Ace Voices: What it Means to Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace
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- Create Date：2022-12-22 08:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Eris Young
- ISBN：178775698X
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Summary
How do we experience attraction？
What does love mean to us？
When did you realise you were ace？
This is the ace community in their own words。
Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum， Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering， enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life。
With chapters spanning everything from dating， relationships and sex， to mental and emotional health， family， community and joy， the inspirational stories and personal experiences within these pages speak to aces living and loving in unique ways。 Find support amongst the diverse narratives of aces sex-repulsed and sex-favourable， alongside voices exploring what it means to be black and ace， to be queer and ace， or ace and multi-partnered - and use it as a springboard for your own ace growth。
Do you see a story like your own？
What does love mean to us？
When did you realise you were ace？
This is the ace community in their own words。
Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum， Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering， enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life。
With chapters spanning everything from dating， relationships and sex， to mental and emotional health， family， community and joy， the inspirational stories and personal experiences within these pages speak to aces living and loving in unique ways。 Find support amongst the diverse narratives of aces sex-repulsed and sex-favourable， alongside voices exploring what it means to be black and ace， to be queer and ace， or ace and multi-partnered - and use it as a springboard for your own ace growth。
Do you see a story like your own？
Reviews
Anna the Bibliophile
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！Content warnings （not a complete list， just what I noticed while reading）:（view spoiler）[ace/arophobia， sexual assault， homophobia， transphobia， ableism， religious bigotry， references to the transatlantic slave trade （hide spoiler）]Overall， this is a very good nonfiction book about asexuality。 I read Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire， Society， and the Meaning of Sex earlier this year and r Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！Content warnings （not a complete list， just what I noticed while reading）:（view spoiler）[ace/arophobia， sexual assault， homophobia， transphobia， ableism， religious bigotry， references to the transatlantic slave trade （hide spoiler）]Overall， this is a very good nonfiction book about asexuality。 I read Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire， Society， and the Meaning of Sex earlier this year and really enjoyed it， so I wanted to read another nonfiction book about asexuality and aromanticism。 Both Ace Voices and Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire， Society， and the Meaning of Sex are informative and well written books and I recommend both of them， but I think both serve a different purpose。 I think Ace by Angela Chen is maybe a slightly better book to start with and it includes more about the intersection between asexuality and race， but doesn't include much on aromanticism beyond a chapter dedicated to it。 Ace Voices has a lot of perspectives from a-spec people as a lot of the book is interviews。 I really liked how these interviews shows how a-spec experiences differ greater from person to person and how language and labels can mean different things depending on the person。 I also liked how it placed the same weight on ace and aro identities as well as all lesser known identities that fit under the ace or aro umbrella （eg。 demiromantic， gray-ace， etc。） While both these books are on the same topic， I think that reading both is definitely worthwhile as they focus and and emphasize different aspects of being ace。Feel free to skim/skip this next section if you're not planning to read this book because it talks about the issues with formatting and probably isn't all that interesting to those not planning to pick this up。The biggest issue I had with this book was not the writing， but the formatting。 （For full transparency， I read an electronic copy on my Kindle。） The footnotes did not work and instead of being superscripts， were the same size and were in line with the rest of the text。 While not a huge issue， and one I got used to over time， it's still a little frustrating especially because with an ebook copy， I can't just flip to the back to see the footnotes。 Additionally， the quotations from the people interviewed were not integrated well into the text。 For shorter quotes， quotation marks were used， which made it clear what was text and what was a quote。 However， for longer quotes， no quotation marks were used and the quotes were in a smaller font。 This isn't uncommon or incorrect at all， in fact， this is a requirement for MLA essay formatting so I'm somewhat used to this （I'm specifically referring to the formatting of when a quote longer than four lines， no quotation marks are used and the margins of the quote and increased to it's approximately 1/2 to 1 inch in from the body text。 I'm giving the publisher the benefit of the doubt and assuming this is the case for the print version。 In the digital version I read， this formatting was lost so quotes sometimes ended up where they didn't belong， making some parts confusing。 （Please keep in mind I know nothing about the process of writing nonfiction， but the intended formatting for this book seemed very similar to MLA essay writing so that's what I'm going off of）。 Many essays follow the point （introducing the argument; statement that the author is trying to prove）， proof （using evidence to back up point; this book mostly used quotes from interviews， but also referenced studies， other book， and online posts） ， explanation （why the evidence supports argument） structure and that seemed to be what this book was following as well。 However， due to the frequent issues with the integration of quotations， instead of the structure being point then quote then explanation， the order would sometimes get messed up and be point then explanation then quote， or point then quote then another quote not connected to the point then explanation for the first quote。 