Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-29 06:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maia Kobabe
- ISBN：1637150725
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Summary
2020 ALA Alex Award Winner
2020 Stonewall — Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book
In 2014， Maia Kobabe， who uses e/em/eir pronouns， thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write。 At the time， it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em。 Now， Gender Queer is here。 Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity， which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes， grappling with how to come out to family and society， bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction， and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears。
Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual， Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates， friends， and humans everywhere。
This special deluxe hardcover edition of Gender Queer features a brand-new cover， exclusive art and sketches， a forward by ND Stevenson （Lumberjanes， She-Ra and the Princess of Power） and an afterward by creator Maia Kobabe。
2020 Stonewall — Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book
In 2014， Maia Kobabe， who uses e/em/eir pronouns， thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write。 At the time， it was the only thing e felt comfortable with strangers knowing about em。 Now， Gender Queer is here。 Maia’s intensely cathartic autobiography charts eir journey of self-identity， which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes， grappling with how to come out to family and society， bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction， and facing the trauma and fundamental violation of pap smears。
Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual， Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates， friends， and humans everywhere。
This special deluxe hardcover edition of Gender Queer features a brand-new cover， exclusive art and sketches， a forward by ND Stevenson （Lumberjanes， She-Ra and the Princess of Power） and an afterward by creator Maia Kobabe。
Reviews
Alexis Newkirk
，
4。5/5 solely because I thought it ended really abruptly。 Otherwise， this was phenomenal。 I learned a lot about people who identify as genderqueer or nonbinary and what growing up and figuring out how to identify must've felt like。 I thought this was super educational and a must-read for really anyone because it was such an honest and vulnerable memoir， which I don't think would've been as informative if it wasn't a well-illustrated comic。 I also think though imperfect， this is a huge testament t 4。5/5 solely because I thought it ended really abruptly。 Otherwise， this was phenomenal。 I learned a lot about people who identify as genderqueer or nonbinary and what growing up and figuring out how to identify must've felt like。 I thought this was super educational and a must-read for really anyone because it was such an honest and vulnerable memoir， which I don't think would've been as informative if it wasn't a well-illustrated comic。 I also think though imperfect， this is a huge testament to eir family and made me think about how hard it would be for someone to discover themselves without that community or family support。 。。。more
Katherine Kendall
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A client recommended this graphic novel to me during a session today。 They said it made them feel less alone， and after reading this I can understand why。 The art is lovely， and the story is disjointed at times， but real。 This was clearly very healing for Maia to write， and I can see how it could be immensely healing to read as well。 I finished the book glad that Maia is getting some the support e needs， but I so， SO hope that e will also connect with a mental health professional who can help em A client recommended this graphic novel to me during a session today。 They said it made them feel less alone， and after reading this I can understand why。 The art is lovely， and the story is disjointed at times， but real。 This was clearly very healing for Maia to write， and I can see how it could be immensely healing to read as well。 I finished the book glad that Maia is getting some the support e needs， but I so， SO hope that e will also connect with a mental health professional who can help em process eir medical trauma， and find a more empowering， affirming medical care provider。 My heart breaks for queer folks like Maia whose body dysmorphia is not only triggered， but is made worse by insensitive and poorly-trained providers。 。。。more
Amanda Nolan
，
good exploration of the author’s gender journey but felt unfocused at times and the ending was abrupt。 would’ve loved to read more！
Kim Esmael
，
I'm not a big graphic novel reader， but I think it worked well for this book， especially considering the author。 This is a great book for any young person confused about their identity。 I think it would help them feel like they are not alone。 I'm not a big graphic novel reader， but I think it worked well for this book， especially considering the author。 This is a great book for any young person confused about their identity。 I think it would help them feel like they are not alone。 。。。more
KaTie
，
I’m still reeling from this book！ Super informative as well as heart breaking。 It has brought up a lot of questions and issues to consider。 The author brings a lot of compassion and heart into what can be a lot of confusion。 E does not shy away from any issue （ie binding， strap ons， period blood， masturbation etc）。 As this is a graphic novel it can be a little jarring， but it in my opinion was essential for the story。 This graphic novel gets the highest score from me。 Heartfelt and I learned a l I’m still reeling from this book！ Super informative as well as heart breaking。 It has brought up a lot of questions and issues to consider。 The author brings a lot of compassion and heart into what can be a lot of confusion。 E does not shy away from any issue （ie binding， strap ons， period blood， masturbation etc）。 As this is a graphic novel it can be a little jarring， but it in my opinion was essential for the story。 This graphic novel gets the highest score from me。 Heartfelt and I learned a lot！ Well done to the author！ 。。。more
