Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity

by Matt Bernstein Sycamore (Editor)

Paperback, 2006

Status

Available

Call number

HQ77.9 .N635 2006

Publication

Seal Press (2006), 364 pages

Description

An anthology exploring the act of passing-as the "right" gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ability, body type, ethnicity, and beyond Nobody Passes is a collection of essays that confronts and challenges the very notion of belonging. By examining the perilous intersections of identity, categorization, and community, contributors challenge societal mores and countercultural norms. Nobody Passes explores and critiques the various systems of power seen (or not seen) in the act of "passing." In a pass/fail situation, standards for acceptance may vary, but somebody always gets trampled on. This anthology seeks to eliminate the pressure to pass and thereby unearth the delicious and devastating opportunities for transformation that might create.

User reviews

LibraryThing member rmostman
This is an amazing book! The essays are diverse and cover a lot intersections of race, gender, sexuality. This was an easily-readable and accessible collection, but they challenge the reader and require analysis - a very unique combination.

I couldn't recommend this book enough.
LibraryThing member alwright1
This anthology includes a set of really diverse essays on negotiating all kinds of identities in all kinds of spaces. The editor included works on many, many types of passing in many types of settings, not just passing as the "standard" gender, race, or sexuality in a mainstream, Western society
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setting. Some of the essays were wonderful and others didn't grab my attention, but they all helped to create a conversation as I read about identity and passing in all of one's shared spaces.
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LibraryThing member sashame
each essay is at least somewhat interesting, and there r a few rly terrific ones like the essay on homohop. superbly edited/collected overall, good sampling of topics/voices/styles of essay.

many of the issues addressed, like the evolution of the battered womens movement, have since 2006 become
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relatively popular/well-known narratives among the queer social justice literati, so someone ~in the kno~ (like myself) might find a lot of familiar material; but the essays r skimmable enuf that i dont think this detracts from the reading, and this makes the collection both accessible and insightful for e.g. interested allies, or those who want to read more essayish material but aren't into theorycore
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LibraryThing member elenaj
Every essay is well-written, interesting, and moving. Very smart, very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Awards

Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2007)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2007

Physical description

9 inches

ISBN

1580051847 / 9781580051842
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