While this wasn't a super frequent occurrence， it did make this book harder to understand in a number of places because things were sometimes in the wrong order。 The author also chose to assign two to three random initials to interviewees' quotes to keep the sources anonymous。 While it is important for the people who wish to remain anonymous to be able to do so， I found it very confusing who was saying what。 Here's an example of what that's like: "SH said: 'quote'， agreeing with BR on this issue。" Then several pages later， it could say， "CQ had a different perspective than SH， saying， 'quote。'" I'm not really sure how to express what it was like， but just know that I couldn't keep all the initials straight in my head and wasn't able to distinguish who said what。 Formatting issues aside， this was a well-researched and insightful nonfiction book about asexuality and aromanticism that I highly recommend if you're interested in learning more。 I just hope that the formatting problems are resolved for the published print and ebook versions。 。。。more
Andrea Dalling
，
This book is the product of the author's survey of a large number of A-spec people， and it describes a wide variety of experiences。 It's a good primer for people who don't know much about the subject， but was also enlightening to me as an A-spec person。 One of the most interesting parts was the exploration of intersectionality。 The author does a great job in this area especially。The data is very much skewed toward respondents who are A-spec as well as having other LGBTQ identities。 There isn't m This book is the product of the author's survey of a large number of A-spec people， and it describes a wide variety of experiences。 It's a good primer for people who don't know much about the subject， but was also enlightening to me as an A-spec person。 One of the most interesting parts was the exploration of intersectionality。 The author does a great job in this area especially。The data is very much skewed toward respondents who are A-spec as well as having other LGBTQ identities。 There isn't much here about people who are straight and cis。 As the author suggests， straight， cis people may be less likely to question their sexual identity。 So it's possible that straight， cis people are simply less likely to explore whether they might be A-spec。 This is an area for future research。The book is full of stories， but it uses more of a scientific than a storytelling style。 That's not a criticism， but it's something to be aware of so you know what to expect。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Vicky
，
I really enjoyed this book and I found it engaging， informative and interesting。 The writing style is clear and easy to follow， and the author’s voice is compelling。 The book is divided into chapters according to different topics， and every chapter includes multiple voices of people identifying as a-spec。 It is more academic in this sense because it analyses different themes from multiple perspectives。 But the tone of the book isn’t academic。 In fact， I found it to be the right amount of intervi I really enjoyed this book and I found it engaging， informative and interesting。 The writing style is clear and easy to follow， and the author’s voice is compelling。 The book is divided into chapters according to different topics， and every chapter includes multiple voices of people identifying as a-spec。 It is more academic in this sense because it analyses different themes from multiple perspectives。 But the tone of the book isn’t academic。 In fact， I found it to be the right amount of interviews， personal experience and discussion。 Many topics left me thinking about things and concepts that usually do not invite too much attention （such as what it means to be a friend， what kind of friendship there are and why we don’t have more words for our relationships）。 I also learned a lot。 Every chapter has a couple of discussion questions at the end， which leave the reader thinking further， examining their own bias and inviting to questions things many people take for granted or self explanatory。 Another important thing that more books should include are content warnings before each chapter。 I would recommend this book to people who are not complete beginners because it may get confusing for those completely unfamiliar with the discussions。 。。。more
ily
，
A broad， comprehensive glimpse into asexuality and its place in the world， told through complementary research and personal anecdotes from members of the a-spec community。 While this book is tailored more towards people with some knowledge of asexuality， Young does offer up an extensive list of terms under the asexual umbrella that will help the most unaware readers to follow along。 Covering a range of topics， the book takes an intersectional approach， recognizing the broad variations in experie A broad， comprehensive glimpse into asexuality and its place in the world， told through complementary research and personal anecdotes from members of the a-spec community。 While this book is tailored more towards people with some knowledge of asexuality， Young does offer up an extensive list of terms under the asexual umbrella that will help the most unaware readers to follow along。 Covering a range of topics， the book takes an intersectional approach， recognizing the broad variations in experiences， cultural and racialized identities， gender， etc。 that informs an individual's asexual identity and their societal perception。 With such a vast array of stories that show there is no singular way of being ace， one is bound to find a sense of kinship and camaraderie in Ace Voices。thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
HaileyAnne
，
Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I am always looking for more ace rep- whether it's fiction or nonfiction。 I was excited to read this and to read more perspectives of being ace。 And while there was a lot I liked about it， there were also things I didn't like。Rather than having chapters or sections dedicated to specific individuals， the author uses quotes from various individuals throughout each chapter。 This is fine， but because of this form Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I am always looking for more ace rep- whether it's fiction or nonfiction。 I was excited to read this and to read more perspectives of being ace。 And while there was a lot I liked about it， there were also things I didn't like。Rather than having chapters or sections dedicated to specific individuals， the author uses quotes from various individuals throughout each chapter。 This is fine， but because of this format， if the same person was quoted later， I couldn't remember what their perspective was from earlier。 I appreciated all of the different perspectives， but it was difficult to fully form a picture of who these people are。Nonfiction generally isn't my genre， but sometimes I can get into it。 The tone of this book was very scientific and dry-- more of a textbook than a narrative。 That might appeal to some people， but it's not my cup of tea。Aside from a couple of generalizations thrown in that I didn't care for， the author does a good job of emphasizing that these identities are a spectrum and are impossible to fully define， while still showcasing a wide array of experiences。 The author does a good job of explaining different labels， microlabels， and other terminology， while also explaining how different people assign these terms different meanings。Each chapter ended with discussion questions， which I'm undecided on。 I liked that they prompted deeper thinking， but I'm not sure about the intended audience。Overall， I appreciate this book。 It has a lot of great information in it and I learned a lot。 It also made me feel seen and I wrote down multiple quotes that really spoke to me。 As this book discusses， lack of visibility is a real issue for ace individuals （I know that personally）。 Books like this are so important because they are another step in the right direction。 。。。more
The Rose Post
，
Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an early copy of this book to review！ （I am an ownvoices reviewer when it comes to this book） Release Date: December 21st 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars My Thoughts: This is a book that I wish I had when I was growing up， because even though I now know what I identify as， I still learned so much about myself and my identity by reading this book。 It’s hard identifying as aspec in a world that is thinks its unnatural， and this book made me real Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for an early copy of this book to review！ （I am an ownvoices reviewer when it comes to this book） Release Date: December 21st 2022 My Rating: 5/5 stars My Thoughts: This is a book that I wish I had when I was growing up， because even though I now know what I identify as， I still learned so much about myself and my identity by reading this book。 It’s hard identifying as aspec in a world that is thinks its unnatural， and this book made me realize I wasn’t alone！ I loved how the author interviewed aspec individuals to get their points of view。 And I also loved that the author gave their own experiences and views as well！ My favorite part of the book was reading about the different types of identities in aspec。 Some of them I had never heard of before and found myself relating to them！ I personally like labels because it helps me put a word to how I’m feeling， but not everyone feels that way。 Overall， if you identify as aspec or want to learn more about the asexual， aromatic， demi， and grey-ace identities I definitely recommend this book。 It was great reading from a knowledgeable author who kept people’s feelings in mind when writing this book！ 。。。more
Morgan Greensmith
，
Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and Net Galley for access to an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。Ace Voices is a brilliant exploration of the ace experience through the own voices of the community。 As one of the most misunderstood and unknown parts of the LGBTQIA+ community， it’s so refreshing to see people get to tell their own experiences and meanings - especially to see how fluid these terms are， how they mean different things to different people， and how ultimately Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and Net Galley for access to an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。Ace Voices is a brilliant exploration of the ace experience through the own voices of the community。 As one of the most misunderstood and unknown parts of the LGBTQIA+ community， it’s so refreshing to see people get to tell their own experiences and meanings - especially to see how fluid these terms are， how they mean different things to different people， and how ultimately these labels are more about how they make you feel， and what they mean to you， than about labelling yourself for understanding by society。 As someone who read this while coming to terms with their own asexuality and aromanticism， I can say this book is absolutely vital to learning to understand yourself and the terminology at your disposal as an ace spectrum individual。 。。。more
Annarella
，
An informative book about what aro/ace means。 There's a lot of voices， extracts， and it made me understand more about this way of being。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine An informative book about what aro/ace means。 There's a lot of voices， extracts， and it made me understand more about this way of being。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Clare Krajewski
，
Love this book， felt fun and informative
Emily Joelle
，
I am sad to say I am DNFing this book。 I made it to 20% and am really struggling balancing my expectations with the reality of the book。 I was SO excited to hear from so many different voices of A-spec people， but this book was just the author's voice with many quotes from the interviews they conducted。 It was hard to keep track of anyone because the quotes were blended into the author's points， and the people were referenced by initials which made it hard to remember who was who。 I didn't feel I am sad to say I am DNFing this book。 I made it to 20% and am really struggling balancing my expectations with the reality of the book。 I was SO excited to hear from so many different voices of A-spec people， but this book was just the author's voice with many quotes from the interviews they conducted。 It was hard to keep track of anyone because the quotes were blended into the author's points， and the people were referenced by initials which made it hard to remember who was who。 I didn't feel as though these quotes were representing anyone's voices。 They were simply being used to confirm the author's perspectives。 While I think this book is still important， as it is valid to hear one person's perspective， I wish it had been given a different title。 I will still recommend it to someone wanting to read an informational， if fairly clinical， book about the ACE spectrum。 I just wanted it to be more anecdotal， which I assumed it would be based on the title。 I hope someone will write the book I imagined this one to be， because I am very much wanting to read a book with personal essays about some of the many different ways being ACE can look。 。。。more
