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A review by erikachung182
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I've seen the word asexuality pop up pretty often in the internet concerns I hang out in. And while there's always been very helpful people writing explainers and posts, I always felt a little overwhelmed by its range of definitions because there's no definitive consensus on the "scope" of asexuality. And it looks like, that's sort of the point to think about and reflect on. So I really appreciated Angela Chen's approach and perspective in this book. While this is not a definitive/authoritative take on the topic, I appreciated the intersectional perspective asexuality is explained through, and the multitude of contexts and experiences included in this book. This perspective is really helpful because it accounts for that range of definitions and experiences, and how asexuality is also complex.
This book has given me a lot of food for thought. Through the pandemic I've had conversations with friends about dating, and while that aspect of life is something I don't pay a lot of attention to, I think this book has helped me put certain things about myself in perspective. (How I define myself in this aspect of life remains undetermined and is likely influx). I appreciated how Chen examines how sexuality is so normative in western society, and the amount of social, cultural, economic and political infrastructures that are grounded in it. I really liked how Chen provides emphasis and explanation on how people can have a choice in what they wish to prioritize in their life, but that it's challenging when much of our social and cultural landscape only prioritizes one way of living. There are many great concepts and terms in this book, so while I listened to this as an audio book through the library, I'd likely will get myself a physical copy down the road to review and revisit those terms (because I'm a nerd).
This book has given me a lot of food for thought. Through the pandemic I've had conversations with friends about dating, and while that aspect of life is something I don't pay a lot of attention to, I think this book has helped me put certain things about myself in perspective. (How I define myself in this aspect of life remains undetermined and is likely influx). I appreciated how Chen examines how sexuality is so normative in western society, and the amount of social, cultural, economic and political infrastructures that are grounded in it. I really liked how Chen provides emphasis and explanation on how people can have a choice in what they wish to prioritize in their life, but that it's challenging when much of our social and cultural landscape only prioritizes one way of living. There are many great concepts and terms in this book, so while I listened to this as an audio book through the library, I'd likely will get myself a physical copy down the road to review and revisit those terms (because I'm a nerd).