Scan barcode
jojosbizzareadventure's review
informative
fast-paced
5.0
A great overview of asexuality. Tackles what it is, stereotypes, the complexity/graduation of asexuality, in a way that felt well presented and easy to understand, especially from someone who knows little.
cat_lover_reads's review
3.0
This should have been a 4/4.5 stars.
First, this is a really good, short intro to asexuality and aromanticism. It gives a good starting point on many different topics that you can then deep dive into if you want to know more. Some definitions could be confusing but overall, it was good.
However,
The section titled “The ‘A’ in LGBTQIA+” talked about what the ‘A’ meant: either asexual or ally (hint: it does not mean ally, at least not anymore). But when asked whether asexuals are actual members of the queer community the authors gave a wishy-washy answer of maybe/maybe not. The right answer should have been that, definitely yes, asexuals and aromantics are members of the community until an individual says they don’t identify that way. Throughout most of the book they kept repeating the mantra of finding community and then didn’t come right and say that they are welcome and included in the queer community. That could be a very confusing message for someone just discovering their asexuality.
This was good and I’ll be looking at some of the other books in this series.
First, this is a really good, short intro to asexuality and aromanticism. It gives a good starting point on many different topics that you can then deep dive into if you want to know more. Some definitions could be confusing but overall, it was good.
However,
The section titled “The ‘A’ in LGBTQIA+” talked about what the ‘A’ meant: either asexual or ally (hint: it does not mean ally, at least not anymore). But when asked whether asexuals are actual members of the queer community the authors gave a wishy-washy answer of maybe/maybe not. The right answer should have been that, definitely yes, asexuals and aromantics are members of the community until an individual says they don’t identify that way. Throughout most of the book they kept repeating the mantra of finding community and then didn’t come right and say that they are welcome and included in the queer community. That could be a very confusing message for someone just discovering their asexuality.
This was good and I’ll be looking at some of the other books in this series.
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
This did what it said on the cover and was a quick and easy guide to asexuality. It didn't go in depth to a lot of the aspects of asexuality but it wasn't meant to, so that's fine.
Sometimes this did lean more into anecdotal responses regarding asexuality moreso than factual, though, so those unfamiliar with asexuality and reading this as educational may want to take that into consideration.
There were also a couple of contentious things mentioned. The A in LGBTQIA+ section was a bit iffy to me, as the A does stand for asexual, aromantic, agender, and does not stand for ally. The book says it's "unsure" what the A stands for but it has always stood for non-allocishet A identities, not ally. It also contractied itself a couple times, like saying asexuality is defined by attraction not action but including action (or lack thereof) when defining asexuality later on.
I also don't know if the graphic novel format did anything extra for this book than a novel or short PDF could, given it was mostly in talking heads format, but that's not to say the art itself was bad.
I did like the extra references at the end for further reading and the disclaimers at the start.
Overall, it did what it said on the cover and was a quick and easily digestible introduction to asexuality, though it did have a few flaws in doing so. I would still recommend it as an introduction but encourage others to do more reading on the topic through other sources and books.
Sometimes this did lean more into anecdotal responses regarding asexuality moreso than factual, though, so those unfamiliar with asexuality and reading this as educational may want to take that into consideration.
There were also a couple of contentious things mentioned. The A in LGBTQIA+ section was a bit iffy to me, as the A does stand for asexual, aromantic, agender, and does not stand for ally. The book says it's "unsure" what the A stands for but it has always stood for non-allocishet A identities, not ally. It also contractied itself a couple times, like saying asexuality is defined by attraction not action but including action (or lack thereof) when defining asexuality later on.
I also don't know if the graphic novel format did anything extra for this book than a novel or short PDF could, given it was mostly in talking heads format, but that's not to say the art itself was bad.
I did like the extra references at the end for further reading and the disclaimers at the start.
Overall, it did what it said on the cover and was a quick and easily digestible introduction to asexuality, though it did have a few flaws in doing so. I would still recommend it as an introduction but encourage others to do more reading on the topic through other sources and books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Mental illness
forestfeline's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
All things considered, this book is what it says on the tin. It's a short and sweet guide meant to give an overview of Asexuality, and it does just that. In addition to giving a basic overview aimed at those questioning mostly, it also presents the information in a way that is accessible to anyone wanting to learn more about the topic.
Books like this in general are important especially for libraries to own, because it can help those questioning their own identity to help figure themselves out, or explore other identities they didn't already know about. I have recommended others in this series for my library to purchase, and will do the same with this one.
My only criticism is that some parts are just slightly cringey, like the authors were trying to sound cool or attempting to make themselves more relatable to teens. This may be just because I'm an adult, though.
All things considered, this book is what it says on the tin. It's a short and sweet guide meant to give an overview of Asexuality, and it does just that. In addition to giving a basic overview aimed at those questioning mostly, it also presents the information in a way that is accessible to anyone wanting to learn more about the topic.
Books like this in general are important especially for libraries to own, because it can help those questioning their own identity to help figure themselves out, or explore other identities they didn't already know about. I have recommended others in this series for my library to purchase, and will do the same with this one.
My only criticism is that some parts are just slightly cringey, like the authors were trying to sound cool or attempting to make themselves more relatable to teens. This may be just because I'm an adult, though.
royalwaves's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great guide to asexuality and as someone who’s been questioning if they fall onto the asexual spectrum this definitely helped me quite a bit. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about asexuality.
leafblade's review
4.0
I recieved this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It's exactly what it advertises itself as. My queer activism journey began ten years ago and I have been surrounded by ace-spec people for quite some time, so honestly I didn't learn anything new per se by reading this book. But the way it presents every topic, how it weaves everything together while keeping everything simple and straight to the point, is very VERY needed in times like these, when exclusionists spew misinformation while trying to police how everyone should live their sexual/romantic feelings. I didn't know this was a series before requesting the book, but I'll for sure check out the rest!
It's exactly what it advertises itself as. My queer activism journey began ten years ago and I have been surrounded by ace-spec people for quite some time, so honestly I didn't learn anything new per se by reading this book. But the way it presents every topic, how it weaves everything together while keeping everything simple and straight to the point, is very VERY needed in times like these, when exclusionists spew misinformation while trying to police how everyone should live their sexual/romantic feelings. I didn't know this was a series before requesting the book, but I'll for sure check out the rest!