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leahhacks 's review for:
Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything Else
by Kayla Kaszyca, Sarah Costello
The book isn't really bad, but I don't exactly recommend it either. I think the optimal audience is maybe someone with some preexisting understanding of aspec identity, but not broader queer identity, and looking to learn more or help themselves along. The book is rather brief and not particularly in depth. A large portion consists of quotes from survey responses from different aspec people. To be brutally honest it felt like they didn't have a ton to say and padded it out a little, and then on only page 132 said they didn't want to go on forever so they're wrapping it up. The writing wasn't bad but wasn't great. I felt like the purple colored glasses metaphor seemed a bit overused, both in terms of how often it was used and in its application. A lot of what they attribute to an aspec lens is really more to do with any queer lens. I have a few other nitpicks, like suggesting other queer realizations always involve other people which is not actually true, such as for trans people, but it's not worth getting into. The book is fine, it's a quick read, I'm sure for some people it'll be very useful, I did not feel I learned much as an aspec trans woman who's already pretty aware of queer theory.
As for the claims of transphobia in other reviews, I was concerned to hear them but personally I found the claims overblown. There's a paragraph right at the end saying JK Rowling's views on gender don't take away from the joy some people got out of her work, and I don't personally find that particularly objectionable. I don't think you should support JKR's work at all anymore given her views and behavior, but it's not wrong to say some people connected with it. I just didn't think the book went out of line, it seems pretty uncharitable to call the book transphobic, but I can only speak for myself.
As for the claims of transphobia in other reviews, I was concerned to hear them but personally I found the claims overblown. There's a paragraph right at the end saying JK Rowling's views on gender don't take away from the joy some people got out of her work, and I don't personally find that particularly objectionable. I don't think you should support JKR's work at all anymore given her views and behavior, but it's not wrong to say some people connected with it. I just didn't think the book went out of line, it seems pretty uncharitable to call the book transphobic, but I can only speak for myself.