Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
54 reviews
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.
-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.
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.jlferrazzo27's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Absolutely fascinating read! Turns out I knew very little about asexuality and it’s multifaceted experience. This book did an awesome job of challenging societal definitions of sex, desire, attraction, intimacy, partnership, and romance. Highly recommend! Only gave it 4 stars because some portions of the audiobook were a bit slow for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
siebensommer's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
No one remarks on the fact that if anyone needs to make up an identity to get out of having sex, that is the bigger problem.
It is a failure of society if anyone needs to say “I have a partner" to turn someone down, and it is a failure of society if anyone needs to invoke a sexual orientation to avoid unwanted sex because saying no doesn't do the job.
a worthy read that makes you think and feel. i found this still put a major focus on a supremacy of relationships between two people over a kinship-oriented approach, at least up until the final chapter - kinda disappointing because the space for a general new view of worthy relationships would have been right there
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Sexual content
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.
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.ksuazo94's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Biphobia, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
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.
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
chloeluna's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I’m not a fan of first-person books in general and rarely read non-fiction. However, as an ace person this book was important for me to have read, and while so much of it I already knew from my previous knowledge seeking and/or personal experience, there was a lot still for me to (re)discover. The audiobook was really helpful for me as I struggled reading manually and assured me I did in fact want to own a physical copy. Started off slow for me, but the deeper discussions that interested me were farther in anyway.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
A disclaimer that books on asexuality (and aromanticism by exentension) talk a lot about sex, sexuality, sexual assault and the like for a proper analysis and discussion on the topic. This book talks about it honestly, sometimes personally, and often in a matter of fact way that is digestible even when dealing with sensitive material.questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This was a fascinating read. I've read a lot of LGBTQ+ non-fiction but never a book specifically about asexuality. This was a great exploration of the topic and would be a very accessible introduction for those who need it. I like nonfiction which mixes personal narrative, interviews and research and Chen does that very successfully here. This affirmed what I thought about a lot of topics and gave me a new perspective on others, like the concept of compulsory sexuality. It left me with a lot to think about, particularly how awareness and discussion of asexuality can help with de-centering romantic relationships as the most important within our society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
cozyscones's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Racism, and Sexual assault
myk_yeah's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.75
This is an incredible read! Its very captivating and a welcome opportunity to question why we believe what we do about dating, sex, love, and relationships. It not only educates about asexual people's experiences but charts a future where everyone is truly free to say yes or no to sex, without it meaning anything about us.
The book's style is an easily-digestable nonfiction: interwoven with personal narrative, research, and people's stories from interviews. I think it's very approachable for someone new to the topic of human sexuality and did a great job of exploring intersectional identities. The audiobook is also great, but I liked having the physical copy to make underlines.
The piece on queerplatonic relationships almost made me tear up. I'm in a QPP and I basically never hear it talked about unless I'm explaining it to someone. Coming across it in a book was very moving to me.
The book's style is an easily-digestable nonfiction: interwoven with personal narrative, research, and people's stories from interviews. I think it's very approachable for someone new to the topic of human sexuality and did a great job of exploring intersectional identities. The audiobook is also great, but I liked having the physical copy to make underlines.
The piece on queerplatonic relationships almost made me tear up. I'm in a QPP and I basically never hear it talked about unless I'm explaining it to someone. Coming across it in a book was very moving to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Ableism and Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Sexual assault