Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir

by Chase Joynt, Bespeak Audio Editions (publisher)

Finalist, Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction

A provocative book by an acclaimed writer-filmmaker that combines memoir and media as seen through a trans lens

Following the death of the family patriarch, a box of newly procured family documents reveals writer-filmmaker Chase Joynt’s previously unknown connection to Canadian media maverick Marshall McLuhan. Vantage Points takes up the surprising appearance of McLuhan in Joynt’s family archive as a way to think about legacies of childhood sexual abuse and how we might process and represent them. To do so, Joynt stages a series of vignettes that place memoir in the context of other sources, media, and stories to create a tapestry—a montage-like experience of reading with surprising and revealing juxtapositions.

Joynt writes about difficult pasts and connects them to contemporary politics and ways of being, employing McLuhan’s seminal Understanding Media as an inciting framework. Vantage Points is a kaleidoscopic reckoning with the impact of media and masculinity on the stories we tell about ourselves and our families, a unique and highly visual approach to trans life writing, and an experimental move between gender and genre.

This audiobook edition includes behind-the-scenes production notes written by the author, detailing the inspiration and meaning behind black-and-white illustrations and archival materials.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, LGBT, Memoir, Canada, Biography, Transgender

Audible Audio

First published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Emilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A particularly self-indulgent book, justifying itself through a tenuous familial connection to Marshall McLuhan.

Maybe it was exaggerated to invoke the same Kuleshov effect the author seems fascinated by. This effect points to a phenomenon in which two sequential shots have a greater effect on the viewer than any single shot presented in isolation. When the same expressionless image of a man is cast against a girl in a coffin and a bowl of soup, the expression is read differently by the viewer – first as grief-stricken, then as hungry. Put next to a page from this book, he would no doubt look as bored as I felt.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and inventive use of the memoir form (in that the form is disrupted) that cleverly weaves together media theory from joynt’s own family history with his past traumas

[dobbs the dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received from NetGalley, thanks!

This book was fascinating. I listened to the audio, which is narrated by the author, and I think it's the only audiobook I've ever listened to that included image descriptions. I really appreciated them! I've since had a look at the physical book, and it is full of various illustrations, so having the image descriptions was so helpful.

I feel like I probably need to read the physical book before I can write an accurate/coherent review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Vantage Points: On Media as Trans Memoir by Chase Joynt and I loved this book! I listened to the audiobook read by the author and it was great to listen to him tell his own story. This book made me remember reading Marshall McLuhan: You Know Nothing of My Work! by Douglas Coupland back in 2013 and it’s referenced in this book. The medium is the message or the medium is still the massage is still relevant today. It’s very interesting to read about media from his trans perspective. So many amazing authors are referenced in this book including Douglas Coupland, Elliot Page, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Zoe Whittall and Judith Butler. I really liked this unique take on memoir.

Thank you to ECW Press Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

[Dr. Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few books combine the emotional and intellectual so deftly as this book.

An exploration of transness, abuse, and media influenced by Marshall McLuhan. It's accessible and a real achievement.

[J.]

I’m not going to rate this book because I don’t know how to. Mostly because of how much of the technical/media-focused portions went over my heads. I know very little about media analysis, so I needed like, to be told how ‘media’ is actually defined in this context. What counts as ‘media’? Who the heck is Marshall McLuhan? (Context tells me he’s a media guy who is at least moderately known within his field. Is he widely known in popular Canadian culture? No idea). So I get the impression that the intended audience of this book does not include people who need a plain-language primer lol.

While there are lots of interesting social and personal observations, I sometimes struggled with Joynt’s sparse approach to writing. I assume this style is intentional, perhaps connected to McLuhan’s oft-included thesis statement that “the medium is the message,” however Joynt’s habit of quoting other writers and scholars without making a clear connection to the rest of the paragraph (or injecting a single statement of personal history into a section on media history, or a single line of history into a personal account) left me feeling like an English teacher wanting to write “So what?” in the margin. Perhaps the problem is that the author wants me to do most of the thinking for myself, and I am not confident enough to do so.

I don’t want to diminish the sensitive balance between Joynt’s disclosure of childhood sexual assault, complicated family history and thoughts on gender, and the media analysis used to frame it. It was an entirely unique (to me) way to think about formative experiences and trans identity, which has left me percolating. And I do really appreciate the efforts that were made to make this evidently visual book accessible within the audiobook format. In fact it worked well for me, because the author was able to reveal some of the intentions behind the visuals which wouldn’t have been evident to me, a self-confessed noob. But I think that there were probably layers to this book that went over my head because the creative and experimental approaches were beyond me.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review. It was narrated by the author, which added an addition layer of intimacy to this deeply personal book.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for grad school bullshit, even a brief, minor personal work like this.

