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Cool novel. The characterization of the two main characters (the trans woman and the detrans) is especially strong, that of the main cis woman is weaker. The second half drags its feet a little bit, and the dialogue is a little bit goofy at times, still the whole book is really solid.

I feel like I didn't understand this text enough to review it.

"Sensual, lascivious, challenging, quotidian and poetic, the diaries complicate and disrupt normative trans narratives."

They really do. This was a deeply touching read. The editors have done an excellent job selecting passages and giving just the right amount of context. This book changed me.

I truly love bell hooks' writing. She writes with such clarity and simplicity of prose while still treating complicated topics with the nuance they deserve - a rare talent. The chapters in this short book can be used as standalone texts for a reading group or similar.

This is a collection of articles that Paul B. Preciado wrote for a French newspaper over the course of several years in the 2010s. Some of the articles are reactions to specific news events, some are biographical, often in relation to his transition, some read more like political pamphlets. In all of them his extensive historical and philosophical knowledge shines through. The articles are plainly written for a bourgeois audience that isn't familiar with queer concepts, and sometimes it seems like the author is using community lingo for some sort of queer radical shock value. Often though, the articles are thought provoking, and especially for the biographical bits, deeply touching. Although the articles have strong standalone value, there is also a clear biographical thread throughout that makes reading the book cover to cover especially enjoyable.