Tuesday, October 13, 2020

“Danger Music” by Eddie Ayres

 



Started reading this immediately after finishing his first book “Cadence” which was one of the best memoirs I’ve read in a long time. Such an intelligent, insightful and compassionate person, I connected right away with his writing.

Started reading: 16th September 2020
Finished: 24th September 2020
My review: 8/10

Aussie author stats: Although born in the UK, I think Eddie has dual nationality with Australia so I think this book counts as a book by an Aussie author. Genre: Memoir.


Like “Cadence” this book is such a beautifully written and moving memoir. “Danger music” covers the period of Eddie’s life where he quit ABC radio and moved to Afghanistan to teach music to children in Kabul, which also coincided with his decision to transition from female to male in his late 40s. The insights into his time in Kabul and the lives and challenges of the kids he teaches is a roller coaster of beauty and heartbreak, and the way he describes his gender dysphoria and relief at transitioning alongside these experiences is really moving and hopefully normalising for many cis gendered people who read this who otherwise might not have knowingly encountered anyone experiencing this. I did prefer “Cadence” over “Danger music” maybe because of the travel angle but I highly recommend both books and that you start with “Cadence”.

 

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