Something That May Shock and Discredit You

Supremely enjoyable. I'm not fully up on my classics/scripture so some of the play Daniel does is difficult for me to engage with, but otherwise this work sings. I've been reading and listening to his work for awhile and for me this represents a highlight in the genre of memoir and cultural commentary regarding the queer and trans experience. It's also funny and beautiful as hell.

I feel like Daniel Ortberg (now Lavery)'s stuff can be pretty hit or miss with me, and that's fine–I think his ideal audience is probably people who, like. him were raised Christian and/or are trans. There are tons of references that I just don't get, and that's fine, I'm sure they're making a lot of other readers feel seen.

That said, this book is very Christianity-heavy up front, in a way that almost made me put it down. It's not preachy, but I'm just not equipped to enjoy those deep dives into Pilgrim's Progress etc. After some skimming I found myself in more familiar and enjoyable (to me) territory with references to pop culture and/or classical mythology.

Danny is a great writer with a real ability to analyze media and turn witty phrases, and this book can get by pretty far with that, whether or not you're interested in/familiar with the topics he's writing about.