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A review by tigger89
Tar Hollow Trans: Essays by Stacy Jane Grover
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
In this collection of essays, Stacy Jane Grover tackles what it means to be Appalachian and transgender. Having had a complicated relationship with each of these identities growing up, she struggled to see herself in the typical narratives. Through an examination of the culture and environment she grew up in, Grover seeks to exhibit her own unique experience.
This book is incredibly difficult to describe. The jacket copy didn't do it justice, and neither did my attempt at a blurb just now. Despite that challenge, this short collection of essays is very good! I love a good non-traditional queer narrative, and this volume delivered. And on top of it all, I got to learn some truly fascinating facts about German Appalachian traditions.
There is some theory referenced here, but it's well-explained and I believe the book is easily accessible to anyone with an interest, even if you don't have any background in gender theory. What might be harder to get past is the millennial grounding, relying on a knowledge of music in particular to orient the reader during Grover's teen years. If you weren't in the scene at that time, for whatever reason, you might struggle to follow some of the references. For example, from a brief description of fashion and a couple band names I knew exactly what type of friend group Grover was part of, but I wouldn't expect my mother or someone who's a teenager now to be able to make that same connection.
Regardless, I recommend this title to anyone who's interested in queer personal accounts, particularly ones that don't follow the beaten path narrative.
This book is incredibly difficult to describe. The jacket copy didn't do it justice, and neither did my attempt at a blurb just now. Despite that challenge, this short collection of essays is very good! I love a good non-traditional queer narrative, and this volume delivered. And on top of it all, I got to learn some truly fascinating facts about German Appalachian traditions.
There is some theory referenced here, but it's well-explained and I believe the book is easily accessible to anyone with an interest, even if you don't have any background in gender theory. What might be harder to get past is the millennial grounding, relying on a knowledge of music in particular to orient the reader during Grover's teen years. If you weren't in the scene at that time, for whatever reason, you might struggle to follow some of the references. For example, from a brief description of fashion and a couple band names I knew exactly what type of friend group Grover was part of, but I wouldn't expect my mother or someone who's a teenager now to be able to make that same connection.
Regardless, I recommend this title to anyone who's interested in queer personal accounts, particularly ones that don't follow the beaten path narrative.