Kat
，
#AceVoices #NetGalley I would highly recommend to any of my customers。 Great read for families and friends， too！
Bella Blake
，
Read from November 7th， 2022 to December 12th， 2022。 Written on December 12th， 2022。With this book， Eris Young has taught me so much about myself and the a-spec and LGBTQIA+ communities， mainly the a-spec since it is the foundation of this book。From navigating the different sexualities and terms to heavier topics like trauma， the author takes the reader on an exploring voyage through one of the most forgotten and discarded communities within the LGBTQ+ movement， teaching the reader more about wh Read from November 7th， 2022 to December 12th， 2022。 Written on December 12th， 2022。With this book， Eris Young has taught me so much about myself and the a-spec and LGBTQIA+ communities， mainly the a-spec since it is the foundation of this book。From navigating the different sexualities and terms to heavier topics like trauma， the author takes the reader on an exploring voyage through one of the most forgotten and discarded communities within the LGBTQ+ movement， teaching the reader more about what it means to be who they are and helping come to terms with who they are as well。 With responses from several interviewees who give their own stories and perspectives on what it means to live in today's world with their sexuality（ies）/label（s）。I loved this book so so much， it brought me enlightenment on the a-spec community， helped me with my own questions and confusions and guided me through a world I hadn't seen before， learning more about different people and different experiences， some similar to mine， that I will cherish for a long， long time。I feel truly honoured that I got to read this before it came out because it truly changed some things in my life， and I believe it will continue to do so。 Thank you to Eris Young and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity！Signing off，B。（Free ARC from NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers that I chose to review after reading） 。。。more
Zoe
，
This was a really interesting read and I'm glad I took the time to do so。 The book defines labels and microlabels that fall under the a-spec umbrella and explores some intersecting aspects of identities in varying depth， benefiting from some interviewees' responses that are well integrated into the structure。 The writing style does well to be both accessible and critically engaged， which are both vital in such a book when there is so little literature on this subject。 I particularly enjoyed the This was a really interesting read and I'm glad I took the time to do so。 The book defines labels and microlabels that fall under the a-spec umbrella and explores some intersecting aspects of identities in varying depth， benefiting from some interviewees' responses that are well integrated into the structure。 The writing style does well to be both accessible and critically engaged， which are both vital in such a book when there is so little literature on this subject。 I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the intersectionality between gender and asexuality for its nuance and depth， as well as the later chapters on aces within the wider queer community， on theorizing - while drawing on interviews - what ace relationships of all kinds can look like， and on ace joy。 As the author points out， so much language associated with asexuality is to do with a lack， or is desperate to prove that "aces are normal too"。 I'd have loved the expansion on the ace joy chapter。 A few things were less well done。 There are questions at the end of each chapter that directly address the reader， but these feel a little too pedagogical and targeted at baby aces， rather than anyone who already identifies as somewhere under the a-spec umbrella。 The earlier chapters defining terms feel a little labored; and it's clear that where the author's voice really flows is in the latter half of the book。 Some intersectional chapters went into more depth and more research than others。 Overall， this is a good read for anyone who's done or doing some preliminary research into asexuality， and offers some food for thought in a meaningful way on the aforementioned topics that other ace literature does not tackle。 3。75Thanks to netgalley and Jessica Kingsley publishers for sending me the e-arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Madam Pince
，
Edelweiss provided an e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review。In recent years， there have been a few wonderful examples of nonfiction anthologies–multi-author essay collections written by members of marginalized communities that explore the nuances of being “Other” in today’s society。 I'm not sure why， but for some reason I thought this book would be something in a similar vein–which， to my disappointment， it isn’t。 （The mistake is mine）。 Instead， the author， Eris Young， is the main Edelweiss provided an e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review。In recent years， there have been a few wonderful examples of nonfiction anthologies–multi-author essay collections written by members of marginalized communities that explore the nuances of being “Other” in today’s society。 I'm not sure why， but for some reason I thought this book would be something in a similar vein–which， to my disappointment， it isn’t。 （The mistake is mine）。 Instead， the author， Eris Young， is the main voice， and occasionally weaves in anecdotes by anonymous persons。 The book covers topics such as:*Microlabels*The evolution of language*Coming out*A-spec’s （oftentimes controversial） place in the LGBTQ+ community*Intersectionality*The nuances of individual experiences， etc。I assume many people who show interest in this book will be like me， and have spent the last several years obsessively questioning their sexual/romantic orientation（s）。 As someone who has read several books on the subject now， I can’t say I’ll be rushing out to buy this book （it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know）， but I’d definitely recommend it for newcomers to the community。 I’d like to end with a quote from the text:“I no longer want to start every discussion around our identities from a place of lack; I want to add my voice to the voices of the a-spec activists， writers， researchers and artists who are exploring positive， radically different ways of thinking about ourselves and our communities。” 。。。more
