11corvus11's reviews
886 reviews

I haven't read any of Doc Brite's books again in adulthood except this one. And in adulthood, it definitely wasn't the same. I was more annoyed by the characters and didn't relate much, like adults tend to be with youth. But, in my teen years, this book was everything. Probably too adult, probably too messed up, but made me feel so met by the dark world he created. So, it being that important to me then means a lot now. And regardless of what he's writing about, Brite's writing style is always a pleasure to experience.

I think Doc Brite's later novels about the chef's like Prime are what are better for adults. Though I was pretty young when I read that, too.

I'm a queer who opposes assimilationist politics and the institution of marriage, militarism, capitalism, and so on. As a result, I really enjoyed this collection.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because some of the essays were really lacking in understanding of the nuances that go into queer relationships, privilege, and marriage. While the most privileged groups have advocated most for gay marriage and wasted resources, many underprivileged people choose marriage in order to keep their kids or to not be forced to testify against one another in court (a very big benefit of marriage that is never mentioned). So, in a way, it takes a bit of privilege in some situations to also decry that gay marriage should not only not get all of our resources, but that it should not exist at all- something I disagree with. Some of us can't wait until capitalism and heteropatriarchy falls in order to obtain whatever means of survival we can grasp on to. I believe all of those rights should be available to people outside the institution of marriage, but sometimes we make concessions for survival and that is what I find lacking in the privilege analyses.

Also, the article talking about queers not being illegal but undocumented folks are, they're both illegal. There are still laws banning "cross dressing," the use of bathrooms, homosexual acts, and various other things that queer folks, privileged and non, are engaged in, (and it negatively affects queer undocumented people doubly) so I found what could have been a very intersectionally sound article to be written from a place lacking understanding of queer experience of these kinds of law based oppressions that many of us have suffered (that ain't about marriage).

Kenyon Farrow's "Is Gay Marriage Anti-Black??" was my favorite in the anthology.

Don't judge a book by it's cool cover. Over 700 pages and Guerin didn't even think to feature any anarchist women in his book (despite a few essays being included), but devoted around 100 pages to the misogynistic and anti-semitic Proudhon. There are some good things in here, but if you use it as a primer for well-rounded anarchist thought, you will be sorely missing out.

This book is about self hatred, loathing, an unsafe world, and the ability of people to be many many ways and things. Baldwin captures the environment and each well developed character while taking such a risk at the time it was written to write about queer characters. It is captivating and haunting and does not leave you feeling good in the end. But, it is definitely a read worth experiencing.