shri_ace13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kjboldon's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I like and admire the work of Rachel Pollack but found this collection uneven. I enjoyed the first story, The Woman Who Didn't Come Back, but found the rest too long.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
I rather enjoyed this one, particularly "Burning Beard." I remember the original story from when I read it as a young churchgoer (back when I was one), and this version does such a good job of showing what such a story probably would have been like.
ninoshmino's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I was so happy when a bookseller put this in my hands, and appalled I hadn't heard of Rachel Pollack's work before. This collection is a just a brief glimpse into her body of work, covering fiction, memoir, and "The Beatrix Gates" which feels like a blend of the two, as well as an interview. Some of the work feels like a historical artifact as well as a story, capturing a very particular moment in trans culture. All in all, Pollack is a delight.
rzarate9696's review against another edition
4.0
Great introduction to this writer's work. I'm not the biggest fan of shamanist inspired fiction, but this definitely loosened up my rigid and picky predilections for what I read.
caterina_1212's review against another edition
3.0
Weird mix of scifi, nonfiction, autobiography, biblical reimagining? I liked some stories (essays?), others not as much. I think I would read more of her fiction in the future.
greeniezona's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up at the library largely because I recognized the series from a review of a different book in the series that I never found anywhere. I'd already decided to check it out when the back copy described Pollack as a "progressive voice in the transgender community," but got even more excited about it when the title story was described as drawing on "magical realism, quantum science, memoir, and myth."
Even with all that, I wasn't sure I would read this before I had to return it because I am generally resistant to short story collections. But I impulsively picked it up in need of a book to take to the dentist's office, and once I started reading, I didn't ever want to stop. I loved both the fiction and non-fiction inclusions here and can't really pick a favorite piece because I loved them all. I'm feeling a bit inadequate that I wasn't familiar with Pollack before this and will definitely have an eye out for her in the future. She speaks to me a heretical theology of inclusiveness, and I am always down for that.
Even with all that, I wasn't sure I would read this before I had to return it because I am generally resistant to short story collections. But I impulsively picked it up in need of a book to take to the dentist's office, and once I started reading, I didn't ever want to stop. I loved both the fiction and non-fiction inclusions here and can't really pick a favorite piece because I loved them all. I'm feeling a bit inadequate that I wasn't familiar with Pollack before this and will definitely have an eye out for her in the future. She speaks to me a heretical theology of inclusiveness, and I am always down for that.
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
3.0
Pollack is probably a very clever writer, but I just found the prose awkward.
There is also some use of out-dated / no longer acceptable language for trans people, which was off-putting. The essay gave context for this, but I would rather have had the explanation first - Pollack has edited out some of the usage, but the story does not work without at least some.
There is also some use of out-dated / no longer acceptable language for trans people, which was off-putting. The essay gave context for this, but I would rather have had the explanation first - Pollack has edited out some of the usage, but the story does not work without at least some.