Welcome to Litsy!

My 1st book for the #transrightsreadathon and I thought it was great! I very much want to read his memoir now.

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JVN discusses queer life in a series of personal essays complete with research and data to back up his opinions (love a good reference). Covering grief, public perception and imposter syndrome, as well as his HIV+ status and the HIV safety net, among other things - this was a great quick read.

#lgbtq #lgbtbookbingo

“The fear of being unloveable due to past experiences is the literal definition of shame, and shame isn‘t something to keep buried.” 👏

#transrightsreadathon #lgbtq #nonbinary

Starting this for the #transrightsreadathon. I saw him speak last year and he signed my copy!

JVN is famous for doing hair & makeovers on Queer Eye but is also known for being outspoken about being #nonbinary (he/they/she pronouns) and for living publicly with #HIV. He was well spoken and I hope the essays in the book are interesting!

He‘s also written a memoir: “Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love”

#lgbtq #lgbtq2024 #lgbtqbookbingo2024

Head about this from @ChaoticMissAdventures and thought it would be great to participate in the #transrightsreadathon!

Going to be reading the tagged book I bought after seeing Johnathan Van Ness give a talk at the 92Y.

Check out the website for the master list of books, bingo cards, and more!

https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co

A great chance to check off some #lgbtqbookbingo2024 squares.

#trans #nonbinary #lgbtq #lgbtq2024

This is a great collection of essays on important cultural and social justice issues. Jonathan Van Ness has an effervescent personality that comes through beautifully in his narration. Despite the heavy topics, Jonathan‘s humor keeps the book from being depressing or preachy. I loved this and have his memoir, Over the Top already checked out from the library. I highly recommend the audiobook.

If I‘m being honest, I thought this would be self-indulgent fluff - hate the cover - but I love Jonathan, so I wanted to have a look. I was wrong about the book. It reads very quickly, because his voice is all over the page; it feels like you‘re having brunch and listening to his stories. There is so much depth, so many lessons here - lovely reminders that we are all flawed and beautiful, and there is more to life than our external shells.💖

Never read the print version of a Jonathan Van Ness book if you can listen to him read the audiobook. He‘s a fabulous narrator. This book is more of an essay collection on subjects that JVN cares deeply about — health care, gay rights, racism, gender identity, animals, and trans rights — than it is a memoir. He uses incidents from his life to illustrate how he got to the positions he takes about the issues he discusses.

This was a pretty solid grid of goodness. My 5* was a reread, but JVN rounds up to 5* in my Goodreads tracking and that warrants a grid tagging!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Average C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

Johnathan Van Ness makes me smile. He wants every human to be kind and comfortable in their own skin. He‘s worked hard to find joy and peace with his non-binary self. His perspective is important and I‘m so glad it‘s out there for the world to consider. I know I‘m better for respecting what JVN has to say.

JVN is back with an essay collection that expands on his memoir, Over the Top. My favorite essay was his take on healthcare from the perspective of a queer, HIV-positive person. He had some fun talking about his hairdressing days and what NOT to do to your stylist, but then spoke more seriously about TERFs and race. He also opened up about his cannabis use and microdosing as a person with substance use issues.