Morgan Howard
，
5 stars**HUGE thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！**Aided by dozens of interviews and their own significant research， Eris Young presents a history of asexuality and aromanticism， along with discussions about aroace rights and the lives of community members。 Topics include ace representation in media， the importance of representation in general， the way we describe asexuality being all English terms （such as “demi” a 5 stars**HUGE thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！**Aided by dozens of interviews and their own significant research， Eris Young presents a history of asexuality and aromanticism， along with discussions about aroace rights and the lives of community members。 Topics include ace representation in media， the importance of representation in general， the way we describe asexuality being all English terms （such as “demi” and “grey”） and what that means for non-English-speaking people， visibility and community and how lack of technology affects this， lack of sex education， intersectionality， the pros and cons of labels， coming out， not being believed， how the U。S。 and U。K。 got to such sex-obsessed cultures， ace women feeling excluded from feminism as for not wanting sex， gender as a performance， society’s vilification of aromantic people， being taken seriously， found family and society's devaluation of friendship， different types of love， definitions of romance， and polyamory。Rep: Author is asexual， greyromantic， neurodivergent， and non-binary。 Interviewees are from all over the aroace spectrum， many also with other queer identities。 Several are people of color， disabled， and/or neurodivergent as well。Content warnings: Aphobia （author’s term）， transphobia， racism， ace erasure， expectations of sex， sexual harassment and abuse， not being believed， exclusion， religion， sexualization of trans bodies， misogyny， gender roles， toxic masculinity， and familial control and tension。 Brief mentions of child abuse， grooming and pedophilia， colonialism， war， slavery， genocide， and forced sterilization。I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful this book is！ While I’m not on the ace spectrum myself， I am demiromantic， and it was a pleasant surprise to have a chance to read about this identity。 Also， my fiancée is demisexual and my sister and two close friends are asexual; it was a joy getting to share parts of this book with them， hear their insight， and celebrate their feelings of being seen。Young ends each chapter with a list of questions for readers to consider， and I loved that。 It invites the reader to engage more deeply， as does the conversational tone。 Part of what contributes to this is how Young seems to have written it for EVERYONE， partially evidenced by their inclusion of dozens of interviewees。 Allosexual people can read it and enjoy being educated （proof: me）， and ace people can read it and enjoy being validated。Some of the discussions that I found especially fascinating include: how asexuality was included under the bi umbrella in the early days of the queer liberation movement; the cool connection several ace people have with kink communities; and how the 18th-century erasure of female* pleasure led to the belief that people with these body parts couldn’t be ace because they were incapable of feeling sexual pleasure。Ultimately， this book proves just how crucial LGBTQIA+ nonfiction is。 Young is an incredibly talented writer， and I hope “Ace Voices” inspires even more deep dives into marginalized queer identities。 * Used here in the sense that people in power at the time would have used it， meaning people with vaginas 。。。more
The Biased Bibliophile
，
After receiving a promotional email from Goodreads， which recommended Ace Voices by Eris Young， I knew I wanted to read it immediately！ I’m always looking for more books by and about a-spec people， and I was excited to find another nonfiction book on the topic。 I never imagined it would turn out to be one of my favorite nonfiction books of all-time！One of my favorite aspects of the novel was that it doesn’t read like a textbook。 Sometimes nonfiction books can feel really boring， but this book wa After receiving a promotional email from Goodreads， which recommended Ace Voices by Eris Young， I knew I wanted to read it immediately！ I’m always looking for more books by and about a-spec people， and I was excited to find another nonfiction book on the topic。 I never imagined it would turn out to be one of my favorite nonfiction books of all-time！One of my favorite aspects of the novel was that it doesn’t read like a textbook。 Sometimes nonfiction books can feel really boring， but this book was filled with emotion and soul！ I loved that the author spoke to a large group of a-spec people when writing the book， incorporating their different experiences to show a more comprehensive look into what it’s like to be a-spec。 Additionally， Young provided helpful interpretations of different terminology that is frequently used in the a-spec community。 I found it very helpful to have multiple clear perspectives on these terms。 While I had already heard many of them， I think this feature would appeal to people who are not very familiar with the a-spec community。 Likewise， those who have had more experience with the a-spec community will likely enjoy the diverse experiences and nuances that Young references in relation to each term。On top of that， there were discussion questions at the end of each chapter that really added to the feeling of reflectiveness and introspection。 I love that Young wants readers to think， not only about what being ace means， but also about many different aspects of orientation and gender identity。 The questions were simultaneously thought-provoking and easy to understand。The thing that made this book really stand out was the emotions， from those who participated in the creation of the book， from the author themself， and from me as a reader。 This made the book very powerful， and I found comfort in many of the things that were shared by other ace people。 So many experiences described in the book， from having a fear of being alone forever to not feeling an urge to dive into microlabels， really resonated with me， and made me feel a deeper connection to the a-spec community。Overall， this is a book that I will be recommending for a long time to come！ I’m hoping to add a signed copy to my a-spec bookshelf soon， and I know I will feel a sense of wholesomeness and hope every time I see it on my shelf！ 。。。more
