Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars is a fictionalized memoir written by Kai Cheng Thom & published by Zubaan Books. The debut author is also a performance artist, social worker, fierce trans femme and notorious liar who loves lipstick and superhero cartoons. She is also a mental health community worker and co-founder of the collective Monster Academy: Mental Health Skills for Montreal Youth.This book revolves around our fierce Asian trans-woman protagonist trying to find her way in the world & while doing so discover some ‘mystical & magical creatures’. As she leaves her house where she faces constant abuse to start her new life, she comes across several friends & people who became her family. While being with her new family she eventually finds her true self and evolves to attain her actual identity. But as another fellow femme friend gets murder in a hate crime, our protagonist along with her friends decide to fight the hate by themselves & form their own little vigilante group named the ‘Lipstick Lacerators’. But as it happens, things go wrong & our protagonist need to now introspect how should they mend their ways while also protect themselves.This is my first fictionalized memoir to start with & honestly I wasn’t that sure about it, but the first paragraph of the book itself made it sure that I am in for a treat. The author made sure that the fictional parts didn’t ruin her experiences and they came out beautifully. Kai Cheng Thom’s story is that of sisterhood, loss and so much more. Her relationship with her sister is endearing and fills you up with joy as you read it. I can go on and on how much I loved reading this book but I will surely give away a lot of spoilers in doing so & hence can just urge you to please pick it up.

Kai Cheng Thom's - Fierce Femmes and Notorious LiarsRating -4/5A memoir of a trans person, and, in parts, a loose autobiographical account - Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars, is a treat without hiccups.Kai Cheng Thom's lucid prose takes the reader through to the trans community, which is an ultimate haven for victims of classism and racism.FFANL is not about being acceptable in a society that is prone to stereotype, and a one-way narrow street; but, about the person finding the place they belong to. It's a journey within...The magical realism incorporated into the narration, adds to the overall beauty of the memoir, and one can find oneself transported to and fro different worlds.Kai Cheng has tried to bring forward the whole inner world of the trans people, and the turmoil that rents the better part of their lives....The book has poems, letters, paranormal activities among other delights, and serves a lot more than meets the eye. However, one might, at times, judge the book as a little too fantastic...This has to be read!

It was fantastic, I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting. It doesn't just use a trans plotline to grab your attention, or just to be different, it uses it to craft a new one of a kind story that everyone should read.

The writing within this book is revolutionary. A call-to-action for writers everywhere. The book's narrative is stunning and multi-disciplinary. I am grateful to have read this book with its fantastic, intersectional stories of femmes working both within and outside of the oppressive systems to be heard and to demand justice. The book challenges activists to think about reform and/or revolution, the concept of passing, and about how the intersectionality of identities contributes to privilege and oppression. Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars is more non-fiction than fiction as it incorporates the true injustices and struggles that trans women face daily.

It’s impossible to really describe this book correctly. I could talk about the plot, but it’s so much more than that just the events that make up the story. I could talk about genres it touches on, but it really defies genre classification. There are autobiographical elements, letters, poems, and surreal visions that compose the parts of the book, but it’s really about the things we have to escape to find ourselves. I know exactly what the author is talking about, and will also never be able to truly get it. It’s awesome and more people should read it.

This is a wonderful book, I had to read for uni and felt underwhelmed and confussed at first; when you dive into the story and dissect the story and characters it really is a deep story. That is more complicated than one would get from surface level reading.

I loved the story and the writing. The book involved a lot of traumatic events, that most trans women have to go through, but instead of victimizing the characters, the author showcased their strength and created this fairytale where the princesses are their own knights in shining armor. I really liked the use of mythological elements, especially when the subject was more sensitive , because it prevented the reader from letting those events define the character, without minimizing the emotional impact.