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House of Impossible Beauties
House of Impossible Beauties | Joseph Cassara
"A gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 80s and 90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary "Paris is Burning""--
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Librariana
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Playing catch-up on #Pantone2023 😁
@Clwojick

Clwojick Well done! 2y
Cinfhen Hi Ana! Feel like I haven‘t “seen” you around in a while😔Hope all is well xx 2y
22 likes2 comments
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Librariana
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Mehso-so

Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, the documentary "Paris is Burning" chronicled the New York City Ballroom culture of the time, introducing us to its drag queen-organized pageants, and to a small cast of its iconic participants, among them performers such as Dorian Corey (who made headlines posthumously when a mummified body was found in her closet) and Pepper LaBeija, as well as Angie and Venus Xtravaganza.

Review & CW/TW cont'd in comments ⬇️

Librariana (1 of 3) These competitions showcased contestants 'walking' a fashion category (much like a model on a runway) and representing their 'houses' - surrogate families that provided (oftentimes runaway) LGBTQ youth with shelter and support.

One of these was the legendary House of Xtravaganza, also known as "The House of Impossible Beauties" where the tagged title takes its name.
2y
Librariana (2 of 3) I watched "Paris is Burning" well more than 10 years ago and oftentimes wondered about its protagonists, curious about where the future might take them.

This fictionalized account gives us brief glimpses into the lives of Angel, Venus, Juanito, and Daniel, four characters who are all inspired by and modeled after some of the House of Xtravaganza's most famous members
2y
Librariana (3 of 3) with Venus being the one who most closely resembles her real life counterpart both in name and sadly, in the manner of her untimely and tragic death. 2y
Librariana ❗️ If you should choose to read this book, please do so knowing that it tackles the difficult and heartbreaking realities that sometimes accompany gender expression and identity. Content warnings for detailed and graphic descriptions of drug addiction, sex work, terminal illness, transphobia, and suicide. 2y
15 likes4 comments
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JamieArc
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Mehso-so

I didn‘t realize until halfway through that many of the characters in this fictionalized story were real. Sparked from the documentary Paris is Burning, which I definitely want to watch now, this started out by pulling me in. But the middle 200 pages were slow going. This is the last story I expected to get bored with. The last third really picked up, though it was heartbreaking as well. #CoverLove #Booked2022 about the AIDS epidemic.

JamieArc Pictured are some of the real people portrayed in the story. 2y
Librariana Paris is Burning is one of my absolute favorite documentaries, although it saddens me that the director did not compensate the cast in the manner they deserved. It was fascinating to learn about all the legendary houses and I still think of Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey (look into her real life story, but be prepared!), and especially Venus Xtravaganza. I'm also a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and I love it when he quotes Paris is Burning! 2y
JamieArc @Librariana I had read about the problems with the director, so I will definitely have that in the back of my head as I‘m watching. It was fascinating for me too to learn about the ballroom scene. I think maybe this book didn‘t do it justice, but still worth a read! 2y
34 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheBookishleigh

I was cooking dinner listening to this on audiobook and caught myself softly smiling. Tragic and beautiful - this is one of those books I‘m so glad I have on audio. Love the narrator Christian Barillas.

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GypsyKat
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Today‘s #AudibleDailyDeal looks like a good one to read during pride month. 🌈

Bookgoil Ooo I might nab that 4y
68 likes1 comment
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Reggie
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Pickpick

I had watched Paris Is Burning and knew what happened but it still couldn‘t save me from being gutted after reading this book.😭 This is about a group of mostly Puerto Rican, trans and gay, discarded youths who become family against the backdrop of drag culture in 1980‘s NYC and AIDS. The writing was pitch perfect with all of its sass, shade, love, and loss. Pick.