Marissa Owen
，
More ace books are needed。 This book offers multiple voices to show what a part of the ace community looks。 I loved the discussion of language and how there are not words to describe everything。 Thank you for writing this book and making this information easier to find for people who want to learn more about the community。
Morgan
，
Ace Voices does a great job discussing the varied experiences within the ace community。 There were a couple of micro labels I wasn’t aware of before this book and found it easy to understand。 My one critique is that some responses seemed a bit tacked in there and it was hard to remember initials given to the people interviewed。 Thank you to JKP and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review。
Thrudr
，
It's been difficult for me rating this book。 When I requested the ARC I thought the book was about A-spec people speaking to and about their stories and experiences。 This was a mixed of the author relating pieces of the interviews and blank statements。 I"m always finding it difficult to rate nonfiction books so I would say this was informative。**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review。** It's been difficult for me rating this book。 When I requested the ARC I thought the book was about A-spec people speaking to and about their stories and experiences。 This was a mixed of the author relating pieces of the interviews and blank statements。 I"m always finding it difficult to rate nonfiction books so I would say this was informative。**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review。** 。。。more
Karen D
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This was a really informative and engaging read， giving me entirely new perspectives on the range of sexual and romantic experiences。 Thank you to @netgalley and @jkpbooks for the early copy， I really enjoyed this！ *This book explores sexual attraction， and the range of people across the asexual spectrum， as well as those who fall in the aromantic spectrum， and how those two identities intersect with each other as well as with other factors like gender， race， neurodivergence， or mental illness。 This was a really informative and engaging read， giving me entirely new perspectives on the range of sexual and romantic experiences。 Thank you to @netgalley and @jkpbooks for the early copy， I really enjoyed this！ *This book explores sexual attraction， and the range of people across the asexual spectrum， as well as those who fall in the aromantic spectrum， and how those two identities intersect with each other as well as with other factors like gender， race， neurodivergence， or mental illness。 It seems to me at least that the A aspect of LGBTQIA+ does not get as much attention as others， so this was really interesting to dive into and learn more about。 There are so many very real consequences about how we as a society talk about sex， how sex is often actually codified into law or sexuality impacts actual medical diagnoses。 *This gave me a whole new set of terms to help understand how people see sex and romance， some of which the author said were even new to them， but was really helpful for new ways to think about the topics。 This really drives home just how much language plays a role in affecting someone's experience， in figuring out who they are， but also in how others treat them。 But this also acknowledges how much language changes between people and over time， so none of the terms introduced were meant to be binding but more like guidelines。 *I really appreciated the author's experiences interjected with quotes and stories from the hundreds of people they interviewed for this book。 It really helped show just how unique every single person is and the huge range of options available for how people think about and experience sex and romance。 *I definitely learned a lot from this book， and would certainly recommend to anyone looking to educate themselves on this lesser-discussed aspect of sexuality。 。。。more
Ben Buckingham
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I think this is a really valuable and well written and sourced book， even though it didn't really resonate with me。 I think I always want a bit more of a narrative through line with non-fiction and just got a bit bogged down in the book。Young has conducted some thorough interviews with members of the a-spec community and weaves it very thoroughly into their book。 For anyone looking to learn more about the a-spec community， this is a great resource。 Not my style of book， but well done。 I think this is a really valuable and well written and sourced book， even though it didn't really resonate with me。 I think I always want a bit more of a narrative through line with non-fiction and just got a bit bogged down in the book。Young has conducted some thorough interviews with members of the a-spec community and weaves it very thoroughly into their book。 For anyone looking to learn more about the a-spec community， this is a great resource。 Not my style of book， but well done。 。。。more
Megan Gilbert
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I have been wanting to learn more about Asexuality， so I was very excited to receive a copy of this via NetGalley。 Overall， I found Ace Voices to be extremely informative and thorough。 Intersectionality has long been overlooked， especially by white queer people， so I really appreciated all the intersections the book went into between Ace identities （such as race， gender， disability， etc）。Asexual people definitely get overlook or wholly ignored by society and even the queer community， so these ty I have been wanting to learn more about Asexuality， so I was very excited to receive a copy of this via NetGalley。 Overall， I found Ace Voices to be extremely informative and thorough。 Intersectionality has long been overlooked， especially by white queer people， so I really appreciated all the intersections the book went into between Ace identities （such as race， gender， disability， etc）。Asexual people definitely get overlook or wholly ignored by society and even the queer community， so these types of texts are that much more important。 Most people don't understand what asexuality really means， but Young lays it out in a way that's easy to grasp。 I also had no idea about the laws against asexuality， including that in France a woman is considered at fault in a divorce if she wouldn’t have sex with her husband。 All that to say， I learned a lot from this book that I never had any idea about！What bumped me the most while reading the book was that while it was very thorough and detailed， I often felt it was repeating itself。 I understand that's the nature of such a book， but it's what made me want to take more breaks during my read。 I also would have loved to follow the people quoted a little more throughout the book。 Rather than just having a string of quotes from different people with whom the author spoke。A quote I loved: “Like my gender， I want to live my experience， not describe it。” 。。。more