teagan
，
“Sometimes I feel like my brain is a machine built by someone who lost the instruction manual。”I truly consider this a must-read for any person who is struggling with their gender identity or anyone who just wishes to have an insight into some of the experiences of being genderqueer。I am an AFAB non-binary person and it truly made me feel comforted to see some of my own experiences detailed within this graphic novel。 While my experience is far from identical， there is quite a few things in this “Sometimes I feel like my brain is a machine built by someone who lost the instruction manual。”I truly consider this a must-read for any person who is struggling with their gender identity or anyone who just wishes to have an insight into some of the experiences of being genderqueer。I am an AFAB non-binary person and it truly made me feel comforted to see some of my own experiences detailed within this graphic novel。 While my experience is far from identical， there is quite a few things in this book that really resonated with me， especially in terms of pronouns。 Seeing the internal conflict between wanting to correct people on your pronouns and feeling uncomfortable hearing the wrong ones but also not wanting to feel like you’re burdening them or feeling too embarrassed to voice your discomfort out loud。 There were a few things that made me laugh to see that I related to the author about， specifically our shared experience with 2010 fandoms。 Seeing the Supernatural references within the pages truly made me feel like I was blasted back into 2015 I feel like this book perfectly shows not only the experience of feeling like you don’t belong in your own body， the pain and the discomfort of just not feeling right but also the pure joy and relief of meeting other people with shared experiences， with realising that you’re not quite alone in this world， of realising that there’s people out there who do accept you as your truest self。 。。。more
Ashley Hill
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Excellent book。 I found it very relatable。 I loved the comic style format。
Elaine
，
I needed this book to help me understand。 I learned so much。 Borrowed from the library
Jenn
，
Don't have words to describe how much this book means to me。 It is me。 I am so relieved right now and I need to thank Maia personally or else。。。 Don't have words to describe how much this book means to me。 It is me。 I am so relieved right now and I need to thank Maia personally or else。。。 。。。more
Bubbles
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This book is me。 I am this book。 If I'd had this book 10 years ago my life would have been very much better。 This book is me。 I am this book。 If I'd had this book 10 years ago my life would have been very much better。 。。。more
diana
，
a quick read last night。 the art style isn't my favorite， doesn't add much formally to the narrative， but i loved reading a narrative i relate so much to。 maybe this speaks to my own reading shortcomings， but also interesting to see such a recent/current queer memoir。 a quick read last night。 the art style isn't my favorite， doesn't add much formally to the narrative， but i loved reading a narrative i relate so much to。 maybe this speaks to my own reading shortcomings， but also interesting to see such a recent/current queer memoir。 。。。more
moraw2
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increible。
Allison
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THIS is the most dangerous book in America？！？ Wow。 It is written for ADULTS but compared to popular romance authors I have read this is nowhere near the label of “pornography” that has been thrown at this title。So what IS in this book。 An EXCELLENT explanation of the author’s gender journey of non-binary self discovery。 If you have someone in your life that has switched pronouns read this book to better understand where they might be coming from。And all the pearl clutching wimps need to get a li THIS is the most dangerous book in America？！？ Wow。 It is written for ADULTS but compared to popular romance authors I have read this is nowhere near the label of “pornography” that has been thrown at this title。So what IS in this book。 An EXCELLENT explanation of the author’s gender journey of non-binary self discovery。 If you have someone in your life that has switched pronouns read this book to better understand where they might be coming from。And all the pearl clutching wimps need to get a life。 。。。more
Whitney
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I read this for work。 I knew that， since it's been banned a lot of places and because I work with students and in a library， eventually this topic would be brought up and so I wanted to be informed。 I've come to the conclusion that the reasons people are upset about this book on a large scale are the wrong reasons to not like this book。 The author identifies as nonbinary and this is an adult memoir about that experience。 That isn't a reason for the book to be vilified and people who are pretendi I read this for work。 I knew that， since it's been banned a lot of places and because I work with students and in a library， eventually this topic would be brought up and so I wanted to be informed。 I've come to the conclusion that the reasons people are upset about this book on a large scale are the wrong reasons to not like this book。 The author identifies as nonbinary and this is an adult memoir about that experience。 That isn't a reason for the book to be vilified and people who are pretending it is are overreacting。 Also want to note that this review will contain spoilers and also the author uses Spivak pronouns （e/em/eir）， so I will use those when referring to em。 