Centique I already stacked this or else I would‘ve again - it sounds powerful and heart breaking both. 😢 4y
TrishB I loved this one ♥️ 4y
Lindy @TrishB Me too. And I cried big tears. 4y
See All 9 Comments
TrishB @Lindy absolutely 💔😢 4y
Reggie @Centique @TrishB @Lindy I think you said once Paula that you have but have you ladies ever watched All About My Mother by Pedro Almodovar where Agrado, a trans character, talks about how much she spent on taking her body from a man to a woman. That you are more authentic the more you resemble what you have dreamed of being. It‘s all I could think about in here. And the letters to the choreographers...😭 (edited) 4y
Lindy @Reggie I‘ve only seen a couple of his films (Volver and Talk to Her). I will add All About My Mother to my watch list. 😊 4y
Rissreads @Reggie @TrishB @Lindy if you all love it, that‘s a fantastic recommendation! Stacked! 4y
ReadingEnvy Loved the one, especially the way he wrote language 4y
Reggie I actually heard about this from your podcast. I can never remember her name but she‘s from Houston and she talked about this book and Foe. And then I think she came back and read plays. I really like her as a guest. 4y
76 likes9 stack adds9 comments
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Reggie
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Thomas was the name of Venus before she became Venus.

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alisonrose

She cried when that Grizabella kitty sang her memory song. Who knew that an old cat‘s sadness would cause waterworks?

[Not ashamed to admit I also cried during that song when I saw Cats live. She reminded me of my kitty who had passed a few years earlier 💜]

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alisonrose
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Yes please, I would definitely like to read historical fiction (which now apparently includes my childhood years because I‘m OLD) about the first all-Latinx underground Harlem ball scene house, thank you
💋🏳️‍🌈💃🏻 #nowreading

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MicheleinPhilly
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Pickpick

This book gutted me. Less about the House of Xtravaganza and more about how this group of black and brown and gay and transgender and queer people found one another and formed a family. I had to set it aside for several weeks because it is HEAVY with racism, discrimination, homophobia, addiction, etc. but I ultimately found its message beautiful. 4⭐️.

65 likes2 stack adds
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MicheleinPhilly
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TRUTH!

saresmoore Yes and amen. 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘m going to start saying that in public. A lot. 🤪 5y
LeahBergen Ain‘t that the truth. 5y
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britt_brooke Amen. 5y
Tanisha_A That is it! 5y
Cathythoughts Great quote 👍🏻 5y
Cinfhen Yup, I think that‘s about right!! 5y
60 likes7 comments
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JSW
Pickpick

This book is full of heart: life, love, tenderness, tragedy. As a debut, it does tend to ramble a bit at times, but these queens are fierce and vulnerable and strong and honest. #queerbooks #hispanicheritagemonth

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TrishB
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Pickpick

The writing takes a bit to get into, felt very ‘choppy‘ , lots of POVs and timelines. But worth it for the story which was good and sad 😢
Last book of September, squeezed in.

MicheleinPhilly I bought this ages ago because of the cover. I really should make it a priority. 5y
TrishB @MicheleinPhilly I think you‘ll like it 🤞🏻 5y
MicheleinPhilly Have pulled it from shelf. Need to finish one of the three books I have ongoing. 🤦🏻‍♀️ 5y
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Cathythoughts Nice review 👍🏻♥️I see I have it stacked already 5y
TrishB @Cathythoughts I do that a lot! 5y
MicheleinPhilly I‘ve read the first 120 pages. Loving it. 5y
Cinfhen I‘m glad you liked this one ☝️ I don‘t think it‘s for me 5y
TrishB @MicheleinPhilly great news 😁👍🏻 5y
TrishB @Cinfhen I can see it‘s not for everyone 😘 5y
93 likes2 stack adds10 comments
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TrishB
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With permission I opened last nights wrapped books - look at these!! 😁😁
Thank you Cindy - I‘m soooo looking forward to these!! 😘♥️ ♥️#litsyfriendships

Cinfhen Enjoy!! I was happy to see a NF on your TBR 🤓 5y
TrishB @Cinfhen lol 😁😁 5y
96 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lindy
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Pickpick