Online Eccentric Librarian
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More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This was a fascinating read and definitely not what I was expecting going in: This is not a series of interviews so much as the author's exploration of what it means to be asexual。 There are many quotes from various individuals throughout but mostly the author uses them as talking points to set up a discussion。 This is VERY suitable for ace and allo （non ace）， LGBTQ+， and really anyone who wants to know more on the su More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This was a fascinating read and definitely not what I was expecting going in: This is not a series of interviews so much as the author's exploration of what it means to be asexual。 There are many quotes from various individuals throughout but mostly the author uses them as talking points to set up a discussion。 This is VERY suitable for ace and allo （non ace）， LGBTQ+， and really anyone who wants to know more on the subject。This is presented much like an academic discussion so it isn't the typical of friendly "so you think you are ace" type of positive books that are out there。 That's why I find this a very useful discussion about what it means （and doesn't mean） to be ace。 From relationships， love， acceptance， difficulties， to the slew of terms originating from the community， it is clear that being asexual is not a simple definition。 It was especially revealing that most ace consider themselves a part of the LGBTQ+ community but often are not accepted there simply because most of the LGBTQ+。 In a large group defined by sexual freedom， how do they accept someone with little interest in sex at all （and whose relationships are not defined by sex）？ The book explores other topics that also find special relevance: from gender issues （the stigma of being male but not being interested in sex， for example） to the affects on races other than white （since much of ace is often defined by Caucasians）。 I found those topics particularly interesting， especially since the author puts their struggles in perspective history。There is a LOT of information here。 I think most will enjoy the various quotes and experiences from the 150+ ace individuals that the author polled。 But it is also a great opportunity to really understand this somewhat shunned community。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Janine
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This was a thought-provoking and interesting exploration into a-spec identities。 The author uses their own experiences， personal interviews and historical perspectives to discuss a huge range of topics in a warm， relatable way。 Although the book is only written by one 'ace voice'， the book is filled with quotes from others to back up， and sometimes expand upon， the discussion。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 This was a thought-provoking and interesting exploration into a-spec identities。 The author uses their own experiences， personal interviews and historical perspectives to discuss a huge range of topics in a warm， relatable way。 Although the book is only written by one 'ace voice'， the book is filled with quotes from others to back up， and sometimes expand upon， the discussion。Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
rat
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Received a copy from netgalleyI'm so glad I requested and read this book！ I have not read Angela Chen's Ace yet （which I believe is the most known book about asexuality） so I'm not going to compare these two or say something like "weell I think this was executed better in Ace than in Ace VoicesI really appreciated how inclusive this book was。 Of course it mostly focused on the asexuality spectrum but it also discussed about polyamory， being ace and neurodivergent， aromanticism， gender identity Received a copy from netgalleyI'm so glad I requested and read this book！ I have not read Angela Chen's Ace yet （which I believe is the most known book about asexuality） so I'm not going to compare these two or say something like "weell I think this was executed better in Ace than in Ace VoicesI really appreciated how inclusive this book was。 Of course it mostly focused on the asexuality spectrum but it also discussed about polyamory， being ace and neurodivergent， aromanticism， gender identity etc。 It featured the intervewees' answers of the author's survey which intensifies the title （Ace Voices）。 The discussion topics at the end of each chapter was interesting and didn't really see it as homework， as some reviews have pointed too， but as a fun activity and possibly a fun way to understand ourselves。My personal favourite chapter and topic of discussion was why is it that friendships are viewed as less than （romantic） relationships as well as the necessary disinction between sex repulsed/sex neutral/sex positive asexuals and people who belong in the ace spectrum's relationship with sexual activity。 Would totally recommend to anyone who wants to read non-fiction about asexuality！ 。。。more
Leyla Demirel
