Reviewed by layawaydragon on

2 of 5 stars

Share
Trigger Warning: Homophobia, Transphobia, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Violent Hate Crimes, 

 

I like it. I like the intent behind it. But there’s a couple of problems. 

>>Joe uses the word “aboriginal” several times 
>>There’s no way a cutter would just walk out in front of people without hiding their handiwork. Joe didn’t even give it a second thought. He wasn’t trying to get caught either. 
>>If he’d never been to the city before, how’d he know where he was so well? 
>>Don’t ask trans people about their genitals. That IS rude and offensive and none of anyone else’s business. Even if Sid is okay with him asking, doesn’t mean that’s a good policy to have and I’m worried it’s going to embolden people, especially teens reading this. 
>>I don’t believe for a minute that Joe knew the dangers of Sid, a trans girl doing sex work more than Sid herself. Especially not one that’d been doing it for months. He could’ve had a bad feeling WITH her and still been the hero. No need to reduce her to a naive fool. 
>>I was originally confused about the term “berdache” and where his mom learned it. I googled the term and my results were different than Joe’s and made more sense than the French 18th century one he found. Reading the Wiki article on Two Spirits really made it click. 
 

Even with the heavy load from all the important topics, it’s a breeze to get through. It’s short and simply written for even the most reluctant readers. I do love the happy ending. 

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 23 December, 2017: Reviewed