition
4.5
She recounts her early life and interest in technology (encouraged by her dad to masculinise her, funnily enough) and the solace she found in the internet when she was in her adolescence. She makes it sound like great fun to mess about with hacking, honestly - hell, even when she describes her work in the army as an analyst, it's clear she really loved it, and I can't really blame her. It's probably really interesting, drawing conclusions and making decisions based on patterns of behaviour that you've observed over time - I think I'd love doing that! But, of course, being in Iraq and having the consequences of her work being much more real understandably took a toll on her. There's a sense of detachment that I guess you've got to have if you do basically any sort of military job, and she describes how the morality of it all affected her deeply.
It's also interesting to read how she worked out her gender and sexual identity over time. Her talking about how, when she was little, she would ask <i>why</i> she couldn't be a girl was so sweet and so sad. I'm so glad it turned out she absolutely could be one! I really do think it's good to have such a well-known figure be open about her journey. It's so important for people growing up trans to know that they aren't weird and they aren't alone and they can be the person they know they are.
The treatment that Manning describes in her confinement before her trial was absolutely abhorrent, but I can't say I'm terribly surprised. That she didn't get her spirit totally broken by it all is miraculous - but it sounds like that took a lot of work on her part, honestly.
I have a lot of respect for her. Even at points where it went against any sense of self-preservation, she did what she believed was right, and that's incredible.
Technically speaking, the memoir is nicely-written and doesn't delve into any jargon that I can imagine she could have scattered through the text like nothing else. She writes clearly and with heart, and even with how angry I was for her at some points, it was an enjoyable book to read.
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, War, and Violence
siriface's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Transphobia, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Racism, War, and Homophobia