I use the phrase “grad school bullshit” lovingly - as a reformed Spivak and Barthes-quoting grad student myself, I appreciate Joynt’s multimedia journey into the self as only a fellow former academic can. Joynt uses Marshall McLuhan here as a way into his own personal history - this is a work of trans memoir, certainly, but it’s just as much about childhood sexual abuse, Canadian identity, and our 21st-century relationship to subjectivity. It’s perhaps not as refined as Naomi Klein’s recent works of pop academia, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Unfortunately, there’s one huge caveat to my experience: the audiobook, narrated capably by the author, is certainly NOT the best way to read this. It’s so inextricably tied to the visual multimedia elements peppered throughout that I feel like I only glimpsed a tiny piece of the work as a whole. Chase Joynt does his best to describe each of these, but it’s just not the same. And hell, there’s a full hour and a half of endnotes and bibliography at the end of this, with hyperlinks read out loud! Not ideal. I’ll be seeking out a physical copy of this to get the proper experience when I can.

[Cassidy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

The graphic design of this book really added to the experience of reading it. The often uncomfortable hand positions you have to take while holding the book open (which might have been unintentional) added a parallel to the uncomfortable threads within the book. Some of the content was above my head but it was still wonderful to piece together. Its prompted exploration on some of the things referenced. Even if I didn’t “get” some parts it’s still 5/5 for me, and I will probably revisit again after some more learning on my part (it’ll be cool to use the audio book in tandem with the physical book)

[Elizabeth Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Warnings: Child Abuse (Sexual), Intergenerational Trauma, PTSD,

Reading this book was an experience that is hard to describe. It moves through different forms of media, such as telegraph, telephone, television, radio, and so on, and uses them as a means of connecting to the author’s lived experiences. There’s also a lot of allusions made to other writers’ and their theories, along with more historical and popular culture references.

I didn’t hate this book, but I also don’t think I’d ever read it again. In its efforts to engage the reader, I think it will form some success. While it didn’t leave an impression on me, I’m sure there are others who will enjoy its unique form and reflective nature.

I will mention here that I had both a digital ARC and a physical final version of the book. I could not get into the print version at all but gave the book a second chance with the digital text. The print version is just… borderline inaccessible. It is smaller than typical books, and the text and images are far too small to be read easily. It may have been made smaller in an effort to make it more travel sized/pocket sized, but I think it does so in detriment to the book. I rarely advise getting a digital version to read, but I think it’s a necessity with this text.

[Morgan M. Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chase Joynt's entire artistic output is laser-focussed on disrupting structure, form, and genre. In Vantage Points, he uses juxtaposition and strategic omission to obliterate (trans, CSA) memoir as a genre and create something new from the pieces. Removed are not only extraneous personal details but also the connective tissue between ideas — he shifts this work off of the page and into the minds of readers. A fascinating and, in my opinion, successful experiment.

[Ken Mullock]

I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn't move me or stick with me. I felt lost like I was missing backstory, yet even with rereading I couldn't get my bearings. It seemed like there were so many topics brought into discussion that the point was lost. I found myself wondering what the purpose or intent of the book was. Many connections/relations felt forced or overvalued. I love Chase Joynt's other works, so I wish I could've enjoyed Vantage Points more.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 rounded up only because I think it is a bit too challenging for me at this point — I am not well acquainted with Marshall McLuhan beyond The Global Village and some of the philosophy and references were lost on me. Despite that — this was incredibly moving, important, and thought provoking. Loved the storytelling in the design of the book as well and the use of black and white in the pages and layout.

[Kirb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well-crafted, and definitely worth the read even for someone who is not familiar with Marshall McLuhan. The book is a good blend of personal opinion and more academic exploration. Its structure makes it easy to read even with the sheer amount of ideas on each page, and the artful styling/arrangement make each page feel new and interesting.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enthralling and fascinating look at family dynamics, and childhood sexual molestation and abuse and its impact on a young trans individual as seen through the lens of Marshall McLuhan’s media studies.

[Natasha Nunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some interesting moments, but overall just too scattered and confusing for me. Plus, the book was physically very difficult to read -- to narrow so the pages wouldn't stay open. I wonder if this was a choice on the author's part? Anyway, it didn't work for me.

[rach quade]

very powerful, and fascinatingly constructed.

[Asher Levinthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Beautiful, introspective and insightful. Couldn’t recommend enough!

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and instructive journey

[Emily Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for anyone who likes memoirs in unconventional formats. If you like media studies rhetoric - it’s on another level.

[Kia Sconiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL!

[Sadifura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most perfect, inventive memoir I've ever read.

[grace eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

deeply profound, devastating, healing, and moving

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes difficult to connect the dots, but generally I appreciated how the author conveyed ideas and addressed heavy, personal themes in a unique way.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

CW: significant sexual abuse of a minor. The author weaves lived experience as the child victim of sexual abuse at the hands of an uncle with experience as a multimedia artist and trans person. It is an amazing exploration of text, imagery, typography, memory, and lived experience. A work of art.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth Through a Kaleidoscope Lens

A daring, genre-defying exploration of identity, truth, and the politics of storytelling in a world addicted to fear.