stone butch blues

Drag King Dreams

Yesterday,

being so bloody,

hot,

and the,

air conditioning,

at the bookstore,

not really,

working,

I wasn’t very busy,

but,

you know,

enough.

I finished,

Leslie Feinberg’s,

Drag King Dreams.

I was going to,

write about it,

last night,

but,

I had to let it,

marinate,

seep in.

Anyone,

who has read,

this blog,

more than,

once,

knows,

I have much,

respect,

and,

admiration,

for Feinberg.

Hir life,

hir struggle,

hir politics,

and most,

of all,

for hir work.

Transgender Warriors,

is an important,

contribution,

to furthering,

our collective,

understanding,

of,

transgender,

and in fact,

the whole notion,

of gender.

Stone Butch Blues,

is a work,

of such power,

that it shook me to,

my core,

I hardly have,

words to express,

what a,

moving experience,

reading that book,

was,

for me.

So,

I very much,

wanted to like,

Drag King Dreams,

I didn’t expect ,

to like it as much,

Stone Butch,

the bar being,

as high,

as it is.

Well,

I have to say,

I’m glad I read it,

and I read it,

all of it,

but,

I am disapointed.

I didn’t hate it,

I woudn’t have,

finished it,

if that was the case,

but,

it left me,

wanting more,

or maybe less?

I know,

that’s a strange,

thing to write,

but,

that’s how I feel.

Some of the characters,

were fascinating,

and I wanted,

to know more,

and yet,

there are,

too many.

Some of,

the plot directions,

are very interesting,

and it seemed to me,

they could have been,

a novel in of themselves.

For instance,

Max and Ruby’s past activism,

Max’s growing up,

the relationship with hir Aunt Raisa,

before and after,

the death of hir mother.

The cyber connection,

she makes,

and what could,

come of that,

perhaps,

finally a love,

to call hir own.

So many threads,

not spun.

And yet,

I really liked,

Max,

hir sadness,

hir loneliness,

but,

also,

how she lives hir life,

with pride and honour,

principles.

They are all of them,

beautiful brave people.

I think,

too much was attempted,

in one novel,

maybe it’s the sophomore jinx,

how can you top,

a grand slam,

like,

Stone Butch Blues?

If you read one Feinberg,

let it be Stone Butch,

if you are interested,

in all hir work,

check this one out.

I don’t regret reading it,

for any number of reasons,

but,

I wish she had written,

a series instead.

I’d like to know,

what you girls think.

Later girls,

The ones I carry in my head and heart

Weather = Nothing to complain about.

I’m still in a book slump.

Everything I have in my TBR pile is either too serious,

I’m not in a serious kind of a mood,

Or really,

well,

sort of boring,

I guess.

So, I thought I would improvise and tell you all about about some of my favourite characters.

Also, if you share my point of view,

or even better,

don’t,

perhaps you can share.

OK ,

so off the top of my head:

Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye.

I know, I know,

seems like an obvious choice,

but, hey,

I always liked him,

he’s profoundly human in a warts and all, kind of a way.

Misunderstood and smart ass a winning combination,

so real .

Harriet, of Harriet The Spy, again, very human,

who couldn’t love an eight year old budding spy/writer?

I read this book when I was well over thirty and I felt and fell for Harriet,

although sometimes she was a bit of a dweeb,

aren’t we all,

sometimes.

Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird,

because he is what I would like to be like,

when I grow up.

Seriously,

one of the most honourable characters in fiction.

Jo March of Little Women,

I love Jo,

I love everything about Jo, including her name.

She is smart and good and selfless and yet,

sooo much fun, the original tomboy.

She has flaws, but, minor ,compared to her spunk.

Love that girl.

I like to think today,

Jo would grow up to be a kickass queer girl.

Sidney Carlton of A Tale Of Two Cities,

the man gives his life for the woman he loves.

You know I always thought Dickens’ books were too long,

a case of being paid by the word.

A Tale Of Two Cities was just the right lenght.

That character left quite an impression on a fifteen year old.

He really rises to the occasion.

