briellebouquet finished reading Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #1)

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch, #1)
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.
Once, she …
prairie trans girl trying to read her way, however slowly, out of oblivion
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8% complete! briellebouquet has read 1 of 12 books.

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.
Once, she …
i knew long before i read this that it would be important to me.
from a historical perspective, it shines a light on the realities of being a lesbian in the 60s and 70s. of being transmasculine and searching for terminology and self-understanding in a culture that didn't even marginally recognize gender outside the binary. or sexuality outside the hetero. it shines a light on surviving abusive parents. on finding community without the internet. of navigating complex queer subcultures. and hatred in its many forms, up to and including bar raids, arrests, and unspeakable abuses by cops.
it also illuminates and speaks to the beauty of love and friendship and comradeship within those queer communities. the intricacies in how butches and femmes and transfemmes interacted. i was able to see myself in the warmth and emotionality and fierce bravery in the face of fear and violence expressed by …
i knew long before i read this that it would be important to me.
from a historical perspective, it shines a light on the realities of being a lesbian in the 60s and 70s. of being transmasculine and searching for terminology and self-understanding in a culture that didn't even marginally recognize gender outside the binary. or sexuality outside the hetero. it shines a light on surviving abusive parents. on finding community without the internet. of navigating complex queer subcultures. and hatred in its many forms, up to and including bar raids, arrests, and unspeakable abuses by cops.
it also illuminates and speaks to the beauty of love and friendship and comradeship within those queer communities. the intricacies in how butches and femmes and transfemmes interacted. i was able to see myself in the warmth and emotionality and fierce bravery in the face of fear and violence expressed by the femmes and that will stick with me forever.
the narrative also details the struggles of unions through economic upturns and downturns. the constant fight for unity against unsafe work conditions and dangerously low pay.
stone butch blues is a brilliant, intense work of art that carries the weight of history in its pages. it's important reading for anyone interested in queer history, queer present, and queer futures.
@screamsbeneath@bookwyrm.social it can be scary at times, but it goes far beyond tragedy. i hope you like it, when you come around to it ^-^
this book was incredibly meaningful to me. i saw myself in it at times, out of place and time. i saw history. i saw oppression on a scale that i dont experience today as a white canadian trans lady.
the butches, the femmes, the others, the neithers, the trans men, women, enbies of the 60s and 70s, really did change the world. it's still scary and there's still work to do. but their suffering, the wars they had to fight, meant something.
i hope it's the same for me.
this book was incredibly meaningful to me. i saw myself in it at times, out of place and time. i saw history. i saw oppression on a scale that i dont experience today as a white canadian trans lady.
the butches, the femmes, the others, the neithers, the trans men, women, enbies of the 60s and 70s, really did change the world. it's still scary and there's still work to do. but their suffering, the wars they had to fight, meant something.
i hope it's the same for me.
aoki weaves passion for music together with a sci-fi subplot and a devil's bargain, in what feels like a very strange combination when you read the synopsis, but in fact works perfectly. aoki discusses trans issues, redemption, music, race, and technology with nuance and wit. her characters are vibrant and lively, flawed but lovable. i can't imagine anyone reading this without caring about aoki's characters to the point of tears in both its darker, and more uplifting moments.
i can't recommend this book strongly enough.
aoki weaves passion for music together with a sci-fi subplot and a devil's bargain, in what feels like a very strange combination when you read the synopsis, but in fact works perfectly. aoki discusses trans issues, redemption, music, race, and technology with nuance and wit. her characters are vibrant and lively, flawed but lovable. i can't imagine anyone reading this without caring about aoki's characters to the point of tears in both its darker, and more uplifting moments.
i can't recommend this book strongly enough.