annewalk reviewed Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Visceral
5 stars
A beautiful gut punch of a read.
Paperback, 223 pages
English language
Published Nov. 10, 2018 by Arsenal Pulp Press.
4 stars
(5 reviews)
Off the reserve and trying to find ways to live and love in the big city, Jonny Appleseed, a young Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer, becomes a cybersex worker who fetishizes himself in order to make a living. Jonny's world is a series of breakages, appendages, and linkages - and as he goes through the motions of preparing to return home for his step-father's funeral, he learns how to put together the pieces of his life. Jonny Appleseed is a unique, shattering vision of Indigenous life, full of grit, glitter, and dreams.
ahynes1 reviewed Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Review of 'Jonny Appleseed' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book has sections of literary brilliance and the main character is wonderfully developed. Yet at times, I found the book tedious. Perhaps it is just because I read it from my position as a cis-het Euro-American boomer male, but the sex scenes seemed excessive as if the author was stuck writing gay smut fic. This seemed to support a detrimental narrative that "all gay people ever talk about is sex". In spite of this flaw, the book is well worth the read
Subjects
- Two-spirit people
- Indigenous peoples
- Fiction