Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

45 reviews

butlerebecca's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism

cris_is_in_crisis's review against another edition

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.

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

angela chen's ace is an informative, revelatory book on asexuality and its implications for society, though it's not as earth-shattering as i thought it'd be.

while the book can be repetitive at times, it affirms many of my own previous conjectures, reiterates the existence and importance of a variety of identities, and definitively offers a new and ace perspective thru which to see and exist in a hetero- and amatonormative world, in turn offering possibilities and hope for a society that values non-sexual relationships more, though reality def has a lot to catch up to.

overall im glad to have come across and read this book - esp since it's very intersectional - learn from it, and hope to go back for another more thorough read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Toxic relationship, Ableism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Homophobia

oh_bother's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I am so grateful this book exists. Whether you are questioning your sexuality, want to learn more about the ace experience, or just want to question and learn more about your views on sex in general this is a fantastic book. Having words for my experience as an ace person is so valuable. I left this book feeling accepted and less alone. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Racism

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Racism

snowypineapples's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

This book is incredible. It's asks us to reconsider consent, sex, intimacy while centering asexual people and letting them know they're not broken, it's ok to not experience sexual desire regardless of the reason or experiences that intertwine with these feelings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Body shaming

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Outing

erinwolf1997's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Moderate: Transphobia

displacedcactus's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

This book is a good introduction to asexuality. It covers a lot of topics, including but not limited to:
-What asexuality is and what it's like to be asexual
-The history of asexual communities on the internet
-The intersections of asexuality and gender, race, or disability
-Aromanticism
-How some couples handle an ace/allosexual relationship
-Compulsive heteronormativity, sexuality, and romance in Western culture

The author is pretty clear at the beginning about the limits of her book, and at the end she provides some ideas for further reading. There are also extensive notes for each chapter.

My only real complaint about the book is that it could have used another editing pass. There are some typos and sentences that are either missing words or have extra words, requiring 2-3 rereadings to figure out what the author actually meant.

Over all, this would be a good place to start if you're either considering whether you might be ace, if you want to better understand asexual loved ones, or if you'd like to consider ace/aro characters in your writing projects.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Racism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

All of the -"isms" are discussed as things that people interviewed for the book have experienced, rather than being reflected in the author's opinions or anything like that. Likewise, the discussions of sex and SA are in the framing of asexual people's experiences and are presented in a non-sensationalized way as you would expect from a nonfiction work like this.

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