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*review in exchange for netgalley e-arc*I’m finding it quite tricky to summarise my thoughts on this book。 On the one hand， it was super useful and interesting to read， and helped build my understanding on the asexual spectrum - I recently thought I may be demisexual - so I found a lot of the content really interesting。 However， the book was just very different to what I expected。 I thought as the title was ‘ace voices’， the book would be lots of ace voices and stories combined into a sort of an *review in exchange for netgalley e-arc*I’m finding it quite tricky to summarise my thoughts on this book。 On the one hand， it was super useful and interesting to read， and helped build my understanding on the asexual spectrum - I recently thought I may be demisexual - so I found a lot of the content really interesting。 However， the book was just very different to what I expected。 I thought as the title was ‘ace voices’， the book would be lots of ace voices and stories combined into a sort of anthology; but actually it was more that the author had interviewed and collated many ace voices and taken snippets and written them within their own research and words and turned that into the book。 I did still find the book interesting as I said， but with the writing style I really did struggle。 It felt very academic and factual， I struggled to get through it easily as that information overload and all the definitions and explanations took me a while to process。Overall， I’m glad I read the book， it just was one that was maybe not my cup of tea， not because of the content but the way it was put together！ 。。。more
Shanna， Clearing the Bookshelf
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A huge thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book！。I read this book during Ace Awareness Week， and it serves a look into the Ace community without the author trying to speak for all。 Much of the book is made up of interviews from people who volunteered to speak with the author about their experiences in the asexual， aromantic， demi， and grey-ace community。 Young organizes these into chapters by topic and includes discussion questions at the end。 I e A huge thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book！。I read this book during Ace Awareness Week， and it serves a look into the Ace community without the author trying to speak for all。 Much of the book is made up of interviews from people who volunteered to speak with the author about their experiences in the asexual， aromantic， demi， and grey-ace community。 Young organizes these into chapters by topic and includes discussion questions at the end。 I especially liked their inclusion of micro-labels， and making it very clear that there is a distinct separation between sexual attraction and romantic attraction。 。Many of the contributors wished to remain anonymous， so Young assigned each of them a random set of initials。 This quickly gets confusing and it is difficult to get a full view of who any of these people are， and how their thoughts intertwine between chapters。 The formatting in my early copy would often put all of Young’s introductions to contributors together， followed by all of the quotes grouped together。 Once I figured this out， it was easier to go back and forth to connect the dots， but I imagine this will be corrected in the final copy。 The author definitely writes from an academic stance and it can feel dry at times， but keep powering through and hopefully you will feel seen or like your world view has been widened。 。。。more
Morgan Frazier
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I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss。
Lydia
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"When it comes down to it， for a lot of us living as a-spec means coming to understand that we are， on our own， enough。" Thank you to the publisher for granting me an e-Arc。 I have a lot of thoughts about this book， and many of them have made me cry。 This book is great for both those who are just starting to understand what a-spec means and want to know more of the community and those who've been part of it for a while but still want to get to know more a-spec experiences。 For the first group "When it comes down to it， for a lot of us living as a-spec means coming to understand that we are， on our own， enough。" Thank you to the publisher for granting me an e-Arc。 I have a lot of thoughts about this book， and many of them have made me cry。 This book is great for both those who are just starting to understand what a-spec means and want to know more of the community and those who've been part of it for a while but still want to get to know more a-spec experiences。 For the first group of people， this book starts out with a bit of an introduction and presentation of some relevant words and then the author goes in deeper。 Starting out， I confess I was a little disappointed with the title of the book （ace voices？ why not a-spec？）， but this is an issue that the author recognizes and then corrects for the rest of the book。 I understand why they'd keep the "ace voices" in the title instead， since it can captivate way more people than "a-spec voices" would。 I wasn't expecting the author to address the wording - but they did， and that was only one of the surprises in this book。 Being aroace， I do believe there is a tendency to first describe what my community lacks。 This is something the author not only avoids but goes around - they show us what is incredible about being in the aro or ace spectrum， how much we have to get to know ourselves on a fundamental level and how that leads us to speak out about our needs and understand others better， no matter the type of relationship。 This book reiterates this in so many ways - it shows us how strong the community is， how we've fought for a long time and been here even longer， how we've overcome society's amatonormativity even in spite of our families' expectations and how people of color have felt and feel this weight more harshly， how language wasn't made to accomodate us at all but we're changing it so it does。 Most of all， it shows us there is no one way to be ace and no one way to be aro。 Sexuality is fluid and each of us experiences different types of attraction in different ways and that does not exclude us from the a-spec community， but only enriches it。There's no way to explain it， you'll just have to read it - I'll encourage you。 Chapters like "When Language Isn't Enough"， "Cultural Background and Racialisation"， "Friends and Family"， "What is Love？" and， most importantly， "Joy" are some of the best chapters I've ever read。 The last one has a special place in my heart because it hightlights the goods of my community and how ending up "alone" isn't depressing at all。 "I would tell her， or them， to be gentle with themselves。 There is value in the knowing， when the knowing comes， but value in the learning， too。" 。。。more
L。
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