Revolutionary Voices

The voices in this anthology are indeed revolutionary. The author has also endeavored to be over-representative, which means that there are more submissions by queers of color than are present in the general population. This serves to introduce the reader to narratives that are wildly divergent from most people's experience. The various media the book contains also adds to its diversity. Unfortunately, the art pieces are not presented in color, which I think might have better conveyed the intricacies of the works. Besides art, stories and poetry, there are also spoken word pieces and excerpts from performance art. All of it is riveting, moving and inspirational. In fact, I haven't written poetry in years, but halfway through reading show more this, I was inspired to again. The book is meant to inspire the queer youth to let their voices be heard. It will definitely have that effect. This is also an important book for everyone to read, as these voices deserve to be listened to. show less

Read this one in honor & celebration of Banned Books Week (which was celebrated in early October in the US). Celebrate your freedom to read!
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned

Overall, I think the topic is important & I enjoyed reading about the various contributors as much (or perhaps more than) the various writings/art that were included. Much of the writing is straightforward, raw, real -- about prejudice, love, hate, understanding, misunderstanding, uncertainty, & certainty... the road of life. A few pieces stood out above the others; much more was the style of what you would read in a high school or perhaps college-level literary magazines. I think the feelings & topics encompassed are the impact of this work (vs. the actual show more writing/art itself). As far as it having been a "banned" work -- really, it's not explicit. Yes, there is cursing, there is reference to queers (and many other terms, much of which is included in a glossary), to loving others. But, explicit? No. Filled with love, rage, anger, triumph, the good & bad? Yes.

Personally, I would love to hear a follow-up on the writers & artists in this book to see how life is going for each one of them a dozen years after the publication of this anthology. show less