Book Review - Trans Liberation : Beyond Pink or Blue

Although readers familiar with Feinberg's earlier books will not find much new material here, this collection of hir (this transgendered author's pronoun of choice) speeches, presented with a few essays by other transgendered writers, serves as a good introduction to Feinberg's ideas about the complexities of gender expression and to hir vision for a future "beyond pink or blue." As someone who faces oppression, incomprehension, and violence every day on the basis of hir appearance and the refusal to adhere to a rigid gender designation (Feinberg was once denied emergency medical treatment for endocarditis by a doctor who dismissed hir angrily as "a very troubled person"), Feinberg is in an excellent position to refute the shallow assumptions of the medical establishment and the mainstream media, as well as the more extreme views of the political and religious right. Most compelling are hir arguments on the importance of a broad-based multi-issue coalition among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, an alliance that could easily extend to other progressive groups. "Everyone who is under the gun of reaction and economic violence," Feinberg contends, "is a potential ally." --Regina Marler

Book Review - Ftm: Female-To-Male Transsexuals in Society

"The book alternates specialized academic analysis with the individual studies, and should be of interest to both professionals who work with transsexuals and scholars interested in gender theory." - Choice
"Writing with an intelligent and accessible style, Dr. Devor balances exposition, analysis, and excerpts from her subjects' interviews to present a coherent picture of what social life is like for FTMs as they find their identity and learn about themselves." - Jamison "James" Green

The author of the groundbreaking book Gender Blending here turns her attention to the little-known world of female-to-male transsexuals. Who are they? How do they come to know themselves as transsexual? What do they do about it? How do their families cope? Who loves them? What does it mean for the rest of us?

Book Review - In Too Deep

Customer Review

erotic and interesting first novel

I bought this book because I couldn't resist the cover. It's supposed to be a mystery, but it's really the story of a love triangle with all the complicated emotions this situation can lead to. One thing I really liked about it was that the main character, Erin, was quite different from the usual. She is a young recently 'straight' woman coming out and sometimes she seems too stupid to be real, other times she is just like anyone of her age trying to figure out who she is and being in lust with two beautiful women at the same time.

In Too Deep is a hot, unusual book for a first novel and the author's style is quite original. I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but even I could see that the mystery plot was just a device in this book. It's not really plausible and doesn't have the convincing detail you get in books by serious mystery authors. So if you buy it only as a mystery, you might be disappointed. But if you buy it as an erotic, page-turner romance by a new author who has plenty of talent, I think you'll be happy. I was impressed with it.

Book Review - Force of Nature

After wowing readers with last year's thriller, HUNTER'S PURSUIT, Kim Baldwin's follow-up is a romance. But it's a romance book-ended by scenes with thriller qualities, starting with a twister.

Forty-six year old Gable McCoy is employed at a pharmacy and works as a volunteer firefighter for Plainfield Township, Michigan. One evening, when her corner of the county is hit with bad weather culminating in tornados touching down, she sets out to help those in her assigned area. Little does she know that the storm will literally touch her life. "In a whirling hail of sticks and stones and leaves, she scrambled down the bank, her hands shielding her face. The wind tried to blow her off her feet, and the noise of the tornado was deafening, like a jet aircraft parked directly overhead. Squinting between her fingers, she saw the twister cut out of the woods and onto the highway a quarter of a mile away. It looked like a mammoth V-shaped plume of black smoke" (p. 15).

Though Gable's life is spared, the house of a nearby resident is destroyed. When Gable gets to the decimated ruins, she can't believe anyone could still be alive. But Erin Richards did survive and is trapped in the basement bathroom. Unfortunately, Gable can't get to her. But they can still talk through the wreckage, and that they do-most of the night. Sight unseen, the two women form quite an attachment, and their friendship begins from there.

Baldwin writes great action scenes throughout with just the right balance between plot tension and the character's internal thoughts. Her descriptions of the training, fire, and rescue efforts are terrific. The ups and downs of the two characters' relationship occur in a natural, yet not entirely predictable, progression. Just like a twister or a forest fire, you're never quite sure what direction Gable and Erin will go. Will they play it safe? Or give in to passion? Highly recommended to all who enjoy a good romance with rescue/action interspersed.

Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review