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thejuliebookshelf's review
Dennis is a queer and disabled writer, artist, and content creator. This book builds on their work advocating for body positivity and self-acceptance in the lgbtq+ community. Conversations about body image and mental health can be so general, which is fine, but they also need to sometimes be more nuanced and specific. That’s where QUEER BODY POWER comes in.
For this collection of essays, Dennis conducted interviews with a racially diverse group of lgbtq+ people across gender and sexuality spectrums in order to represent a broad range of voices, identities, and experiences.
I think that this book is a good step in the right direction – a good start, because there is no way that this book could have been comprehensive. Our lives are intersectional and our bodies are intersectionally experienced. The forces impacting queer Black bodies in this world – especially in the USA/Western context of this book – are not the same as those that queer white bodies experience, for example.
I kept finding myself wanting… more? I wanted analysis. I wanted theory. I wanted Dennis to take the stories that she shares and draw them out, compare them, contrast them. This book is more of an anthropological collecting of experiences – which is valuable and interesting in and of itself, but the misalignment of my expectations definitely impacted my reading experience.
I bought this book to read with BBBC Haus many months ago, but it took me a long time to get through it.
areadingstan's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
millibee's review
5.0
Essie Dennis’ writing is personal, political, relatable and accessible. Queer Body Power starts off with a careful and thought-out content warning which gives the reader a head start on figuring out which sections and chapters they may or may not need to skip. Dennis explores some heavy topics within this non-fiction publication such as: body image, eating disorders, ableism, fatphobia, racism and transphobia, which are all interconnected areas of society which need dismantling, the warning at the beginning is done with care.
Although this book is non-fiction with each chapter within Queer Body Power being written in essay-form, Dennis’ exploration and explanation does not gate-keep. The language used flows easily and the ideas presented are easy to grasp.
Although my own experiences as a queer, fat femme may be different, I found myself reflected within this book. The way that body image and queerness specifically intertwine is highly fascinating and I was able to read and think back on my own relationships with my queerness, my body and with food.
As someone who has come from a queer studies background, this book made me feel as though I was in a long conversation with a knowledgable, more experienced queer person than myself. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
I am grateful that Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Essie Dennis and NetGalley provided me with a copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Although this book is non-fiction with each chapter within Queer Body Power being written in essay-form, Dennis’ exploration and explanation does not gate-keep. The language used flows easily and the ideas presented are easy to grasp.
Although my own experiences as a queer, fat femme may be different, I found myself reflected within this book. The way that body image and queerness specifically intertwine is highly fascinating and I was able to read and think back on my own relationships with my queerness, my body and with food.
As someone who has come from a queer studies background, this book made me feel as though I was in a long conversation with a knowledgable, more experienced queer person than myself. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
I am grateful that Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Essie Dennis and NetGalley provided me with a copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
aecatec's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
3.75
I think if you’re just beginning on your body positivity/queer joy journey, this would be absolutely wonderful to read!
erinmur's review
It’s really poorly written - it reads like a secondary school essay. It’s also very much for young queer people, not adults who are secure in their identity
lorenm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
chelseayedinak's review
5.0
* I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
This was an excellent primer for the intersections of body positivity and queer identities. It's an approachable, non-academic read that I think a lot of LGBTQIA+ people navigating body image for the first time could benefit from reading. I think the target audience for this book would be people coming to these conversations and looking for a place to start, because as someone who has spent several years researching and reading about this topic, there was not much new information for me. However, I greatly enjoyed reading about the personal experiences of various queer people in interview portions throughout the book. I also enjoyed how consciously intersectional the book was and how how it does not just focus on one aspect of identity, but rather discussed queerness, anti-Blackness, racism, anti-fat bias, and more. For queer people wondering if they are alone in their experiences, I think books like this are invaluable in showing how widespread these problems are and providing guidance for how, on the individual level, people can work towards self-acceptance and community liberation.
This was an excellent primer for the intersections of body positivity and queer identities. It's an approachable, non-academic read that I think a lot of LGBTQIA+ people navigating body image for the first time could benefit from reading. I think the target audience for this book would be people coming to these conversations and looking for a place to start, because as someone who has spent several years researching and reading about this topic, there was not much new information for me. However, I greatly enjoyed reading about the personal experiences of various queer people in interview portions throughout the book. I also enjoyed how consciously intersectional the book was and how how it does not just focus on one aspect of identity, but rather discussed queerness, anti-Blackness, racism, anti-fat bias, and more. For queer people wondering if they are alone in their experiences, I think books like this are invaluable in showing how widespread these problems are and providing guidance for how, on the individual level, people can work towards self-acceptance and community liberation.