I think I may have just discovered something about myself. This was wonderful. 

I loved reading about this coming of age story. Eir’s feelings around puberty mimicked many of my own at that age, which was very interesting and fairly somber to revisit. The art style and the author’s words on gender and sexuality and coming into oneself made this a book I would recommend to everyone. 

I felt so, so seen. I love this. It’s been an incredible read. I loved the characters. 

4 ⭐ CW: Graphic depictions of menstruation, nudity, discussion of masterbation, discussions/depictions of sexual acts, misgendering, medical trauma 

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (e, em, eir) is a graphic novel depicting the life of Maia through eir gender and sexuality journey. This is one of the most banned books right now, and I realized I had yet to read it! Luckily, a friend let me borrow it. 

I'm not usually a huge fan of graphic novels, but I think this was the perfect format to convey this kind of story. I found Maia to be very relatable in eir journey to figure out eir gender identity. Gender is hard. Maia was able to show in pictures what it would be impossible to adequately describe with words. It did seem to jump around a bit, so in that way it felt more like a wandering conversation than a single narrative. 

If you want some great insight in what it's like being an AFAB nonbinary person, and the struggles and everyday discomfort we experience, then pick this up. But this book also shows the importance of representation, and not just acceptance, but affirmation. Gender is messy and doesn't always make sense. Not a lot of thoughts, mostly vibes. This was definitely worth the read. 

I really want to like this book. I think it’s such an important journey to learn about. It just felt very disjointed to me. All of a sudden we’re on a completely different topic with zero transition. But I do appreciate the premise of this memoir. I think it would have been a great read for me in high school.

This magnum opus is craftily written to be appropriate for any audience. It is a memoir of someone's atypical journey through life and with it comes humor, trauma, questioning, euphoria, horrors, and loves. This is revealed through a stream-of-conscious story-line that flows eloquently. 

To other questioning people, this is a beacon of hope. It also validates and fuels the questions. And leaves you wanting to know what will happen next.