Gorgeous and tragic and poetic and moving, all at the same time. I loved this peek into the lives of queens, trans folx, and minority queers in NYC.

This book is a good read for fans of the 90s ballroom scene (not the dancing one, but the LGBTQ one represented in Paris is Burning - the documentary).
It is darker than I thought it would be and heartbreaking. Then again the LGBTQ community is still fighting an uphill battle nearly 30 years after this takes place. Ivan has writing beautiful snippets about a tough time.

Las Buity Queens: Stories by Iván Monalisa Ojeda (3.5 stars) Monalisa tells a collection of raw, heart-wrenching stories about the Latinx transgender community living in NYC.

Ojeda draws from their own personal experiences in being an undocumented American immigrant, a sex worker and a transgender performer. The characters in short stories struggle with substance abuse, issues with the law and selfharm as they try to make their own paths in life. There's also some good dark humour within the stories as the Latinx community copes with life's ups- and- downs. Also, you can find a lot of love shared between the members of the community; they've become their own family.

'we laugh and we dance until the sun goes down. From a distance, we must look like a coven of multicoloured witches.'

It was interesting to read this book so close to The House of Impossible Beauties as there was lots of overlapping of themes between the two books. I did find that a couple of the stories in Las Buity Queens were a touch too repetitive.

I've been a huge fan and supporter of drag events and culture ever since I met a fabulous queen at a Pride Event. I have quite a few friends that belong to the LGBTQ+ community though most are Canadian and Caucasian. It's so different hearing stories from families like the Latinx transgender community.

Big thanks in advance to NetGalley and W&N for the advanced reader copy ebook!

Raw and unfiltered, this beautifully-written short story collection gives voice and value to an often overlooked population: trans Latinx sexworkers.

And there is so much joy to be found in these interwoven stories, especially in the friendships between each of the girls, filled with unabashed generosity, and often transcending time and distance.

But it also brings to light the reality that discrimination towards this community is still a massive problem.

Reading about how abuse and even murder of trans sexworkers is the expectation rather than the exception is more than unsettling. And that needs to change.

I would highly suggest reading this work for yourself, and donating to a charity like Butterfly: Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network if you are in a position to do so.

A collection of short non-fiction stories that are bursting with the personalities within them. While the collection does not feel modern, it is a reminder that tight knit groups of trans Latinx women have been around long before the corporatization of Pride.

Las Biuty Queens provides a glimpse into the life of the Latinx transgender community in New York. It's funny, it's heartbreaking and it's an honest look at this close-knit community.

There is a darkness in all the stories as well...but so many of these stories need to be told. I hope that this is just the starting point and this is expanded into full length stories to be shared all over the world.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was certainly something. The writing as fine. Which means that half of the time I was absolutely enamored by the writing and the other half I thought was very awkward. Sometimes I would fall out of the story a bit which I also think had to do with the quickly changing chapters. I thought it was a fascinating story, very well told (as quick as I assume the life of the characters is). I was a bit confused at some points about the right terminology, though. As a cis person I thought the word transsexual was a no go and we were using the word transgender and yet. And yet. But I am excited to read the reviews of Trans readers regarding this.

Overall I can honestly say that I liked it, I even loved part of it but there were a lot of parts I didn't love. The book itself felt a bit like a pick'n'mix of random situations and people and I always thought well they will have a significance later on and then they didn't. So I felt a bit let down at the end. I am still happy I read it!

Iván Monalisa Ojeda's Las Biuty Queens is full of life and hustle, glitz and grit, and identity. Each section sparkles with Monalisa's panache as she/he shows the reader NYC's not-so-hidden sex worker scene while romping through stories of drug use, immigration struggles, drag and Latinx queers. She/he identifies as two-spirit and trans and the embracing of her/his identity(ies) permeates this book. Looking forward to diving into backlist stories, poetry and performances of this shining star!

ks and #Netgalley for my free copy of “Las Biuty Queen” by Ivan Monalisa Ojeda.

I love short story collections where the stories are interconnected and the reader has plenty of opportunities to get to know the characters in different settings. In Las Biuty Queen, Monalisa tells us of life for a group of Latinx trans women in New York City, trying to make ends meet by picking up clients in bars or the streets during the early hours of the morning; dreaming about finding love and winning beauty pageants. In and out of jail, persecuted by police and hiding from ICE. Beat by addiction and mental illness. Reminiscing about hard life back home, struggling with bullying, poverty and the uneven burden that patriarchy places on those who society deems as men, demanding self-sacrifice, bravado and toxic masculinity. Life is tough and their prospects scarce but at least they got each other. It sounds like a dark book, but Monalisa manages to make it feel lighthearted, funny and charming. He/she draws these characters based on his/her personal experience and those of his/her friends, inserting him/herself into these stories. He/she thus shows us vignettes of quotidianity full of feeling, resilience and hope.

I enjoyed this heartfelt collection where trauma and gender are not directly addressed, a sort of Sex and the City with far more endearing characters. Now excuse me while I try to find everything he has ever written. Monalisa has inserted him/herself into my list of authors to watch.

Really enjoyed this collection of stories (is it a memoir-in-stories?). Plainly narrated, loving portraits of the author and friends in 1990s and 2000s New York.

A must read for those who follow or are interested in LGBT + history. It is a hard read but true nonetheless for trans people and sex workers. It is tough, gripping, sad, and beautifully told all at once. I am grateful that I was able to read it and will praise it and encourage everyone to read it.

These stories are written from the perspective of transgender Latine immigrants and sex workers who live and work in New York City. They are about their day-to-day lives, their loves, the violence they encounter, and the joys they find in each other. I like how Ojeda didn't spare us the details of various Latin-American countries' slang to show the diverse origins of the characters. There is such a fierce intimacy within the characters' relationships, and the portrayal of it was very powerful.

This is an autobiographical short story collection about the author, a Chilean transgender performer, and writer. Ojeda shares stories about experiences as a sex worker, undocumented immigrant, and the lives of the other characters she encounters including other queer and trans immigrants. This book is an intriguing look at 90s New York as only someone who was there could write.

An engaging and evocative snapshot of life for trans women of color in New York in the late 90s. Monalisa's stories provide a valuable look into LGBT history