Elegantly presents, critiques, and resets the contemporary American discourse on the rights, history, and culture of trans people ... she writes like in a deep conversation with a trusted friend: serious, loving, generous, and full of care. Through reflection, research, and humor, Walker contextualizes and confronts the sometimes fraught, usually intense, and always nuanced interplay between the self, one’s experience of gender, and the ties that bind communities ... For lovers of personalized essays with a journalistic bent, this essay collection is not one to miss.
After a grounding early essay on Walker’s entrée to corporate journalism, covering “Healthcare and Identity, capital letters and all,” for a unionized but distressing outlet she dubbed “Free Surgery Depot Dot Com” for its much-needed insurance, topics get less personal and sometimes fantastic ... A long piece on late artist Greer Lankton is especially gripping, and vivid in its depictions of Lankton’s work and life ... Walker comfortably and capably moves between the global and the personal in this collection as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.
A promising debut, marked by insightful observations and moments of astonishing candor and critique ... An essay collection that navigates complexities of modern life and identity with intellectual rigor and personal reflection ... Walker, a freelance journalist, brings a sharp cultural lens to her subjects, such as a multitude of her experiences as a transgender woman, social media’s impact on self-image, and shifting perceptions and roles of feminism ... The essays combine incisive first-person tales with cultural commentary, although at times the pieces occur as non sequiturs, reading more like a string of polemical observations rather than a clear, sustained inquiry ... While Walker’s prose is sharp and often witty, the book struggles to build a cohesive narrative. The essays occasionally veer into repetition, with some ideas revisited without offering new depth. Still, the collection is compelling in its ambition, and Walker’s sharp eye for cultural critique shines through, even when the essays don’t always cohere.
