Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Ace by Angela Chen

13 reviews

pandemonicbaby's review

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was a very interesting read on sexuality in general and how asexuality brings a new perspective to our understanding of society (and social expectations) and intimacy, both on a broader and on an individual level.
It presented and described many different ace experiences, which just goes to show how no one community is homogenous, and how people are able to find different ways of finding love and happiness in their own existence.
This book also helped me reevaluate my own relationship with sexuality, and reflect upon how much of it has been molded by societal expectations and fear. This read has made me maybe a little bit less scared of maybe not conforming to what society expects of me, and of looking for intimacy in relationships in the way *i* want to have intimacy in relationships; not in the way societal expectations have told me to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Medical trauma

Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Sexual content, Homophobia, Biphobia, Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Ableism, Lesbophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual violence

cris_is_in_crisis's review

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

A book dealing with asexuality, its meaning and all that derives from it told from the perspective of actual ace people. An intriguing lense in a world that is too often forgotten in the vast ocean of civil and LGBTQ+ rights (so much so that the book states that some people in the LGBTQ+ community don't even recognise aces or aros as their own sexualities).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Classism, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

All the trigger warnings are dealt in a way as to explain why they are wrong, if so, and minimise the impact that they could have on a reader.

julianh's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual violence

takarakei's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. This is a fascinating examination of our wider (mostly American) culture, and how sex obsessed it is. As someone who is alo (not ace), there was so much I gained from listening. I really enjoyed the intersectionality of acephobia and homophobia, racism, ableism, transphobia - basically the oppression of all marginalized groups. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Transphobia, Sexism, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Misogyny

sexual content: discussed in generally fairly clinical terms, but as this book deals with sex in society it is the main topic of the book.

librarymouse's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Ace is a well-written and thoughtful exploration of asexuality beyond the label. The dedication "for everyone who has wanted to want more" almost made me cry before I'd even started on the contents of the book. It is the gratifying and heartbreaking possibility of being known and understood within a lifetime spent feeling broken. Prior to reading this, the possibility of struggling when aging and losing my own agency/physical ability alone had always been a scary thought I tried to suppress. Chen's exploration of alternative ways of being and of forming bonds, as well as alternative community structures begs further reflection on my own part, and also offers some comfort from those fears. Finding that the l language necessary to explore and define myself and issues I find myself up against exists is incredibly valuable and validating. I have identified as asexual for about 5 years, often feeling broken along theIway. I've learned so much from this book. I want everyone I love to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, and Ableism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

midnightcomets's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

5/5 stars

Beyond words 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Transphobia and Misogyny

Minor: Ableism

foreverinastory's review

informative inspiring

5.0

I cannot recommend this book enough! Ace should be required reading for every Sex Ed/health class. I wish I had this book when I was younger. This book is so informative and covers many basic tenants of asexuality as well as diving deeper into it. Chen also explores several facets of intersectionality and ace identity. 

This was such a well done non-fiction book and I hope we get more books like this about Asexuality and other queer identities that aren't always spotlighted. This was such a great book and it's very readable. I highly recommend it to allies, and queer people alike because I think it will benefit everyone. 

I can't wait for the day Ace liberation truly begins. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Sexism, and Transphobia

pastelkerstin's review

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

[For context: I'm asexual and somewhere on the aromantic spectrum. This is an ownvoice review.]

This book fills a previous gap of non-fiction about asexuality that goes beyond mere Asexuality 101 (definition of asexuality, busting of common misconceptions) but that is still accessible to a broader audience. It has deservedly become the go-to rec for people looking for non-fiction books about asexuality.

In terms of non-fiction about asexuality, I've previously read Ace and Proud: An Asexual Anthology, which is mostly made up of ace people talking about their personal experiences, and it's fine for what it is, but as an anthology, it doesn't have an overarching structure. And then there was also Sex or Ice cream?: Secrets of an Asexual; Asexuality in a Sexed Up World—A Thought-Provoking and Comically Quirky Memoir, a memoir I strongly disliked for several reasons (see my review of it for details). Another non-fiction book about asexuality that I have started to read (and intend on finishing) is the more academic Asexual Erotics: Intimate Readings of Compulsory Sexuality. But ACE is different from all of those books and if you are a) not ace but want to learn more about asexuality and how it relates to other topics, b) questioning whether you are ace, or c) are ace and are tired of Asexuality 101 explanations, I'd say read ACE. It's a good introduction to asexuality if you need that but it also has so much more in store. I've known I'm asexual for over eight years. I'm not interested in basic definitions anymore. I'm interested in intersectionality and politics and the complexity of human relationships. I'm interested in analyses of how being a-spec in a world where you are assumed to be attracted to people romantically and sexually shapes your life. And ACE delivers just that.

Chen manages to cover quite a lot of ground in the pages of this books, talking about toxic masculinity, feminism, race, disability, compulsory sexuality, the pathologization of low/no sexual attraction, hermeneutical injustice, relationships, marriage law, consent and more, and how those topics relate to asexual people but also to many non-aces. A lot of the things ace activists fight for are things that would also benefit other people, who do not identify as a-spec, because ace activism often gets to the core of societal problems. I believe you will get something out of this book even if you're not ace for that reason as well.

Also, it should be noted that despite the title, the author also talks about aromanticism. She interviewed not only aroace but also aromantic allosexual people. Most of the book is more concerned with asexuality, so the branding makes sense, but there is a-spec content beyond and seperate from asexuality in here, which I think is great because aromanticism is often overlooked.

I really enjoyed my time with this book and I hope that we'll see even more good non-fiction about a-spec themes in the future. A lot of the topics that Chen mentions are so big and interesting that they could probably fill a whole book on their own. I think the topic of how asexuality intersects with gender roles and gender identity would be a great book, for example. Books like Chen's make me optimistic about the future of a-spec activism and literature!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Misogyny

Minor: Bullying, Dysphoria, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Murder, Death, and Death of parent

hayleyvem's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Minor: Alcohol and Gaslighting