Specs
Reviews
(3.25/5)Autobiography is Hard
This is not written for a Western, queer or queer-friendly audience. This is written for Japanese people who are on the fence about how they feel about gay people. I am not the intended audience of this work, so my criticisms are heavily biased.
The "moral" of this autobiography is simple: "gay people are just like anyone else! We deserve rights too!". It's not anything revelatory, radical, or frankly interesting. It's a true story though, and presents the author's opinion. I think it's presented well enough, and if this is the autobiography that is changing the public discourse around gay rights in Japan, then I'm all for it.
One quibble I had was that the dialogue seemed artificially eloquent. The author is reconstructing conversations from decades ago, why are they so detailed? Why is the author able to present his case in clear and eloquent terms while in the heat of the moment, or while drunk, etc? I sense a little bit of selective editing: "this is what I meant to say", "this is the best version of what I argued".
Honest snapshot of life as a gay man in 2000s and 2010s Japan
I found this to be a breezy, enjoyable read chronicling Nanasaki's struggles in life as he came to terms with his sexual identity in a heteronormative society. Despite the hardships, there's at times great joy in the writing, and one gets the feeling that Nanasaki, who remains a renowned activist for LGBTQ+ rights, has found his own place in life and the world precisely because of who and what he is. The world may tell you that you're "wrong", "out of place" or "sick", but it's important to keep going, to keep searching for your true self.
I also enjoyed that there was a reconnection between him and a transgender character from his childhood, acknowledging that they had hurt each other in the past but were moving on together now. It reminded me again of the fact that social justice can only be achieved if we hold together.
If you enjoy slightly fictionalized autobiographies with an emphasis on the emotions and sympathy instead of the prose you'll enjoy this book and maybe even find kinship with Nanasaki. Heavy warnings for homophobia and general bigotry aimed at the main characters.