My reasons for disliking this book is that， to start， there wasn't really a "plot。" Memoirs usually follow even a lose timeline and this one felt like it jumped around a lot and like there wasn't a greater point to them。 It felt kind of like a collection of short stories made into a graphic novel。 So I wasn't a super big fan of that。 Additionally， the author admitted to many strange behaviors for an adult in this book， which made me uncomfortable。 These include:-writing sexual fanfiction about One Direction while they were still teenagers and e was in grad school-buying a sex toy， deciding e didn't like it， washing it and then regifting it to a sibling 😐 That story gave me the "Lena Dunham's rock story" vibes and made me so uncomfortable。 That's too close for family。 -mentioning Plato's Symposium in a sexual fashion and then drawing a picture of it on a vase， which depicts an adult man and a much younger （read: probably teenage and therefore a minor） male engaging in sex。 There are books about this situation where the point is to condemn the behavior。 I felt very weirded out by that panel， especially because the point was for it to be sexual。-The repeated refrain of "wanting to cut off my boobs"。 I have no issue with top surgery。 If that's what's needed for a person to feel most comfortable in their body or in life， you do you。 But I feel like the wording for this could have been worded so as not to give an example for TERFs and right-wing extremists to point at and claim that people are "indoctrinating" their kids to "mutilate" themselves。 -portraying a medical treatment in a graphically traumatic way。 I understand this book has won an Alex award and has crossover appeal for teens。 Due to that， many teens with a uterus may read this before they go see an OBGYN and that could make what is a relatively routine procedure traumatic or cause anxiety。 I understand the need to explain how it made em feel and that e had such bad anxiety that e needed anxiety meds for the appointment， but cervical cancer screenings aren't something to play around with。 It's necessary， even if you don't like it， for health reasons。 Honestly， I am of the opinion that this book was kind of middle of the road and that it probably wouldn't have been as hyped if it weren't for TERFs overreacting 🤷🏽♀️ I'm happy for people who feel seen in this book。 I'm glad you're getting representation because that's important。 I also want to note that there was a really good illustration used to explain what being nonbinary or trans felt like that I think would make it easier for cis people to understand。 But I don't think that outweighs the lack of plot and other questionable moments in this book。 I'm not the target audience， so I just want to be clear that I know it wasn't written with me in mind， but I read and love a lot of books that aren't "for" me。 I think there are other books about the trans or nonbinary experience I would recommend before this one。 。。。more
Nancy
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It’s so wonderful to see representation that I always felt was lacking in this little slice of life memoir。 It shows people that we aren’t as alone as you think， & we go through similar situations that are awkward or hard。 I wish I had this at least twenty years ago！
Christine
，
I am a middle aged cis/het woman who is secure in her identity。 I’m not the target demographic here。 I picked it up because I like reading banned books。 I really appreciated the frankness and vulnerability of the author。 For me the book was a sincere glimpse behind a curtain of a life I don’t live， but in the right hands I can see how this book could be lifesaving。 I would absolutely recommend this book for any high school student， and/or mature upper middle schooler who may be exploring their q I am a middle aged cis/het woman who is secure in her identity。 I’m not the target demographic here。 I picked it up because I like reading banned books。 I really appreciated the frankness and vulnerability of the author。 For me the book was a sincere glimpse behind a curtain of a life I don’t live， but in the right hands I can see how this book could be lifesaving。 I would absolutely recommend this book for any high school student， and/or mature upper middle schooler who may be exploring their queerness。 It definitely belongs on school and public library shelves。There are references to pornography， illustrations of menstruation， and of course the ideology of gender as a spectrum， which I’m sure is at the root of the objections from those clutching their pearls over the author’s lived experience。 It’s a 45 minute read。 If you are a parent considering this book for your child， it should be easy enough to read it yourself first to gauge wether it’s maturity level matches that of your child。 。。。more
Amy Pickett
，
I opted to read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe after seeing the title on too many banned/challenged book lists to count。 I had also seen images （out of context） of the pages that have been categorized as objectionable。 In part， I read the book simply to have a more informed professional opinion。 As a librarian， I found it essential to read the whole book and contextualize the most circulated images within Maia's overall story。 As a reader， I simply loved this incredible graphic memoir in which the I opted to read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe after seeing the title on too many banned/challenged book lists to count。 I had also seen images （out of context） of the pages that have been categorized as objectionable。 In part， I read the book simply to have a more informed professional opinion。 As a librarian， I found it essential to read the whole book and contextualize the most circulated images within Maia's overall story。 As a reader， I simply loved this incredible graphic memoir in which the Maia Kobabe shares eir deeply personal experience of gender identity/expression。 Upon finishing the book， I humbly recommend that Gender Queer be required reading for all librarians and educators。 Thank you so much to Oni Press for making the Deluxe Edition available as an e-galley！ 。。。more
