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fiekesfiction's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
historyofjess's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This was a fascinating read, not only for author's Black and asexual perspectives on sexuality and its pervasiveness in our culture, but as someone who is not asexual, I found it really interesting to contextualize my own sexual history, particularly how my relationship with sex changed after I began having pelvic pain. This feels like a text that anyone could benefit from reading because it makes you look at sex and sexuality, and the value we culturally place on sex, from a totally different perspective.
suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
4.0
My only regret with this book is that it took me so long to pick it up! It is an incredibly informative book, both on asexuality, Blackness, and understanding what queerness is as a whole. I am so glad this book was gifted to me by a co-worker, and I highly recommend that everyone read it (especially if you are someone who is queer, black, and/or works very intimately with queer politics and are dedicated towards building systems of lived equity and support for queer folk.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Medical content, Racism, and Homophobia
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
This book falls into an expectations versus reality situation, some of which was my fault and some of which are ways I think it actually fell short.
I was expecting there to be a lot more focus on the intersectionality between asexuality and blackness, but that really only took up about half of the book. Much of the focus was on the ways in which asexuals are disenfranchised and discriminated against - sometimes with a borderline defensive tone - without the focus on specific ways black asexuals uniquely experience that discrimination. In retrospect, this makes sense as necessary to set the groundwork. This is meant for a more introductory text than I was anticipating.
But there were times where the book was nearly exclusionary of non-white experiences. An example that stands out was the chapter "Histories." This was meant as a timeline of the presence of asexuality, even when the same words weren't used. I love this in theory. But this timeline starts in the 19th century (there is some information about earlier times in a separate chapter) and only includes works from Europe and America. Brown excuses herself at the end of this chapter by saying she's not an historian, but then why attempt a history? The lack of any examples not from the global north in this timeline felt like a glaring omission.
That said, as an introductory work, I think this is a fairly good resource. It outlines a lot of the biases in American culture and does highlight the particular contradiction and dehumanization that black asexuals face. Overall, it's not a book I would recommend in place of other books on the topic of asexuality, but as a companion to.
I was expecting there to be a lot more focus on the intersectionality between asexuality and blackness, but that really only took up about half of the book. Much of the focus was on the ways in which asexuals are disenfranchised and discriminated against - sometimes with a borderline defensive tone - without the focus on specific ways black asexuals uniquely experience that discrimination. In retrospect, this makes sense as necessary to set the groundwork. This is meant for a more introductory text than I was anticipating.
But there were times where the book was nearly exclusionary of non-white experiences. An example that stands out was the chapter "Histories." This was meant as a timeline of the presence of asexuality, even when the same words weren't used. I love this in theory. But this timeline starts in the 19th century (there is some information about earlier times in a separate chapter) and only includes works from Europe and America. Brown excuses herself at the end of this chapter by saying she's not an historian, but then why attempt a history? The lack of any examples not from the global north in this timeline felt like a glaring omission.
That said, as an introductory work, I think this is a fairly good resource. It outlines a lot of the biases in American culture and does highlight the particular contradiction and dehumanization that black asexuals face. Overall, it's not a book I would recommend in place of other books on the topic of asexuality, but as a companion to.
and_opossum's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual content, and Rape
randlepap's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.25
I enjoyed this book and liked Brown's analysis of sex in pop culture, and their explanation of the Bond movies was interesting. As well, Brown explores the implications of placing queerness on historical figures that have passed. Which I think is such an important conversation. Overall, I recommend to those wanting to learn more about asexuality.