Dyke Delusions: Essays & Observations

by Samantha Mann

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Memoir, Queer, Essays

269 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sat on my shelf for nearly a year before I finally picked it up, but maybe it was just the right time.

Dyke Delusions is a collection of essays about queerness, womanhood, motherhood, love, trauma, body issues, abuse, coming of age, addiction, and much more. Part memoir, part cultural criticism I think there will be something here that resonates with everyone, regardless of your sexual identity. It's raw yet deeply thoughtful, yearning for a return to the innocence and easy confidence that can come with early childhood. Fantastic collection.

[Emma Lehmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

i judged a book by its cover (title) and learned a hard lesson. this read like a disjointed printout of someone's livejournal. the author spent more time discussing men & sex with men than the titular topic! i get that journey of understanding one's queerness sometimes starts in opposition to what we're not attracted to, but good GOD

[Marysia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly edited (one typo I can excuse, but 5+? in a published book? c’mon), lazily organized (the author justified repetitive content by framing it as representing the non-linear healing process, but 1. she could have easily put at least a little time into revising/cutting the identical sentences that appeared in adjacent essays and 2. her not doing that served to emphasize a lack of expositional creativity), oddly male-centric, formulaic, milquetoast cornball liberal feminist interpretation of dykehood: so unfortunately not that compelling to me. It was technically readable though and entertaining enough for me to finish it.

2.5 stars
#dontinternalizethiseden

[sofide · Rating 2 out of 5]

How many times should we expect a woman to articulately tell us her truth before we believe her? Or before she finally shuts up? Or before she stop trying?

Unfortunately I did not like this book. At first it didn't match my expectations - I was more hoping for a detailed recollection of lesbian desire, a more in-depth analysis of the political aspects of lesbianism (especially dykeness). But this, more than an essay, is an autobiography where Mann reflects a lot about her own struggles with comphet, which leads the narrative to be more about the pain men cause women that many other things. This is fine and it's a more than valid part of the lesbian experience. But it wasn't for me.

Beyond the individual level, there were many things about this book I didn't love, including the repetitions (that she points at herself, defending them as a literary device) and the lack of a more profound political framework considering the many important things that are addressed throughout the book. I do wonder way. It left me feeling a bit empty.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF with like 30 pages left sorryyyyyyy. at first i was like ok this is like……. fine albeit in need of a way better editor. but as it went on it became very repetitive (there’s a disclaimer at the beginning that these essays go forward and backward in time, but this feels more coincidental than intentional). the section on motherhood could have probably been condensed into 2 essays for example. once i got to the final section i felt like i was reading fist year undergrad essays. really wanted to like this one but unfortunately it is just not very well written or thought out.

[Abby Mynahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book wins title of the year, but was unfortunately quite redundant and disjointed (and not in a fun way)

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[my scary library]

It will never be the cure ahhh book