Rafaella
，
I feel like this should be essential reading for anyone， but especially at schools。 Kobabe's experiences growing up， being forced a gender role， especially the part about body hair， REALLY spoke to me。 I feel like this should be essential reading for anyone， but especially at schools。 Kobabe's experiences growing up， being forced a gender role， especially the part about body hair， REALLY spoke to me。 。。。more
Kailin
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Thoughtfully told tale of self， a self that has so many parallels to my self， that I am stunned。
Beth
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A lovely memoir。 I'm not sure what all the fuss about banning this book is。 It's an adult book with adult themes。 I'm an adult and was not offended by it at all。 I found it equal parts sad， endearing， and hopeful。 I think she wrote with raw honesty and I enjoyed a new perspective。 5+ stars。 A lovely memoir。 I'm not sure what all the fuss about banning this book is。 It's an adult book with adult themes。 I'm an adult and was not offended by it at all。 I found it equal parts sad， endearing， and hopeful。 I think she wrote with raw honesty and I enjoyed a new perspective。 5+ stars。 。。。more
Lola
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4。25
Nkleyle
，
4。5
Kat
，
I really liked this！ The memoir being told in graphic novel format added a lot to the narrative -- the art was a valuable addition to the text。 I appreciated the diversity of moments Maia chose to include in eir memoir， and how e didn't shy away from including vulnerable and personal details， details that some might consider embarrassing but are really validating to see on page for people who relate。 I borrowed this book from the library， but find myself wanting to own my own copy to keep on my I really liked this！ The memoir being told in graphic novel format added a lot to the narrative -- the art was a valuable addition to the text。 I appreciated the diversity of moments Maia chose to include in eir memoir， and how e didn't shy away from including vulnerable and personal details， details that some might consider embarrassing but are really validating to see on page for people who relate。 I borrowed this book from the library， but find myself wanting to own my own copy to keep on my bookshelf <3 。。。more
Kjerstif
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Beautiful， intimate and informative
Robert
，
This is a an amazing book！ It’s a raw and emotional autobiography of a person learning who they are。 I am a CIS male， and I have no problems accepting people as they are。 Since I am made as I am， I can’t know how someone who is made differently than I am feels。 I’ve accepted that people feel different things， and I’ve embraced that。 After this book， I feel I can truly understand how people can feel misgendered。 I thank you for opening yourself up publicly and sharing your experiences with the wo This is a an amazing book！ It’s a raw and emotional autobiography of a person learning who they are。 I am a CIS male， and I have no problems accepting people as they are。 Since I am made as I am， I can’t know how someone who is made differently than I am feels。 I’ve accepted that people feel different things， and I’ve embraced that。 After this book， I feel I can truly understand how people can feel misgendered。 I thank you for opening yourself up publicly and sharing your experiences with the world。 That is the bravest thing a person can do。 Plus， your comic skills are great！ 。。。more
Megan
，
I have two nonbinary co-workers on my team。 Generally speaking， I think our office is a supportive space， and their pronouns and identities are embraced by other staff。 But recently I have found myself having to advocate for nonbinary identities to family and friends when I am telling work stories and， inevitably， use they/them pronouns to refer to these nonbinary individuals。 The truth is that I don't know tons about nonbinary identity， and I don't feel it's appropriate to request an education I have two nonbinary co-workers on my team。 Generally speaking， I think our office is a supportive space， and their pronouns and identities are embraced by other staff。 But recently I have found myself having to advocate for nonbinary identities to family and friends when I am telling work stories and， inevitably， use they/them pronouns to refer to these nonbinary individuals。 The truth is that I don't know tons about nonbinary identity， and I don't feel it's appropriate to request an education from people I supervise or whose supervisors I supervise。。。 While I hope they'd feel comfortable letting me know if they were uncomfortable sharing， I don't want to risk it given the power dynamics。。。 And so instead I've decided to start reading some memoirs。 I tore through this one。 Maia is a relatable storyteller。 Love the artwork here too。 。。。more
Max
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My fav queer memoir I have read！ Such a wonderful book and touches on the different struggles over a lifetime。 UGH really loved it <333
isabella len
，
i abandoned this book in june but i was determined to finish it because if book-banners can flip through it and complain about four pages， then i can finish the book。anyways， book banning is asinine regardless of whether the book is good or not。
jamie
，
The genre of queer graphic novel memoir continues to kill it。 I love this niche space and the vulnerability that comes with not only talking about personal things but drawing them。 So impressed with Kobabe’s ability to be honest in these pages。 A lot of eir experiences resonated with me， and e presented different aspects of queer non-binary identities that are not yet mainstream， which is even more beneficial for educating others。
Rox
，