Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam

7 reviews

g_whitt's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

I had so little understanding of the history covered in this book, and never expected to find a work like it. The author is very cautious in defining terms, explaining differences in culture, sharing histories before colonization & globalization, displaying episodes of appropriation, and shows special care in representing people who were individuals in their own time. Though there is a lot of hope in the sentiment that we have always been here, the author doesn’t present a golden or idealistic version of the past. There are some passages that were difficult to listen to, and there were passages I had to return to again at a later time. However, these difficult moments were not needlessly gruesome, and though there was no dwelling on evils, it was not shied away from either. The reader-author has a calm voice which expressed care for the topic and the people who were shared with the audience. I feel like I could write an essay on this work, but will leave it at this: excellent work, well presented, hopeful in spite of tragedy and difficulty. A good read for anyone interested in a more complete reading of world history.

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

the_reading_wren's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Fascinating, challenging and most of all comforting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Dysphoria

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Biphobia, Cursing, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Eugenics, Intersexism, Incarceration

frog_appreciator's review against another edition

3.75

While jarring to see AGAB language used so often in a historical context, the author is extremely self aware which is important when talking about other cultures, even if it bordered on excessive at times (repeating themself in footnotes) I definitely learned a lot while reading so it was worthwhile. I’m excited to dive into other texts mentioned in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Transphobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

informative reflective sad fast-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

averydistractedreader's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

Trans history is rich and long, we’ve always existed in some form of another. This book gives clear examples of people in history who did not perform and/or identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, and how well or poorly they were accepted by their society and outside societies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Murder

Moderate: Ableism