sara_m_martins's reviews
331 reviews

I can always trust Button Poetry to publish incredible collections and this one is no different!
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it. 

when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,

I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)

aren't there.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

i was very disappointed in this... had big hopes for it

I think this book would work okay as a reference (for someone in the field study). Even if you’re interested in the subject I’m not sure I would recommend it – but there isn’t much more out there… I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point if you’ve never read about lgbtq+ concepts/theory/etc – you need to have basis as things get complicated here. 

Positives: 
-This book pools data from many sources, both in reference and in the interviews done by the author, so it could be a good reference point for people working/studying in the area. 
-i wasn't a big fan of the interviews: it was interesting to see different perspectives but, on the other hand, very little of what i read felt representative of the messages that the bi+ community wants to communicate. I understand this might not have been the objective, but with this title, I believe most people will pick it up searching for that. 

Negatives: 
Most negatives are things that stand out in a 2021 release, that is about a subset of the queer community, by an ownvoices author... 
- worst negative: wrong definitions!! most obviously the definition of bisexuality (!) – it is attraction to more than one gender! Why would you get that wrong in a book titled bi?? (Also conflating gender identities with sexual orientations at times) 
- maybe sources are to blame, but there was a big emphasis on sex (rather than gender). the writing oftentimes felt insensitive regarding sex/gender, to the point where i wondered if the text was trans-exclusionary. however, there was a good amount of discussion of non-binary people, which was very much appreciated. 
- felt bizarre to read that only asexual people use -romantic labels. This simply isn’t true, from experience. Adds to the “listen to young people more” narrative though. 
- the text read extremely academic. 

 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

While it feels like a collection of essays, the bias is very present, and sometimes personal ideas get conflicted with fact, most ideas do feel representative of discussions that are had, and most concepts are transmitted correctly. I can see a questioning youth using this book as a resource. I think the biggest sin is that the author did not approach their ideas of pansexuality in the best way, and it gets confusing and comes across borderline pan-phobic to the reader. 

The writing is very reminiscent of articles, which make sense, accounting for the author's background. 

I wish the structure was a bit more polished, namely when it comes to the third parties accounts' throughout the book - blocks of text are stylistically different, having small paragraphs taken from different bi+ contributors. However, the connections between the text to these paragraphs and the text again was hard to see, and it could take me out of the reading experience a little bit. 

Filled with stats and personal ramblings, which can either be your thing or very much not - i personally love facts and figures. 

I really enjoyed reading about the bi+ community, as it was one of the hardest things to grieve when i gave up my bi label. 

Didn't love the way that bi+ community was made to be the martyr of martyrs, and in my perspective, there a bit of broader picture missing throughout the book. 

 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

This book was made for someone much smarter than myself (positive).
The main theme, as I see it, is the importance of stories, telling and consuming, with a strong love note to the sea in the middle.
Coupled with beautiful illustrations, in blue and red tones, a palette which also confers a much deeper meaning to the story.
This is a story that you can chew for a while - i went back and forth a couple times, noticing meanings and parallels in both story and colour and their combination; each one adding a new thing. 
In terms of tone this is a more adult book than it first seems, especially because of the sad twist towards the end (see TW:

pregnancy loss, stillbirth, animal cruelty

) (+light nudity included).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

Great for kids, and some (many!) adults. 
Perfect introduction to the theme of pronouns and gender identity, in a clear, easy to understand way, while not dumbing it down. 
Also many great resources at the end, would be especially helpful for guardians and educators. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. 

Dr Williams provides a lot of good scientific facts and informative graphics, so you really get a Vagina 101 session in this book! There was a really important discussion on racism towards the end of the book (rec just for that), and throughout Dr Williams does not shy away from difficult topics such as abuse or FGM. 

Something that struck me several times was the stark differences on what i know goes in maternity wards in my country (Portugal) and what Dr Williams describes - does the US got PT beat regarding obstetric care? mayhaps

There was clearly an attempt at inclusion of non-straight and non-cis experiences, which i appreciated, but this was still made mostly for a cis/straight audience. I really think a sensitivity reader would’ve elevated it: !especially! a trans one (i really hope “transgenderED” did not make it to final copy. cannot stress this enough). I read this back to back with Let’s Talk About Down There by Dr J Lincoln, and while it has other flaws, it was exquisite regarding LGBTQ+ inclusivity. But, I still highly recommend reading this one too.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. 

 

 This was a very fun book, with cool helpful graphics, lots of fun facts and debunks of fake facts about Vaginas. It also has great detailed info, getting a “how to guide” feel to it at times (positive). 

I sometimes found that it lacked a little bit of depth, scientifically, for what i wanted (but i am a scientist in the biomedical field, so...). This might be a benefit for some people! I read this close to This is How You Vagina by Dr N Williams, which goes more into scientific depth, if you’re looking for that.

Now I really feel this book takes the cake due to the amazing inclusivity! As a queer woman/person, I often feel like a footnote in these issues, so it was quite refreshing to read this (and i think it’s even more groundbreaking for the trans community!).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. 

 

each poem in this collection is a exceptional

truly no words to describe this
if you are able to get the audiobook version, truly just spend the 1h15 experiencing this. wow