A review by elerireads
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

A much needed book I think. Not just an exploration of the asexual experience, but also the way it intersects with other identities. More than that though, Chen turns the asexual lens back on the world and discusses the ways that ace people have had to think more deeply about certain issues and that the ideas that that thinking has produced are actually generally applicable and valuable. From more nuanced understandings of consent and sex positivity, to the societal devaluing of platonic and other nonsexual intimacy, this covers all the major bases. 

It's very accessibly written - a mix of interviews with lots of different asexual people, some academic research and interspersed with bits of Chen's own experience. But she also doesn't baby us. Chapter 2 in particular is a massive info-dump, I suspect to get through the 'educating' part so she could get onto the more interesting discussions, so I can imagine if you're completely new to this stuff it might be a bit of a jargon overload. Could have done with a glossary I think, so I'd recommend having a pen and paper out for that chapter in particular! Otherwise, it wasn't among the best nonfiction writing I've ever read, but honestly I think a big part of that is that I like my nonfiction to be underpinned by a lot of underlying research... which is understandably thin on the ground in this case. 
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