It‘s taken me several months to get through this, even though it‘s compelling, mostly because I read the entire chunkster on my phone. Chosen family provides nurture and support for queer Latinx aspiring to be their truest selves in 1980s NYC. If you love tragic character-based fiction like A Little Life, this is for you. #LGBTQ

TrishB Stacked. 👍🏻 5y
41 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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WhatWouldJaneDo
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Pickpick

I loved this moving fictionalized account of the House of Xtravaganza, the first all-Latino House in the NY ballroom scene in the 80s. The novel switches POVs between several characters from a few generations, and Cassara gives them all district voices, hopes, and dreams along with showing the various traumas they've endured as LGBTQ individuals of the period. He also has a wonderful flare for dialog and I look forward to more from him!

Karisa Sounds like Pose! 😍 5y
WhatWouldJaneDo @Karisa yes, very similar! The book is based on some real people from the Ballroom. It was a great read while Pose was on break this week. 5y
39 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Lindy
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Now they were both crying, but she knew they were crying for different things. She couldn‘t ever say why another person was crying at any given time, because she couldn‘t read minds. That seemed to her one of the most heartbreaking things about being human.

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Niso
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Pickpick

Poignant and powerful history of queer lives in the 1980s New York during the early days of the AIDS crisis.
Heartbreaking beautiful book that will stay with me for a long time.
#goodreads #favourites #lgbtq #debut #historicalfiction

overtheedge Definitely gotta read this! 5y
52 likes6 stack adds1 comment
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Lindy
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“The ironic thing is this,” Venus said. “She says she doesn‘t want anyone dressed in drag [at the funeral]. But if she asks me to dress like a man, it‘s basically like she is asking me to show up in drag. I don‘t even know how to act like a man.”
(Internet photo)

44 likes2 stack adds
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Niso
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Wonderful reading week with two 5 stars brilliant books: The House of Impossible Beauties and Bad Blood.

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Lindy
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Life isn‘t about the Cinderella bullshit and I wasn‘t there to give her a set of glass heels and send her on her way. Hell no. I taught her the practical things. How to sew, how to select fabrics and make a gown, how to suck a cock so that you‘ll never starve.

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Lindy
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LeahBergen That sounds tasty! 6y
Lindy @LeahBergen It‘s delicious. Light and bright. 🍺 6y
50 likes2 comments
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Lindy
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Another snowy morning in Edmonton. I‘m going to stay inside, compiling my April reading stats. ❄️😐

GondorGirl Whoa! 6y
merelybookish Snowy in Denver too. May it melt soon!☀️ 6y
ShyBookOwl Ahhh! Stay warm inside with a book! 6y
See All 7 Comments
wanderinglynn 😳 stay warm! 6y
batsy Oh dear 😯 6y
CouronneDhiver 🤭 Eek 6y
51 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Lindy
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“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.”
—James Baldwin, Giovanni‘s Room

The theme of this year‘s poetry festival was ‘home,‘ so it resonates even more deeply as I read the word in Baldwin‘s quote this morning, which is an epigraph in the tagged novel that I have just begun.

saresmoore Lovely serendipity. 6y
35 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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TheBookHippie The picture is so cool!!! 6y
bedandabook What a beautiful picture! 6y
87 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
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BooknerdsLife What a gorgeous photo 😍 6y
kspenmoll Beautiful photo! 6y
46 likes4 comments
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bookishkai
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I‘m writing a Thing. My first published fandom piece since 2016. It feels really good to be writing again; let‘s see if I can keep it up.

