The Terrible We: Thinking with Trans Maladjustment

by Cameron Awkward-Rich

In The Terrible We Cameron Awkward-Rich thinks with the bad feelings and mad habits of thought that persist in both transphobic discourse and trans cultural production alike. Observing that trans studies was founded on a split from and disavowal of madness, illness, and disability, Awkward-Rich argues for and models a trans criticism that works against this disavowal. By tracing the coproduction of the categories disabled and transgender in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century and analyzing transmasculine literature and theory by Eli Clare, Elliot Deline, Dylan Scholinski, and others, Awkward-Rich suggests that thinking with maladjustment might provide new perspectives on the impasses arising from the conflicted relationship between trans, feminist, and queer. In so doing, he demonstrates that rather than only impeding or confining trans life, thought, and creativity, forms of maladjustment have also been and will continue to be central to their development.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, Disability, Transgender, LGBT, Gender, Philosophy

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2022

About the author

Cameron Awkward-Rich is a poet and a scholar of trans theory/expressive culture. Awkward-Rich received his B.A. in English and Biology from Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University. His writing and teaching creatively combine trans/feminist/queer theory, disability studies, black studies, and poetry and other forms of experimental writing to explore transgender aesthetics and cultural production, the conflicted histories of trans/feminist/queer thought in the U.S., and collective affect/feeling.

Presently, he is an associate professor in the Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Reviews

[Sarah Cavar]

Easily one of my go-to “theory books” to recommend to EVERYONE. Awkward-Rich is an excellent writer and scholar, and both are on display in The Terrible We.

He stories together transMad lineages and resists binarizing disability justice and pro-depathologization trans movements (while still brilliantly criticizing the increasing institutionalization of trans studies and its relationship to “womens” and “queer” academic spaces and traditions). He devotes equal attention to transMad poetics and unusual, fractal ways of storying, and looks to poetry as a key to dealing with (and making a future out of) the inherent contradictions that come with having a body that misfits. Somehow, all of this comes together in just 150 incredibly expansive pages, while also leaving open a generous amount of space for readers to play and add more. This is the community book we need.

[Noa Sepharia]

Depressed trans ppl stand up

[Chidi]

The Terrible We asks us to think of/use maladjustment as an organizing principle in trans studies. By looking at maladjustment instead of dismissing it, we can access alternative modes of being and thinking. As a mentally ill trans person, I ate this book up. A fun provocative read. Great companion to “Side Affects: On being Trans and Sad” by Hil Malatino.

[endrju]

Moj prikaz: https://talas.org.rs/2023/05/18/pisat...

[Eden]

I never ever give academic books star ratings, but for this one I feel compelled to use every possible means to express how great I think it is.

[Anya Filyurina]

I haven't made up my mind on this book yet.

While it expresses thoughts that are quite compelling, I keep thinking that the writing could have been much more accessible and straightforward. I understand that at points using convoluted language to express complex ideas is the only way to go, but I didn't always feel this way throughout the book, and at times made my reading experience way more arduous than it could have been.

That said, I did enjoy the actual content of the book, given it is the first academic book on trans studies that fell into my hands. It provides in-depth analysis of the media by and about trans people to illustrate its ideas, and I think my mental picture of trans identity is much more complete after reading this book which is a desirable outcome.

[Dasha]

While this book took a bit of time and a lot of effort to think through the author's intricate argument and writing style it was well worth it. I think the embrace of "maladjustment" and the histories and stories that are revealed through that embrace open up all new possibilities to understanding trans*ness. The chapters are rich with cultural artefacts and stories re-told and understood through the perspective of maladjustment.

[Abbey Piatt Price]

thank u for helping me write my queer theory essay on gilderoy Lockhart

[Becky]

I found the premise of this book so thought provoking, and really enjoyed reading it. I think that the meat of what I was interested in got away from the book at times, and I felt like I was reading on a lot more topics than I expected, but Cameron Awkward-Rich's writing kept me engaged wherever the content roamed, and I just loved the experience of reading this book and the headspace it has left me in.

[Chelsey]

Awkward-Rich has authored an incredibly rich and all-encompassing theoretical book on trans studies. So well written and organized, easy to follow and clear in premise - an important read in this field, or any for that matter!

[Hilary]

Great overview of trans theory.

[Hemel]

ik drink niet meer maar ik wil een hele fles rode wijn leegdrinken op een fluwelen sofa na gelezen te hebben wat volgens cameron awkward-rich de vanishing ground is voor the transmasculine subject...

[Hal]

fascinating!