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Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
5 reviews
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to asexual and aromantic identities, particularly for allosexual folks (Chen does indicate that this is a primary goal in framing the text). I appreciated how steadily Chen built a foundation for the reader, exploring first what asexuality and aromanticism are not and how our culture understands (and misunderstands) desire vs. attraction before exploring how race, gender identity and more intersect to create different individual experiences (and additional cultural barriers to acceptance). Chen writes of her own experience while also weaving in interviews with a diverse group of aces to help the reader understand the spectrum of asexual and aromantic experience.
I am particularly grateful for Chen's reflection on compulsory sexuality and amatonormativity (a new term for me - the belief that everyone desires romantic and/or sexual relationships). She breaks down media in ways I hadn't previously considered and provides new insight into what a more inclusive world for aces might look like, where nonromantic partnerships have access to legal protections traditionally afforded only to romantic partnerships, where popular media explores the vast spectrum of human attraction while not assuming romantic arcs are necessary, where asexuality becomes so understood and acceptable that young folks better understand themselves at earlier ages, where aces aren't immediately medicalized by therapists, physicians, friends and family as somehow "wrong" or "broken."
I highly recommend Ace to any nonfiction reader interested in learning more about asexuality - this is a fantastic introduction to the topic with takeaways relevant to all of us, regardless of our sexual orientation.
I am particularly grateful for Chen's reflection on compulsory sexuality and amatonormativity (a new term for me - the belief that everyone desires romantic and/or sexual relationships). She breaks down media in ways I hadn't previously considered and provides new insight into what a more inclusive world for aces might look like, where nonromantic partnerships have access to legal protections traditionally afforded only to romantic partnerships, where popular media explores the vast spectrum of human attraction while not assuming romantic arcs are necessary, where asexuality becomes so understood and acceptable that young folks better understand themselves at earlier ages, where aces aren't immediately medicalized by therapists, physicians, friends and family as somehow "wrong" or "broken."
I highly recommend Ace to any nonfiction reader interested in learning more about asexuality - this is a fantastic introduction to the topic with takeaways relevant to all of us, regardless of our sexual orientation.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Racism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
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.
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.
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
linblythe_pub22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
This book helped me so much to understand myself and others. Ace is a reassuring and eye opening read for aces but also anyone who has questions about the roles of sex and romance in our society. Everyone should read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Rape, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Infidelity, and Acephobia/Arophobia
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
rini's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia and Ableism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Dysphoria
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