This autobiographical graphic novel describes the author’s life from childhood through to young adulthood and goes into detail about the journey e’s had in discovering eir gender identity and sexual orientation. Honestly, it’s one of the best and most beautiful books I’ve read in a while.
What I think is most appealing about this book, is Maia’s complete openness. To me, reading this feels like you’re having a heart-to-heart conversation with an old friend. Of course, I also love the fact that e’s sharing non-binary and asexual experiences too. So often, asexuals are shown to be cold emotionless Sherlock Holmes-type characters (not that I don’t love Sherlock Holmes) and often we’re only given a really surface level look at non-binary existence too. It’s so important for people to read about the experiences of ordinary people from these demographics, I’m glad this book offers an opportunity for people to learn.
Of course, it’s not all about gender and sexuality (though that is at the heart) and a big part of what I enjoyed about this book was Maia writing about fun times with eir friends. You don’t really find many books where authors write about being huge fans of different books, music, and TV show (or, I don’t, at least) and what I loved about this was how relatable it was. I particularly enjoyed Maia’s focus on books and reading – I guess as a hugely bookish person, I’ll always enjoy seeing that.
All things considered, when I was reading through this book, if something didn’t remind me of my own experiences, it reminded me of the experiences of those who are close to me. I think that it could be an incredibly valuable piece of work if it finds its way into the hands of young non-binary or asexual teenagers who are looking for a framework to understand themselves. The fact that its filled with hugely endearing illustrations just makes it even better. It’s sad that this is a book that’s so consistently banned (partly due to a few sexually explicit scenes), but most teenagers will have seen worse online anyway, and it’s really important that voices like this are not stifled, and that young people have access to books that document the experiences of those who are finding their sexuality for the first time.
Rating: 9.8/10
