This Book is Gay

by Juno Dawson

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I was very excited to see what This Book is Gay entailed. It's described as the guidebook to being LGBT+, and it very much read like a For Dummies manual (I love them, btw!). While the title does suggest it's about being gay, it is more inclusive than that to an extant. It does touch upon the letters other than just G, and promises that the book is for everything, but for me it did feel focused on being gay. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for a more in-depth guide to being anything on the spectrum other than gay, you may be disappointed.

This Book is Gay is going to be a great resource for queer teens if they can get their hands on it. It's an amazing thing to know that you're not alone and that there's nothing wrong with you for not being attracted to who you're "suppose" to be attracted to or for not being comfortable as the gender you were assigned. This guide goes through everything from the moment you're question or having "sexthoughts" about the same-sex, to choosing a label (or not), how to come out (or not), some history, some science, some politics, and of course dating and sex. And it's all explained with a conversation and humorous tone. Although, I will admit that the humor is not to my liking, and at times it felt like the author was going overboard with the teenspeak (CRAY! SHIZ!).

I would have rated This Book is Gay higher if it had just been as the title suggest, about being gay, or if it had actually been as inclusive as it repeatedly claimed to be. The author reminds us several time that he is a cis gay man, and to me it felt like he was primarily writing for other cis gay men. Yes, lesbians, bisexuals, and trans people are also discussed, but not nearly as much as gay men. It felt like this book was about "cis gay men and everyone else." Several chapters are broken down by their letter, and the G sections are always the longest and most detailed. Whether this was because it's how the author identifies, lack of research, lack of information, or just completely accidental, I can't be sure. It was still disheartening though.

For example, the sex chapter talks a lot about what two men can do together, but what two women can do was a list with a few notes about what they mean. It didn't even include everything (scissoring!). I was also bothered by the fact that it was mentioned more than once that the goal of lesbian sex isn't to orgasm. Excuse me? Maybe the goal of all sex isn't orgasm, since some people are just seeking intimacy. But why was this only talked about in the girl on girl section? If I'm having sex with anybody, no matter what parts they have or how they identify, I'd like to have an orgasm!

Despite it's obvious flaws, I would recommend This Book is Gay to young people (or the people in their lives) who are curious or questioning their sexuality or gender identity. Gay boys will get more out of it, but this is a good starting place for those who identify otherwise. I do just wish it hadn't been pushed so hard as an inclusive look at the LGBT+ spectrum, since it is not. Hopefully, this will spark others to write similarly about other identities.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.