I don't think I've ever seen a graphic novel memoir before, but I loved it. I honestly think this book is a lovely representation of queerness as a relatable outlet for many queer people and could be a nice way help explain or present queerness to those who are curious or questioning. Beautifully written and drawn. 

This book was an amazing read. The author's words and artistry come together in a beautiful way. I read this while struggling with my own gender identity, and even though I don't feel the exact same way the author does, it helped a ton to show me I'm not alone. That it's okay to be different, to feel "different". I am who I am. Gender is a beautiful thing to explore. There are limitless ways of expressing it. I am grateful to Maia Kobabe for writing/drawing this story and for fighting against the books bans by homophobic people. E is a fantastic person and I wish em all the best things in the world.

This made me feel all of the feels. My only complaint is that it just ends so abruptly. 

4.5 ⭐️ 

Reading banned books likes its my mission on earth

I've seen this book in multiple places advertised as the most banned (or one of the most banned books) since it was published. I decided I wanted to see what it was about. 

 

To start, I did not realize this was a graphic novel. That made it much easier to read and also somewhat understandable as to why some adults felt the need to ban it. Graphic novels are often confused for children's books and this is not for children. There is nudity as well as explicit mentions of sex and periods. However, this would be very helpful for teenagers and young adults also struggling with their gender identity. I think Maia does a great job of explaining how their gender has felt like a balancing act and even illustrating the more complex feelings about it, as well as the additional confusion around sexuality that comes with a fluid gender. I found the ending a bit abrupt, but I understand that, like any identity, it is forever evolving, so that is not really the end. This is simply a chronicle that Maia has published to help others understand what growing up gender queer is like and to create explicit gender queer representation in literature.