LIBRARY JOURNAL --Fictionalizing her own experiences and those ofpeople she's known, writer Perez recounts episodes (some selections previouslypublished in Island anthology) documenting the life of transgender sexworker Felina Love. This isn't champagne-glamorous, high-class stuff but asometimes bloody obstacle course undertaken at great risk to stay alive,solvent, and sane. For while Seattle offers Felina more permissive ambiance thandid her childhood home in Michigan, threats and bullying plus physical andpsychological danger lurk everywhere for a person perceived as neither fullymale nor female. Her sometimes tormented customers don't have an easy time of iteither. Boydell's (Emergency!; Recovery Blogger) anthropomorphicwatercolor art provides a manageable distance between readers and characterswhile lending ironic poignancy. Felina's sexual life, both professional andpersonal, is depicted candidly, yet in Boydell's hands the effect isdispassionate, not titillating.Verdict Achallenging, intense, and empathic account of finding oneself despite heavyodds.-Martha Cornog, Philadelphia