LauraJ Good job! Writing is hard work. 6y
LibrarianJen Awesome! What‘s your piece about? 6y
bookishkai @LibrarianJen it‘s a fanfic for the tv show Pose, which is about the queer ball scene in NYC in the ‘80‘s. Right now I‘m focusing on Pray Tell (OMG Billy Porter is SO SO good in this role) and my head canon for his backstory. 6y
LibrarianJen Sweet! I‘ll go check it out! I haven‘t seen the show yet, but I‘ve heard great things about it. 6y
23 likes4 comments
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hissingpotatoes
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Bailedbailed

1/5⭐ This book started out so well, and then it just...flatlined. The narrative bounced around a bunch of characters and became confusing. Nothing happened, either plot- or character-wise. A story basically retelling the real-life 1980s NYC drag scene should never be described as boring, but that's what happened. #projectnew

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cherryembassy
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Stocking up on queer reads for 2019 and drinking genmaicha 🍵

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lycomayflower
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Chasing_Pages
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@PomegranateMuse
Thank you so so much for everything!! I love it all, so excited to read these and I can‘t wait to use the wax tarts (my first book scented wax 😍) yay!!! I love having signed books, thank you so much, so awesome of you!! I hope you like yours as well!
#MyFavoriteBookSwap #MFBS

PomegranateMuse Yay so glad you‘re happy! Those tarts are the best! I had my fingers crossed they wouldn‘t melt in this ridiculous AZ heat. Frostbeard has tons of amazing book themed scents🙌🏻 I LOVED everything in mine and will hopefully get to posting a pic soon! the girl with all the gifts is already stashed in my purse half read ❤️ 6y
Chasing_Pages @PomegranateMuse Yay, so glad you liked everything! 6y
41 likes2 comments
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kristinshafel
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I‘m visiting my family right now and I never get any reading done on these visits! Still slowly working my way through this one.

JenReadsAlot Yay the union!! 6y
Reviewsbylola So bright and colorful. 😍 6y
27 likes3 comments
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cocomass
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I‘ve been SO into the new show Pose on FX and I wanted to find a readalike book with a similarly diverse cast. THIS IS THAT BOOK 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Same locale and time period, same community!! I‘m only 25 pages in but I‘m so excited! Hence all the exclamation points 😂

38 likes2 stack adds
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kalinichta
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Mehso-so

I wanted to love this book, but I didn't quite. I did love the characters (based off real people profiled in the doc "Paris is Burning"), especially the fierce Angel. But I don't feel the shifting perspectives or the detachment caused by finding out about major events after the fact via time jumps helped the story. But it's still definitely worth a read.

Be warned: it's especially brutal toward the end.

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Briget66
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Up next!! So excited about this one 🤗

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cocomass
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Picked up a few more #LGBTQ books from the library 📚 ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜📚

#pridereads

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emilyjwhit9
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Finished up this book last night for @Samplergal #13inthree. Didn‘t quite make the 13 but got to about 10. I did finish up three books that I have been waiting to finish for quite some time! Goal accomplished!

Samplergal That‘s great! You got most of it in on a very busy weekend for most. 6y
4 likes1 comment
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 3! Released this year. In 1980s NYC, 17-year-old Angel comes into her own in the Harlem ball scene and drag world. She falls in love with Hector and they form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the circuit. When he dies of AIDS, she must continue alone. To help, she recruits Venus, a daydreaming trans girl; Juanito, a quiet boy who loves fabrics; & Daniel, a butch queen. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

SassyPants617 I just finished this book not even 5 minutes ago, and I‘m fighting tears in public transit. Great book. 7y
64 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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CindyE09
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Mehso-so

Set in a drag house in the 80s during the height of the AIDS crisis in New York City, the book follows four main characters in the House of Xtravaganza. The book is incredibly sad, especially at the end, to the point of feeling overdone. There were very graphic sexual encounters through much of the book, and though I don‘t mind explicit sex in books, the characters are 13-15 at the time, making it a little harder to stomach.

