The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You

by S. Bear Bergman

Paperback, 2009

Status

Checked out

Due 2024-05-24

Call number

306.768

Genres

LGBTQ+

All Topics

Nonfiction

Publication

Arsenal Pulp Press (2009), 192 pages

Description

Essays on queer and trans life by the author of Butch is a Noun.

User reviews

LibraryThing member bokai

A collection of short essays on life outside the binary, told with good humor, grace, and a refreshing amount of optimism. As they say in their final essay, the trans narrative is so often the pity narrative, full of the real and common ways in which we are put in danger, hurt, or made to feel

outcast, but there is a lot more to our lives than our role as victim or poignant story. Bergman's essays are a strong attempt to get beyond all that. And sure, you're not going to have a trans life free of agitation or worry or the occasional asshole doing an asshole dance in front of you, but after reading this book my takeaway turned out to be, "Hey, at least there are some good stories in all this craziness!"

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LibraryThing member elenaj

Awesome book. I found the chapter on shame particularly powerful (not to mention Relevant To My Interests). I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who's interested in trans* issues, and/or anyone who feels that gender as we're "supposed" to do is unpleasantly confining.

LibraryThing member tnechodomu

Raw and real and so moving. Bear's writing style is engaging and I found it hard to put the book down, although when I had to put it down (apparently we humans need to sleep occasionally) I found the one-essay-per-chapter format to be really nice. Thank you so much for your candid honesty, Bear,

you are truly an asset to our rainbow of many, many colors.

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LibraryThing member caedocyon

I got this for free at Pride last year (yay DC Library!!!), so it obviously should have gone on that list. Oops. Good, insightful, very original.

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