Scan barcode
sunrays118's review against another edition
1.0
I kept having folks recommend I give this book a read.
I just don't see why.
I am saddened by this. This book could have been an amazing opportunity to explore a spectrum of gender instead of the binary, traditional ideas we have. However, I think this book did a disservice to the topic.
It does raise a few interesting, if unintentional, notions. Even though the author has worked to distance their-self from gender mindsets, it is prevalent. How the author was raised is clear throughout every page. There is also a clear agenda that does not allow for much variation. Things are praised that I find quite limiting and self serving. The book fails to really address asexuality at all. I found it to be a bit surface level and superficial.
Instead of present a plethora of quality readings on gender from different cultures and event species, instead of highlighting new approaches to takes on gender, instead of bringing awareness to medical and scientific insights, instead of asking hard, deep questions, this book is instead a collection of cosmo quizzes that only stagnate conversations with limited responses available (which should be the anti-goal of this book right????) and long, poorly worded blog-like musings.
I found this book to be a severe let down and in some places a hinderance on understanding subtle gender complexities.
I just don't see why.
I am saddened by this. This book could have been an amazing opportunity to explore a spectrum of gender instead of the binary, traditional ideas we have. However, I think this book did a disservice to the topic.
It does raise a few interesting, if unintentional, notions. Even though the author has worked to distance their-self from gender mindsets, it is prevalent. How the author was raised is clear throughout every page. There is also a clear agenda that does not allow for much variation. Things are praised that I find quite limiting and self serving. The book fails to really address asexuality at all. I found it to be a bit surface level and superficial.
Instead of present a plethora of quality readings on gender from different cultures and event species, instead of highlighting new approaches to takes on gender, instead of bringing awareness to medical and scientific insights, instead of asking hard, deep questions, this book is instead a collection of cosmo quizzes that only stagnate conversations with limited responses available (which should be the anti-goal of this book right????) and long, poorly worded blog-like musings.
I found this book to be a severe let down and in some places a hinderance on understanding subtle gender complexities.
harrisgrace's review against another edition
5.0
Informative and fun read for my feminist geography class!
rikakohlrabi's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know that you ever really finish a book like this. You just keep coming back to it again and again for little pearls of wisdom. Required reading for gender studies and gender questioning folk and really just about anyone who wants to understand gender better.
goldenjunegem's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
laura_howard's review against another edition
3.0
Gender Studies. A playful examination of gender and sexuality. Extra and informative.
finesilkflower's review against another edition
2.0
I like the idea of a fun, quizzy, whimsical workbook you can do to figure out your personal relationship to gender. I thought it would be about helping questioning people figure out if they are trans/nonbinary/etc., but it's actually more like guiding the reader to understand gender as a theoretical system, question their assumptions, understand intersections of power. While Bornstein has definitely thought about the portion of their audience that is trans or questioning (there is a whole section on ways to "try on" different genders e.g. through gaming and drag), it feels like their primary audience is presumed-cis folks who haven't thought much about this stuff. It's not really the book's fault that I thought it was something else, but I do wish that other book existed.
As for what the book actually is, it's hard for me to evaluate because I'm not the primary audience; I think the quizzes and exercises could be a fun way to get people engaged who aren't used to thinking about gender, identity, sexuality, and systems of power. Personally, I found the constant whimsy grated a bit, but that's sort of what you're signing up for with this particular book. As with all Kate Bornstein books, there's a tendency to think of more genderqueer/nonbinary people as "more advanced" and more binary people as "gender novices" (as if once you have all the information you will of course be nonbinary), which is Bornstein's nonbinary gender entitlement showing.
As for what the book actually is, it's hard for me to evaluate because I'm not the primary audience; I think the quizzes and exercises could be a fun way to get people engaged who aren't used to thinking about gender, identity, sexuality, and systems of power. Personally, I found the constant whimsy grated a bit, but that's sort of what you're signing up for with this particular book. As with all Kate Bornstein books, there's a tendency to think of more genderqueer/nonbinary people as "more advanced" and more binary people as "gender novices" (as if once you have all the information you will of course be nonbinary), which is Bornstein's nonbinary gender entitlement showing.
librarydanielle's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was done decently and had some good info, but for me it was too "cutesy" too "we're best buds, omg!" I do wish some of that had been dropped.
I also agree with a previous reviewer who did that this isn't going to change anyone's mind or make them THINK. It's written for people who already have an interest or reason to investigate.
so for me, it didn't fulfill what I was quite v hoping for. well thought out and well written, but not executed as week add it could have been. I thought the best part were the anecdotes and tweets in the side margins.
I also agree with a previous reviewer who did that this isn't going to change anyone's mind or make them THINK. It's written for people who already have an interest or reason to investigate.
so for me, it didn't fulfill what I was quite v hoping for. well thought out and well written, but not executed as week add it could have been. I thought the best part were the anecdotes and tweets in the side margins.
faethverity's review against another edition
3.0
This book is clearly valuable for some people. I am not part of its target audience, but wanted to engage with the material. I didn't finish because a lot of it just didn't speak to me.