I was provided a free ARC of this book via NetGalley
Oof, this one is complicated. One the one hand, it does exactly what it says. It’s short and to the point and the art-style is really cute. I liked the focus on different experiences and how personal it felt. Also big fan of the opening page with the content warnings etc.
In a lot of areas it does good work giving an introduction to asexuality and the personal experiences of the authors. I like the choice of topics they touch on as well.
No why only three stars? Ok here we go. I really do believe this book is coming from a place of love and community and wanting to be helpful. It just fell short in a few place. The explanation of the spectrum of asexuality starts good but then it get’s confusing really quickly with the explanation of Demisexuality, even for someone like me who already knows what it means. I just think this topic should have gotten a little more time and attention. There are also parts where, after explaining the difference between sexual attraction and wanting to have sex, they then use the two things interchangeably. And then the biggest straight up mistake in this book:
Let me say this straight up front: The A in LGBTQIA+ is not for Ally. It’s for asexual, aromantic and agender. That’s it. People who say otherwise are just wrong. Unfortunately this book presents it like that is something that there is legitimate debate over and that everyone can decide for themselves if it’s for ally. Just No. Asexuality is definitely covered under the LGBTQIA+ Umbrella. I liked that the book made clear that not all asexuals consider themselves queer but they also make it look like the acephobia that prevails in a lot of LGBTQIA+ spaces (like saying A is for ally) is just something every Ace has to decide if they’re comfortable with instead of treating it as a real problem the LGBTQIA+ community has to overcome. And that is just not ok.
Again, I think this book is a labor of love but they really dropped the ball there.