I read this book as an ARC by choice on NetGalley, and this review is an honest one that reflects my opinions only.

I thought that this was a really insightful and well-done memoir that discusses queer life and poverty in such an insightful and deep way. As someone who has lived both of these realities, it was deeply touching and reflected the realities of these classes. I was really interested in the way that the author tied the two of these ideas together with her knowledge of capitalism and identity. Her expertise from her PhD shone through the writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

The writing style was personal and reflected the hardships and humour of the author spectacularly, and always felt appropriate to the tone. While dealing with the issues of childhood sexual assault and trauma, the tone was appropriate and respectful regardless of the rest of the book. I would place a trigger warning on the book for discussing that issue in particular. While it personally didn’t trigger me, it was a bit confronting in general, so be wary and take care of your own mental health.

Overall, I really appreciated this book and it gave me a deeper insight into issues that I was already intrigued by. Also, the discussion of 9/11 was really interesting.

This was such a fun, engaging read. I also grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, so obviously that connection contributed to my enjoyment, but Rust Belt Femme does an excellent job of balancing personal details and larger takeaways about Raechel's history and her queer femme identity, which makes for a quick, easy and impactful read. I don't think I've read anything else that explores the intersections between class, race, gender and sexuality in such a concise and accessible way.

My only real complaint is that I wish this had been a bit longer, or at least covered a longer period of time. Because it focuses on Raechel's time in Cleveland and she doesn't come to terms with her queerness until her college years, we hear a lot about what shaped that identity but not about how that identity actually looks and how it impacts her life, aside from a few paragraphs looking forward.

An honest, raw, non-linear, and beautiful memoir about growing up in the Rust Belt and how, even after you move far away, you never really escape it. Another stunning book from Belt Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. As a Rust Belt expat it moved me in ways I never expected. I can’t wait to buy a hard copy of it when it’s released.

I loved this book! For fans of Amber Hollibaugh, Leslie Feinberg, and Dorothy Alison. As a queer femme from the midwest, I couldn't stop myself from reading this book in one sitting. So few books can speak to the experience of how growing up working class can shape your sense of gender and sexuality. This book put me through all the feelings- I laughed, I cried, and most importantly, I felt seen.

This was a really important and strong story; however, Jolie's non-linear narrative made the book feel distracted and as if it ended abruptly.

I found this memoir to be honest and open, and despite my own fairly different background there was lots to empathise with. The mentions of music, in particular, were visceral - I found myself stopping reading to go and find the appropriate soundtrack multiple times. It's definitely reiterated my 2020 mission to go to more gigs.
I found the writing style quite disorientating however - I'm a big fan of a non-linear narrative, but this wasn't that. The narrative itself was mostly chronological, however the loose use and swapping of tenses dragged me out of the book a few times.
I found the sections where Raechel is older to be most engaging - particularly the Food Not Bombs sections - and would have liked to have read more of this.

This was an okay story, but large parts of it failed to hold my interest. I did enjoy the few references to the 90s.

The timeline which was all over the place, along with the rapid tense changes, didn't help. A small example (Later, I did not want the attention of my mom's boyfriend, but it will happen anyway.)

With that said, I'm sure many readers will get more out of this memoir than I did.

Excellent book.
It’s well written and certainly worth the time to read this biography.
Overall a great read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book

A story of love and a testament of forgiveness, Jolie explores not just love of family, but of place, of class. “this city built by worker’s hands.” This memoir conveys a love of self and a gentleness that I haven't seen before. Rust Belt Femme is a thoughtful and personal examination of class and gender, and how Jolie found her peace with both. A narrative of strength and resilience, Jolie writes simply and beautifully about growing up poor and other, while also acknowledging the privilege she did have.

Sadly I didn’t finish this book. I live in Northeast Ohio and I love the concept of the book and the author’s story.



But—- the author changes tense in her writing style so rapidly that two paragraphs have completely different tense structures when referring to the same time period. I found it very distracting and hard to read and ultimately gave up because of it.

I went into this book expecting something along the lines of Stone Butch Blues or Redefining Realness and I got a little bit of both, a little bit of neither.
This book really feels like a memory, sometimes raw, sometimes processed and analyzed, with songs and quotes, and jumping ahead and then returning back. If you love memoirs, or stories in which a place is a character on its own, or story of working class people, this book is 100% for you.

The one thing that disappointed me a little is the fact that it had typos and formatting mistakes near the end, and I hope it will be fixed before publication

"This story, then, is about growing up in poverty in rural Ohio, finding hope in the alternative culture I'd discovered in Cleveland, and how my complicated love for these people and these places is a tenacious part of everything I've done since leaving it. Every bit of it turned me into the queer femme feminist writer I am today..."

"In between [her childhood] and now are Northeast Ohio landmarks that left scars, sometimes like kisses and sometimes like razor blades."

RUST BELT FEMME is a love letter to the good, the bad, and the Very Bad   incidents, people and places which have coalesced, forming Raechel into the person and the destiny that had been hers all along.

Raechel's candor is refreshing, and as such, her personality shines through with every word she writes. I have read reviews referring to the sometimes crude language she uses as inappropriate, but I have to disagree with that assessment. Raechel was raised in a blue collar home and the language she often uses in her book reflects that fact. A memoir can be written with lyrical prose of the very best kind and yet still be a flop with its intended readers. Why does this happen? I believe one word can sum up why a memoir either succeeds or fails; that word is AUTHENTICITY. Authenticity is (or should be) the goal of all memoir/auto-biographical authors. RUST BELT FEMME has authenticity in spades.

Having never heard of Raechel Anne Jolie before seeing the listing for this book on the NetGalley website, I began reading Rust Belt Femme with no preconceived notions of it's content. Because of this, every new morsel of information was eagerly awaited and Raechel did not disappoint.

RUST BELT FEMME proves just how important childhood events are in the formation of the adult we will become. Raechel's loss of her father figure at such a  tender age was the single event upon which her  childhood took a distinctly darker turn. Despite her family's economic issues, she "... never doubted that [her] mom loved [her] more than anything, and that she would love [her] profoundly and without condition. There was never one instance when she made [her] feel like [she] had to change, not one second when she didn't make it clear that [Raechel] was the most important thing to her in the world."

"In her Introduction, Raechel states: "... whether our neurology is burdened by trauma or not, I think most of us who are drawn to memoir are burdened with an incurable case of nostalgia." I agree wholeheartedly and admit that I am afflicted with the exact nostalgia she is talking about, and in reading RUST BELT FEMME, that desire was 100% fulfilled.

I rate RUST BELT FEMME as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and highly recommend this book to all my fellow memoir lovers.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.*

An excellent memoir from Raechel Anne Jolie detailing her life in Ohio and beyond. I found it informative and interesting throughout. I was particularly saddened to learn about the Irish immigrant canal workers and the dreadful conditions they endured. Heartbreaking to think of them, and the indigenous people, kept beneath the white folks both literally and figuratively. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. And I'm glad to know it's not just me with the Jeremy Irons thing! As Raechel says herself, this memoir more than satisfied my need for nostalgia. There is so much humanity in this book; so many people just doing the best that they can to get by. So many people trying to forge their own identities. Themes include love, relationships, poverty, politics, activism and queer culture. I've re-read many passages and highlighted them to read again. I loved every word and found it incredibly inspiring. Major kudos for the mixtape at the end! What a wonderful way to start 2020!