An accessible, thorough, curiosity-provoking introduction to gender.
In this historical and cross-cultural exploration of gender, Wind invites readers to expand their understanding beyond the oppressive limits of the gender binary.
Humans love to categorize, but just as different cultures have trained people to see varying numbers of bands of colors in a rainbow (three in ancient Greece, five in ancient China, seven in modern America), gender is more complex than a simple binary. Beginning with this apt analogy, the information-packed introduction clarifies key terminology, offers scientific explanations to distinguish sex from gender, compares frameworks for understanding gender, and prepares readers for a reflective journey through time and around the globe. The chapters that follow discuss the experiences and cultural contexts of diverse groups of people (and some individuals), including eunuchs, hijras, and māhū, among others. Throughout, Wind points out the recurring impact of European influence, but he delves deeper into the topic in the chapter entitled “The Colonization of Gender.” Another recurring theme is the harmful conflation of gender and sex, a topic explored further in a chapter focused on intersex activism. The conclusion emphasizes that everyone benefits from liberation from the gender binary. In bubbles in the margins, Wind inserts additional commentary, helpful explanations, and definitions. The conversational tone keeps the text engaging. Questions at the end of each chapter promote active learning through self-reflection, and the extensive source notes are an open door to further inquiry.
An accessible, thorough, curiosity-provoking introduction to gender. (author’s note, resources, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728414546
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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