speasyspice's review
3.0
Some of you may know Daniel Mallory Ortberg as the co-founder of the feminist site The Toast (RIP), the author of Texts from Jane Eyre and The Merry Spinster, or the voice of Slate’s Dear Prudence advice column, but you don’t need to be familiar with Danny’s work to enjoy his newest book. Blending personal memoir, classic literature, Scripture, pop culture, and Danny’s own sharp wit and verve, SOMETHING THAT MAY SHOCK AND DISCREDIT YOU is a sparkling, hilarious, bizarre, and poignant collection, perfect to read in print or listen to on audio (Danny reads his own audiobook, and it is *chef kiss.*) The reimagining of Gawain and the Green Knight, Lord Byron’s monologue on his birthday, and the interpretations of Jacob wrestling the angel as a commentary of transitioning are worth the price of admission alone.
phoebe_phorreal's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
This was technically not a perfect book. I get all the criticisms, and not every essay hit. But something written by a once-religious, neurotic, trans person? It's like it's literally made for me!
Half of the book feels like sermons or homilies, and they're written really well, too. There's bits about James T. Kirk as a beautiful lesbian that oddly make sense, a wry bit of dialogue including Athena, all sorts of things about being a trans man, sure, but also dealing with alcoholism, Stoicism but make it weird, surrealist mean girls, and randomly yelling nice things to men. Also a bit about Dante's Inferno and time spent at a fundamentalist adventure camp.
Just a lot of good thoughts on Bible passages, lot of deep dives into pop culture, a delightful assortment that is sure to put your inner neurotic at peace and religious or no, give you a bit to think about. I don't think it tries to hard to not be that trans memoir, it's just a guy vibing and growing to be more and more of a wife guy over 24o pages, in turns relatable and bizarre, but always enjoyable.
Half of the book feels like sermons or homilies, and they're written really well, too. There's bits about James T. Kirk as a beautiful lesbian that oddly make sense, a wry bit of dialogue including Athena, all sorts of things about being a trans man, sure, but also dealing with alcoholism, Stoicism but make it weird, surrealist mean girls, and randomly yelling nice things to men. Also a bit about Dante's Inferno and time spent at a fundamentalist adventure camp.
Just a lot of good thoughts on Bible passages, lot of deep dives into pop culture, a delightful assortment that is sure to put your inner neurotic at peace and religious or no, give you a bit to think about. I don't think it tries to hard to not be that trans memoir, it's just a guy vibing and growing to be more and more of a wife guy over 24o pages, in turns relatable and bizarre, but always enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
also minor CW for religious traumagracereads211's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
4.75
This book has made me sob and I love how Daniel Lavery uses theology and pop culture to talk about his transition. One highlight to me was him talking about Matthew 11:28-30 in terms of his transition. There were moments were the humour just didn’t do for me. Overall though this book was lovely and I recommend it on audiobook
adamcarrico91's review against another edition
4.0
“But I cannot shake the sense that I have only recently sprung from being held underwater, unsure whether I have been released or struggled my own way out or simply found myself, like all human beings, naturally and instinctively buoyant.”
Hilarious. Extremely entertaining and insightful. I enjoyed the use of cultural touch points to describe his inner journey. I particularly appreciated the connection to scriptural teachings, having also been raised in the Christian faith. I related to the non-retractable relation between a faithful upbringing and sense of self.
“And while I dismissed relatively quickly the idea of my childhood as a source of guidance, I returned over and over again to the scriptures of my youth, to ground and locate myself in the stories of transformation that were already familiar to me. Not because I thought I needed religious permission to transition, and not because I thought Christian history was the best source for a trans ontology, but because that history was mine, unalterably and permanently, no matter what I decided to do with my future.”
Hilarious. Extremely entertaining and insightful. I enjoyed the use of cultural touch points to describe his inner journey. I particularly appreciated the connection to scriptural teachings, having also been raised in the Christian faith. I related to the non-retractable relation between a faithful upbringing and sense of self.
“And while I dismissed relatively quickly the idea of my childhood as a source of guidance, I returned over and over again to the scriptures of my youth, to ground and locate myself in the stories of transformation that were already familiar to me. Not because I thought I needed religious permission to transition, and not because I thought Christian history was the best source for a trans ontology, but because that history was mine, unalterably and permanently, no matter what I decided to do with my future.”
cko's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I love Daniel M. Lavery!!! His voice is hilarious and charming and so authentic. And since this is an audiobook edition, I feel I must clarify I mean his literary voice Not his reading voice, though that was lovely, as well.
The concept that you don't need to have had gender dysphoria your whole life to decide to transition and live life so happily as a trans person is honestly revelatory, freeing, and thrilling.
I can't wait to read more by him.
The concept that you don't need to have had gender dysphoria your whole life to decide to transition and live life so happily as a trans person is honestly revelatory, freeing, and thrilling.
I can't wait to read more by him.
kindleandilluminate's review
3.0
The collection is a bit uneven, and I am frankly far too raised-in-a-minority-religion to understand 90% of the Bible stuff, but Lavery’s voice is original and sharp as ever, and he has a lot to say about culture and gender (and, I guess, Christianity?? For people who get that?) that is well worth reading.