stitchsaddiction's reviews
1142 reviews

Jane Austen’s ’Emma’ is a tale that has always been a favourite but it has been some time since I had read it and from page one I was once more happy to be back in the village of Highbury.

Every mess Emma makes is one you see coming, and you can not help but agree with both Mr Woodhouse and Mr Knightly when they beg her to stop. But she is a dreamer, and a dreamer must never be brought down to Earth even if her interfering nature does bring trouble to all those she loves. Austen writes her in such a manner that you cannot help but love her despite her follies and naivety towards her actions, and I know for certain I will return again to not only Emma but the other much-loved stories of Jane Austen.

Mr Knightly was the ideal man when I first read Emma at twelve, and he’s still the epitome of a caring gentleman now many years later. He hides his affection for Emma so well that you barely catch a hint of what is going on behind his more stoic words and actions but I think it is his constancy in the lives of both Woodhouses that permits us a glimmer of the heart he keeps hidden from harm. He is her voice of reason, her sounding block, and the one man Emma argues with and shows her true self, too. I always loved that she herself is unaware of not only her own heart’s desire but Mr Knightly’s until he is courageous enough to open himself up to her scorn or refusal. 

I'm so glad I re-opened this classic novel and returned to a world unbeknownst to Jane Austen? Made it a novel that always finds a home upon many a shelf.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, and one who has transgender members of my family alongside being non binary myself? I knew before even opening this book that I would be facing moments of anger, sadness, and joy.

Surviving Transphobia was a necessary book that would drag me through various emotions, and I wasn't wrong.This book is a reminder to all that being transgender is a for from new thing, and as many banners seen at protests 'We have always been here, and always will be.' The reader encounters both transgender men and women who have been in the military along with other areas of employment, and their tales are incredibly inciteful. I cried several times as these wonderful people opened their hearts and spoke of the internal torment one must face when processing and accepting the often hard reality that the body we see in the mirror isn't the one we know with all that we are; is wrong. How society judges them and how sometimes those we regard as close friends become distant as we grow into our true selves, whether that be with surgery or social transition. Transphobia is horrific to experience and to witness being directed at those you love. It is drawn from true hatred and misinformation spread by those who refuse to believe what is said to them and I wish in 2023 it didn't exist nor that I was seeing it grow but I believe truly that books like this can remind you, that you can get through each cruel shout, or threat to your life..  because transgender people have, as I have said, always existed, and we belong here just as those who are certain their body is correct do too. Alongside these hard moments in their recollections, there are also tales of joy, acceptance, and growth both for the transgender person and those around them. Their relief and happiness are tangible, and I laughed alongside these people whose words truly affected me as I felt their peace come through the page. 

Being transgender or non binary, is a hard journey - it can break you but Surviving Transphobia shows you that you can survive the cruelty, the misinformation and the agony of how strangers can try to make you invisible. It is a wonderful book. It will make your heart ache through sorrow and joy.

If you're feeling alone, this book will remind you that it's not true. All of us matter equally, and each of us deserves to smile and be loved.