A review by bashsbooks
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Thom approaches the issues within modern leftism with an understandable frustration and an unparalleled wit; this collection of essays and poems provide much-needed nuance and insight into thorny topics such as suicide (and the related responsibility of the community and agency of the dead) and sexual assault (including breaking down the perp/victim binary that doesn't allow for any grey areas). She also covers transmisogyny, racism, and class in similar depth. Despite these serious topics, Thom ends every essay with her glimmers of hope for the future. My favorite pieces in this collection were Genie, You're Free, if you should start to think forbidden thoughts, Chronical of a Rape Foretold, Complications of Consent, How Neoliberalism is Stealing Trans Liberation, siblings, Rediscovering My Identity at My Grandfather's Funeral, and Dear, Dear Life.

I highly recommend the entire book, and all of Thom's work (but please remember, she is only one imperfect woman, not a vessel for Leftist Truth!)
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