nerd teacher [books] reviewed Gender Outlaw by Kate Bornstein
Engaging and super quick to read.
3 stars
Regardless of how a person might feel, this book is written in a way that is super engaging. The original version is much better in this regard because its sometimes raw structure leads to more concise and clear discussion, even if the phrasing is "off."
The revision often gets bogged down in trying to be more correct for modern sensibilities; I still think that the book should've been left as it was but incorporated new essays in different sections or footnotes to elaborate. I also find the modernising of the text—swapping older pop culture people or items for newer ones—is bizarre and makes the text sound really confused when Bornstein chooses not to update the text for modern sensibilities.
A lot of stuff Bornstein wrote about still rings true, and I kind of find that a little disappointing. Perhaps I find it more disappointing because people constantly talked …
Regardless of how a person might feel, this book is written in a way that is super engaging. The original version is much better in this regard because its sometimes raw structure leads to more concise and clear discussion, even if the phrasing is "off."
The revision often gets bogged down in trying to be more correct for modern sensibilities; I still think that the book should've been left as it was but incorporated new essays in different sections or footnotes to elaborate. I also find the modernising of the text—swapping older pop culture people or items for newer ones—is bizarre and makes the text sound really confused when Bornstein chooses not to update the text for modern sensibilities.
A lot of stuff Bornstein wrote about still rings true, and I kind of find that a little disappointing. Perhaps I find it more disappointing because people constantly talked about how the world is better! And how accepting people were! And... now we're watching that so-called acceptance slide back to where it all was before because too many people got complacent and too many people wanted to assimilate instead of keep going, keep questioning, keep pushing for better lives.
Anyway, if you read this... I'd say either read the original version or read them side-by-side so you can compare the major changes and additions. I didn't enjoy the writing in the revised version nearly as much. It just wasn't as punchy, and it felt watered down.