The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary
Author: Travis Alabanza
Published: 2022
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Themes: Identity, Racism, Homophobia.

One sentence summary: A beautiful memoir, styled in a clever way, and filled with love and despair.

One sentence review: “Representation is certainly sometimes a balm for loneliness”

Review:

This is a memoir built differently to others I’ve read recently. Instead of looking at life chronologically or splitting into themes, Alabanza takes seven phrases been told to them throughout their life and delves into them deeper.

Alabanza has witnessed so much and has written such an elegant and lyrical memoir. It’s a glimmer of hope against the dreary backdrop society paints against the black and trans community intersection. A must read.

I don’t think my words can do this book justice, so I’ll leave some beautiful quotes instead:

“Provide us with the magnifying glass of perspective and we can hold our memories under it for inspection.”

“It seems ‘proper’ actually just becomes a word that shows power – in which the cisgender community still holds the power to decide the terms by which they will accept the improper’ (read: trans).”

“I do believe we can mention differences without disrespect. That we can lift up our truth without denying someone else’s.”

“’Understanding is not a pre-requisite for us existing.”

“Representation is certainly sometimes a balm for loneliness”

I’d go as far as saying this is a must read for all, I hope you enjoy it.

If reading more is something that you’re looking at doing this year then should check my reading challenge out here! Read nine books from nine prompts over the first six months of the year and be entered into a draw to win a bundle of bookish goodies.

If you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here.

If you like what you’ve read and would like to access more content, I’d love if you could take a look at my patreon and consider supporting my content on there too.

And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 12/02/2025