Recently, I read Stone Butch Blues,

it left a big impression.

Jess, the main character is so strong.

She suffers and she perseveres.

A quietly determined and dignified character.

She gets kicked in the face and stands up,

again and again.

She just wants to live her life.

Not attitude,

just, the right to be.

Powerful.

For those of you who didn’t read it,

do yourself a favour and do.

Well, those are some of my favourites.

I’m sure I could add many more but, I’m tired.

Later girls

I read Stone Butch Blues.

It is magnificent.

Not a false note.

You pick it up, you can’t put it down.

I had high expectations. This book exceeded them.

I intend to buy several copies to give as gifts, it’s that good.

This book should be required reading .

It deserves to be on the same bookshelf as :

The Diary Of Anne Frank,

If This Is A Man by Primo Levi,

and To Kill A Mockingbird.

The same courage,

indomnitable spirit,

senseless cruelty and,

power of the human spirit.

Jess, the main character, suffers so much and is treated so unfairly by life’s bullies and yet,

she never loses her humanity.

She is treated with hatred and violence or at best, disgust,

and all she wants is what we all want,

to be accepted.

The prose is tight, Feinberg is a talented writer.

This book is not depressing nor is it upbeat it is — hard and True.

To quote Leslie Feinberg’s afterword from 2003:

Never underestimate the power of fiction to tell the truth.

It is about a specific time and place and a marginalised segment of society and yet, it is universal.

1950’s Buffalo, New York becomes, anywhere and everywhere.

Great Literature does that.

I’m grateful I read this book.

I’m grateful I was born, when I was born,

and that brave women like Leslie Feinberg came before me.

If you have not read Stone Butch Blues.

You Must.

Later girls

The power of fiction to illuminate

Yesterday, I picked up Stone Butch Blues.

I have only read the first chapter.

I think I’m going to like it.

From memory, I would say I have never read any work of fiction that deals with transgender topics.

I wonder why?

Can’t say I have read much about bisexuality either.

Maybe one of the reasons I have sidestepped Stone Butch Blues all these years,

is because I hate to read about suffering and abuse.

I’m a bit of a wimp that way.

I have always had trouble dealing with novels whose main theme is abuse.

I know it exists, I hate that it exists.

Child abuse, incest, all are topics that disgust me.

I realise that most people feel that way, maybe it’s my inner ostrich coming through.

A friend of mine asked me to read Bastard Out Of Carolina, she told me it was very important to her

and that she kept coming back to it.

So, I read it.

I hated it and loved it, at the same time.

The voice was so true and it was so painful to read.

When I finished it, I felt physically sick, like I might vomit.

I’m glad I read it and I will never read it again, no need, it is imprinted on my brain.

I would encourage people to read it, it is strong and powerful.

I know, Stone Butch Blues, is not about that kind of abuse.

It is about ignorance and abuse of power.

I also think, based on what I have read about it, that it is about being who you are.

Not an easy task in a world that doesn’t accept you.

I’ll let you all know what I think of it.

Fiction has the power to illuminate.

I’m hoping that Stone Butch Blues, will help me to understand transgender issues.

Not to accept, I accept, who am I not to accept?

Understanding is something else.

Bisexuality also leaves me a little perplexed.

I get fluidity,

I get being attracted to both sexes,

I get evolution in one’s life and being different people at different times.

Maybe, I get bisexuality and don’t realise it.

I must try and find a novel that deals in a truthful manner with bisexuality.

Any suggestions?

Later girls

Gonna get me some classics

Tomorrow I’m going to the bookstore, to shop for some classics.

You would think, I would like to get away from bookstores but, what can I say it’s a disease.

I want to pick up Stone Butch Blues, I don’t understand how come I have never read it, puzzling.

I’m also going to pick up, Ties That Bind, the Sarah Schulman non-fiction. I believe Sarah Schulman is one of the most daring and thought provoking writers I have ever read. I’m really looking forward to it. In the coming weeks I plan on posting some thoughts on her books and Stone Butch Blues. So tomorrow I spend what is left of the gift certificates.

Later girls