DebinHawaii Welcome to Litsy!! 🎉📚👍Hope you enjoy it here! 7y
Tiyas7 Welcome To Litsy!! 7y
Chelleo Welcome! Checkout #Litsytips: http://bit.ly/litsytips and #LitsyHowTo videos: goo.gl/UrCpoU. They‘re great and should help you get settled in. Follow @LitsyHappenings to find out about various challenges, buddy reads, meet-ups and swaps taking place. #LitsyWelcomeWagon 7y
See All 11 Comments
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 👋🏻😊 7y
the.bookish.valkyrie Welcome to Litsy!🎉📚💕 7y
DarcysMom Welcome to Litsy! 🤗 7y
DivaDiane Welcome to Litsy! Great review! 7y
Purrfectpages Welcome to Litsy! 7y
jouleian Its actually an easier read on audiobook, I'm sorry it was an 'eh' for you. I tried thinking about some of the books I listen too and I couldn't imagine in a million years sitting to read them bc to me without the narrator they wouldn't have any life and fall flat. 7y
RaimeyGallant Welcome! 6y
PurpleyPumpkin Welcome to Litsy! I hope you enjoy it here. It‘s a great community. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts!👍🏽 6y
61 likes11 comments
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SassyPants617
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SassyPants617
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TheLibrarian
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A bunch of great deals on Kindle eBooks today. #ebookdeals

JoScho Oh goodness! I might need a few of those. Thanks for sharing 💕 7y
Karkar This is when I wish I liked reading on a ereader. Such good deals on new books! 7y
Soubhiville Ooooohhhh, thanks! Gotta go check these out! 7y
See All 7 Comments
TheLibrarian @JoScho @Soubhiville You‘re welcome! 7y
TheLibrarian @Karkar I‘m not the biggest fan of ereaders but I got one because of the great deals on books (plus I‘m running out of physical space). 7y
Ashley85 Omg most of these are on my TBR list. Thanks for sharing! 🤗🤗 7y
TheLibrarian @Ashley85 You‘re welcome!! 7y
88 likes7 comments
review
2BR02B
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Pickpick

This is one of the hardest reviews I've tried to write in recent memory, let alone keep it succinct enough to comply with Litsy's standards. I went into this book with a love for Rupaul's Drag Race, but no knowledge whatsoever about the Harlem ball circuit of the 1980s. I was excited to discover this important era of LGBT history that so influenced of my favorite shows. However, by halfway through the book I realized I was still clueless about 👇

2BR02B what terms like "ball," "house," and "walking." Meant in the context of this culture. It isn't until two thirds of the way through that a character actually participates in a ball, providing some much-needed context but still leaving a lot of questions unanswered. I'm not a fan of info-dumps in novels, but I still think there were plenty of opportunities to work the broader cultural zeitgeist into the narrative. 7y
2BR02B Immediately after finishing the novel I watched the documentary Paris is Burning on Netflix (and you should, too) which clarified things perfectly for me. I really wish I'd done things in the opposite order by watching the documentary first for broad background knowledge and then reading the novel for a narrowly focused look at the fictionalized lives of a few of the characters portrayed in the documentary. 7y
2BR02B If you are thinking of reading this book, I can't recommend highly enough that you watch the documentary first- even though it does spoil some plot elements. Even so, I don't feel I can rate this as less than a pick, because of how attached I became to these characters and how emotionally wrecked this book left me. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to create a work of art that tugs the heartstrings without coming off as manipulative or mawkish 7y
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2BR02B and that the author achieved this in his debut is quite an achievement in my reckoning. I'll look forward to his future works with great anticipation. End of long-winded review. ☺ 7y
Soubhiville Thank you for your review and recommendation! I‘m interested in both the documentary and the book! 7y
RohitSawant Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed review! 7y
AmyG How cute ❤️ 7y
Kimberlone Recommend watching the documentary Paris is Burning 7y
LiteraryinPA Wonderful review! Thanks! 7y
rubyslippersreads Your cat is impossibly beautiful. 😻 7y
readordierachel Excellent review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 7y
AlaMich Your beautiful cat looks glum...😿 7y
Reggie That ball circuit scene is where voguing came from. 7y
batsy Great review! 7y
2BR02B @AlaMich That was me when I finished this book! 😅 7y
81 likes4 stack adds15 comments