Becoming A Man

Becoming A Man, at the ART. Written by a trans guy about his transition - I think it was a memoir before being turned into a play. I thought it was well done - small cast, nonchronological, I thought the balance of hopeful-but-open-ended at the end hit a good note. (One of the play's big topics is what his transition means for his marriage and his wife's identity as a lesbian.) I was amused by the bit about his brightly colored sneakers (which his wife hates)... as a brightly-colored sneaker-wearer myself, I hadn't thought of that as particularly masc-coded, unlike some of my other clothing preferences. (I mean, I buy women's sneakers...)

Camp Damascus

Camp Damascus, Chuck Tingle, 2023 novel. Gay conversion camp with demonic secrets. Sadly, Tingle's writing style doesn't really work for me. I really value him as, like, a motivational writer on social media, but that fondness couldn't carry me all the way through his actual fiction here. I mean, I don't know, the concept seemed fine, and I'm not even opposed to heavy-handed, necessarily, but the emotional beats just didn't quite land for me. There were some moments I liked! I hope it finds its audience!