tigger89's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This collection wasn't bad, but I feel that it would have the most value to an ally who wants to understand and support queer people in their community, or perhaps a LGBTQ person who isn't very familiar with the history. Most of what it covered were things I already knew about, so my reading experience was more emotionally exhausting than illuminating. There were some pieces that were very interesting to me though, such as Fidelindo Lam's contrast of his identity as a gay man in the Philippines versus how we understand gay identity in the United States, as well as the stories that sought to share personal accounts as opposed to arguing why therapists should do this or that.
I was pleased by how diverse the contributers were. It's skewed towards the US and UK, but the collection features racial diversity as well as a full spectrum of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-binary individuals. It's also very accessible to people without a background in psychology(my own consists of a single 100-level course). A couple of the chapters get a bit dense, but I was able to follow the argument without needing google as a reference. All in all, I'd recommend this primarily to people who work in or engage with mental health support systems and would like to learn more about supporting LGBTQ populations. It might also have strong appeal to LGBTQ people who are looking to learn more about queer history as it relates to mental health struggles.
I was pleased by how diverse the contributers were. It's skewed towards the US and UK, but the collection features racial diversity as well as a full spectrum of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-binary individuals. It's also very accessible to people without a background in psychology(my own consists of a single 100-level course). A couple of the chapters get a bit dense, but I was able to follow the argument without needing google as a reference. All in all, I'd recommend this primarily to people who work in or engage with mental health support systems and would like to learn more about supporting LGBTQ populations. It might also have strong appeal to LGBTQ people who are looking to learn more about queer history as it relates to mental health struggles.
disabledbookdragon's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
kittycatcat's review
5.0
10/10 - read this book.
there's a lot of raw shit in here that feels so hard to read & know that aside from me reading it, somebody friggin' lived it. they lived it, they LIVE it - we live it. people live hard shit like this all the time and we're silenced by systems of oppression. to speak out and to share stories is an act of rebellion. an act of self-preservation, an act of self love, community love. i am so grateful for the contributors of this anthology who have shared.
my singular (but gigantic) criticism of this anthology is this: providers of care need to do better at walking the walk. there was a lot of, "i don't pathologize my clients, or see them as a diagnosis outside of lived context." but then there was a lot of that, so there's room for vast improvement on that front by everyone who provides care/support/whatever you want to call it.
there's a lot of raw shit in here that feels so hard to read & know that aside from me reading it, somebody friggin' lived it. they lived it, they LIVE it - we live it. people live hard shit like this all the time and we're silenced by systems of oppression. to speak out and to share stories is an act of rebellion. an act of self-preservation, an act of self love, community love. i am so grateful for the contributors of this anthology who have shared.
my singular (but gigantic) criticism of this anthology is this: providers of care need to do better at walking the walk. there was a lot of, "i don't pathologize my clients, or see them as a diagnosis outside of lived context." but then there was a lot of that, so there's room for vast improvement on that front by everyone who provides care/support/whatever you want to call it.
choirqueer's review
4.0
I loved this powerful anthology. However, it's 2019, this book was published this year, and there's no excuse for it not having content warnings. I chose to read it anyway, skimming each story before reading it and choosing not to read a few of them, but I would have been able to appreciate this book a lot more if that basic safety measure had been taken, and it was really frustrating that it wasn't.
I would absolutely recommend this book very strongly, but please just be aware of this omission and take care of yourself in whatever way you need to for a book that includes content such as graphic descriptions of abuse/violence, mental illness experiences, etc. without content warnings.
I would absolutely recommend this book very strongly, but please just be aware of this omission and take care of yourself in whatever way you need to for a book that includes content such as graphic descriptions of abuse/violence, mental illness experiences, etc. without content warnings.
ayafr's review
the collection features a mix of personal essays, examples of art/creative works, and essays that are more historically or clinically focused re: lgbt identities x mental health. i think it was a mixed bag for me personally but i think it's an ambitious collection and i respect that.
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