Kai Cheng Thom

Wow, oh wow! I expected this to be a powerful read, but I wasn’t prepared for how deeply moving it would be. Kai Cheng Thom’s audiobook performance of FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH BEING HUMAN: LETTERS TO LOST SOULS was absolutely amazing! I cried several times and was ready to replay it as soon as it finished. I loved the format she chose of mixing letters, poetry, prayer, and prompts for the reader. Rage and grief are present but so are hope and healing. I’ll be getting a print copy as show more soon as possible. This is a book I definitely want to revisit. All the stars! There aren’t enough stars for this one. show less

This is a book multiple booksta friends told me I would love (mostly Laura), and of course they were right. I mean, just the whole concept! The book is a collection of love letters. To those who have died. To social justice warriors. To those who contemplate suicide. But also to those who have hurt her. To TERFS. To J.K. Rowling specifically. Because as Thom says, "a monster is a part of ourselves that we don't want to find in the mirror. a part of ourselves we try to cut out and split off show more and put inside other people so that they can carry it for us: our fear, our shame." Finding and writing love for all these people is a way for finding love for herself.

Interspersed between each letter is a suggestion for healing. Spend 24 hours by yourself. Think of someone you want to punish. If it's safe, send them a book of poetry instead. This isn't exactly poetry, but it isn't exactly not, and it would work well for that purpose. show less

CW: A lot, my memory is shocking, but Self Harm, Graphic Violence, Transphobia, Police Brutality

I might have to give up my conviction that perfection doesn't exist.

I just consumed the audiobook in one sitting and was just left sobbing at the beauty of the journey, the bravery of the author, and simply just how magical and viscerally meaningful reading this was, especially today.

I couldn't put it down. I felt every emotion I would ever want sheiks reading. I am truly in awe.

If Hollywood and show more beyond lost their minds for Sarah by JT LeRoy (Laura Albert), the world and all existence need to give Kai Cheng Thom her fucking flowers. (I actually think Sarah is a phenomenal novel, despite all the everything around it. I also have empathy for Albert, but the lack of accountability isn't OK).

I'm just stunned. I wish I could be more articulate.

The magic realism moments are wonderful and strange. There is such heart and truth in the parts that happened and those that didn't. The specifics don't matter. The darkness and visceral violence are brutal. The darkness and might throughout the book are equally explored and held up for inspection.

I really need to read everything else by this author and then read this again because this was everything I needed. Bloody brilliant! show less

In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can’t decide what to be: A boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and they have trouble finding friends who will show more accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: “whatever you dream of / i believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea.”

In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing’s for sure: no matter what this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same. show less