This felt to me a mixture of exceptional parts and underwhelming parts. On the whole Faye manages to take discussions that are often discussed as abstract and theoretical, and makes them tangible and personal. The book is strongest when discussing trans activism in the context of LGBTQ+ and feminist movements (the tail end of the book) and weakest when giving leftist critiques of society better described elsewhere.

One aspect I struggle with in this and other socialist-leaning (as I would count myself) books is the whole-hearted embrace of prostitution/sex work… as though capitalism is cruel and degrading unless the commodity in question is women’s bodies. I still remain to be convinced that the red light districts of Germany and the Netherlands are somehow emancipating women and trans people rather than increasing human trafficking and contributing to the sexualisation, fetishisation and marginalisation of these groups.