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katizwitchy's review
4.0
This is a great educational resource for queer people! It is geared more towards teens, so at times the language gets repetitive and isn’t as mature, but I do still think people of all ages can really benefit from this book. My only complaint is that I wish there had been more about autism in there. Like a breakdown of autism similar to the way the different sexualities are broken down, and that way it could help define things for people about autism as well as sexuality. Other than that though, this was a really great read. Fully recommend!
badger's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The book I wish I'd had growing up as an autistic lesbian. Whilst I'm no longer the target demographic of the book, as it is clearly stated to be written for teenagers, I still found the book informative and interesting. This is more a book about queer identity than autistic identity explicitly, but all topics are framed from an autistic viewpoint, which is very rare for queer nonfiction. I've seen people complain about the repetition of sources and guidance in the book - I listened to the audiobook so definitely noticed the repition - but I think those complaints are missing the point; this book is not necessarily intended to be read cover-to-cover but as a reference guide for teenagers to pick out aspects most relevant to their identity and needs.
A very enjoyable read, and one I'd highly recommend to autistic young people navigating their queer identity. Whilst I personally didn't learn much that I didn't previously know, this book would act as a gold mine of useful and accessible information for many.
A very enjoyable read, and one I'd highly recommend to autistic young people navigating their queer identity. Whilst I personally didn't learn much that I didn't previously know, this book would act as a gold mine of useful and accessible information for many.
emtees's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I’m not in the demographic for this book (I haven’t been a teenager for a while), but I picked it up because I follow the author on social media and was curious about her work. This book is a really useful reference for queer and autistic teens and has value as well for allies, in particular queer teens who may not be autistic but want to be welcoming of autistic kids in their communities. The book is very straightforward and covers a huge range of topics, from different sexual orientations and gender identities to how to navigate social spaces and relationships to sex, coming out and online spaces. If it weren’t for the particular audience it is targeting, I might say it is actually trying to cover too much, encompassing the entirety of queer experience for teens in a fairly short page count, but Ekins is very clear in the ways she has adapted her material for autistic readers. Where other books might gloss over or skip entirely information that they assume the reader already knows or can get somewhere else, Ekins goes step-by-step through the process of discovering a queer identity and integrating it into your life, being careful not to make assumptions about what her readers already know. There are places where the same information is repeated because it is relevant to more than one topic and she wants to make that connection clear. Many topics branch out into tangents in the exact way that neurodivergent brains often do. When she isn’t an expert on a subject - such as trans identities or the experiences of non-white teens - she is careful to point that out. Every chapter ends with resources for further and deeper discussion.
It is also clear that Ekins is writing very specifically for teens, and that this is an audience she knows. There is no attempt to control or limit the information made available; she talks a lot about safety and consent, but she is also frank about subjects like sex. And the resources she references include YouTubers and other sources that a more scholarly book might dismiss but that a teen audience will value. (As a former teen who found out on lot about my own identity through fandom, I really liked that she has a whole section on fandom and fanfic!)
It is also clear that Ekins is writing very specifically for teens, and that this is an audience she knows. There is no attempt to control or limit the information made available; she talks a lot about safety and consent, but she is also frank about subjects like sex. And the resources she references include YouTubers and other sources that a more scholarly book might dismiss but that a teen audience will value. (As a former teen who found out on lot about my own identity through fandom, I really liked that she has a whole section on fandom and fanfic!)
lindyblank's review
4.0
Great resource as a whole, but some content was only relevant to living in the UK. It would be amazing if there were an addendum with resources in the US or other areas.
autisaur's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.0
If you are listening through the entire book parts are very repetitive, it's fine if you are just cherry picking chapters.
Also the advice and resources are very UK based, so if you're from outside the UK you will likely have to do more of your own research.
Also the advice and resources are very UK based, so if you're from outside the UK you will likely have to do more of your own research.