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Reviews tagging 'Medical content'
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
5 reviews
celestepaed's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
The beginning of the book was a little hard to get through because it was a lot of information I already knew but I feel like I’m walking away from this book with a better understanding of myself. There’s a special kind of security that comes from validation and that’s exactly what this book gifted me. One of the better parts of this book is that it’s perfect for if you’re already ace identifying or someone who is looking to better understand their relationship to sex or to better understand the meaning of asexuality with no prior knowledge on the subject.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Rape, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Ableism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
samchase112's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Part cultural analysis, part introduction to asexuality and aromanticism, this is a well-written, well-researched exploration of sexuality in modern culture — mixed with experiences of people who identify as asexual. I knew this would be a fascinating, eye-opening read, and it lived up to those expectations. I hope this book continues to reach more people and educate, because this is an aspect of our culture that — as this book illustrates so clearly — needs to be understood on a wider scale.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Deportation, Sexism, Rape, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Homophobia, Biphobia, Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Ableism, Lesbophobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Sexual violence
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
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
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!
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!
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
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