This book is exactly what the title says it is. Archie and their cis friend Tristan put together a quick and simple graphic novel explaining what they/them pronouns are, how they’re used, and why we should use them. They take a really empathetic, gracious approach to this, with sections aimed at confused cisgender folk and at non-binary people trying to deal with being the target of that confusion. Everybody’s feelings and experiences are acknowledged here, but this is a book meant to teach us all how to graciously use correct language for everyone, and it’s very clearly and simply explained.
I think if I were a different person I’d tell you a schmoopy story here about the non-binary and genderqueer folk in my life and how I learned to use their pronouns sob and keep trying even though I get it wrong sometimes sob because I’m an ally sob sob.
Yeah, nah. I mean, I do have genderqueer friends and fam that I love dearly and even though I get the concept, we’ve all been raised in the binary and I do get pronouns and gendered language wrong sometimes. I picked up this book partly out of curiosity and partly out of a desire to potentially learn something that will help me do better. It was helpful, in a “they/them” 101 kind of way.
But I’m not an ally. I’m an accomplice. I’m not interested in making other people’s experiences about myself, but I’m very invested in helping people live their best lives as their #ownnormal, and bust down wrong and/or oppressive conventions any which way I can, barring driving the getaway car. (And that’s only because I don’t drive.) I also want other folk to do the same, if they can.
And that said–does anybody want this book? I don’t need to keep it, it’s a very good primer, and I get the sense it might be helpful to a fellow reader out there. Leave a comment explaining why you want this book, and I’ll pick somebody by the end of the week and send it to them, postage paid, no strings attached.
One more note before I finish this review; while this book does a great job of exploring language outside of the gender binary, it doesn’t acknowledge different cultural modes of gender or culturally diverse gendered language at all. On the one hand, I’m grateful–we don’t need two (apparently) white American folks out here trying to explain two-spirits, muxes, or sistergirls. But I’d be very interested in and would totally buy a book by artists of those cultures explaining these things.
Proper language and a wheelie in the getaway car to A Quick And Easy Guide To They/Them Pronouns
(Beautiful people! I hope you learned a little something from this review, because I learned a little something from this book. If you’re interested in more books by nonbinary and other gender diverse writers, go click around in the Equal Opportunity Bookshop and find something good to read. If you do, be aware that any purchases made on that site from links you find here will result in a commission being paid to yours truly. Peace!)
Equal Opportunity Reader 