Member Reviews
This book is a necessary one for many collections, especially in more conservative areas where The Talk is uncomomon and Sex Ed is virtually non-existent. I appreciated the conversational, laid-back tone and inclusivity. Many of the graphics are also helpful, though likely embarrassing for some readers or their parents.
Some parents will find this objectionable. But like with any other media, those who wish their children not to read it should screen it first. Teens can make better decisions when they have all the facts, and decision-making is better when teens are educated on this important subject.
Thanks you Netgalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a must buy. It breaks down conversations about gender, sexuality, consent, and your body in a way that is easy to understand. I love that it is a graphic novel. That makes it easier to read and less awkward. I think older tweens & teens would rather be handed a graphic novel about this than a book or a 'talk'. I even learned a few things in this book that I didn't fully understand & I'm an adult!
This book was right in the middle for me. While it did have some good info that was presented in an interesting way some of the advice in this book isn't the best, and some of it is even dangerous. Telling kids that STIs like HIV and herpes aren't that big of a deal isn't a great message. Yes, you can control those STIs with medication but they are still dangerous. I understand not wanting there to be a stigma for people with STIs but I feel like this went the completely opposite way. Overall, not something I would give a teenager to learn about sex.
It comes a time in every individual's life where they must have THE TALK. Parents and kids alike dread the awkwardness. But Let's Talk About It allows for open discussion and a safe place to discover sexuality. Moen and Nolan really do an excellent job in writing and allowing for different viewpoints to come through with out harsh over tones.
Useful and frank discussion of bodies, sex and sexuality. A fantastic purchase for public and school libraries that will certainly fill a need for many teen readers. Highly recommended purchase.
Fantastic, inclusive, accepting, non-judgemental, with a good balance of information and humor to keep young readers interested and engaged past embarrassment that they may feel.
I thought this was okay as a book. I think the biggest drawback for me was the lack of citations, especially since I know the creators have been controversial on the internet with the accuracy and content of their webcomics. I think it has enough positives to not be held to the standard of the webcomic, though it being recommend as a resource at the end was odd. Fills a need for teen graphic novels.
This book is a great place for teens to start if they are looking for information on sex, relationships, and other things related to those and growing up. I felt there was a lot of good information, even if topics were covered in a more general sense than in-depth. I don't think that the material in the book was too advanced for a more younger teen audience, especially because I believe young teens should have a good understanding of sex and what's involved with it/the repercussions of unsafe sex. I'd say use this book as a means of introduction into topics that should be looked at more in-depth as the reader's individual preferred pace.
A great work about sex that's inclusive and educational. Facts are accurate and frankly stated, and something I wish I had seen myself when I was growing up.
I genuinely think this should be required reading in high schools. As an adult, there are answers in here to questions indefinitely had late into my twenties. Sex is a complicated topic, and this book handles it with stating the facts, taking feelings into account, and playing on a bit of humour so it’s not such a daunting topic. The inclusivity in the illustrations is just wonderful. I genuinely hope this book finds its way to every school library.
There are, of course, many books for teens about puberty and sex. They tend to be more biological, their focus on the parts of the body, the hows and whys of sex and attraction. This one is more sociological. It's a series of conversations about mechanics, consent, attraction, virginity, gender, sexuality, and rejection. And it doesn't hold back. It's completely frank and explicit. If you want to be sure your kid is getting accurate information, this may be the way to go.
I am all about sex education, especially for young people and Let's Talk About It will be an easy recommend. Erika Moen tells it like it is. I really appreciated how inclusive this book was, from Nolan's illustrations of all people and body types, to Moen's inclusion of different genders and sexualities. Now if only there was a puberty book that did the same thing!
3.5 stars
I think there are things this book accomplishes really well, and some things that left a bit to be desired.
The good? This felt, overall to be a really comprehensive guide not just "about sex," but about that and everything that comes along with it. I really appreciated the sections for sexuality and gender, and those near the end of the book that were more focused on the non-sexual aspects of relationships (both romantic and platonic). I also loved how inclusive the illustrated components were when it came to depicting body types, and celebrating the vast variety of body shapes that exist.
Where this book falters for me is that, with all of that, the tone of some dialogue felt very... [insert "How do you do, fellow kids?" GIF]. It's clear this was a book written by adults. Specifically by adults trying to convey this information in a way that is "cool" for the kids.
The problem is that, to do this, the text relies on the use of language that was outdated even when I was a teenager. (which was...just shy of a decade ago; if it's dated for me, it's definitely even more dated for current teens) Honestly, it was the dialogue that made me feel uncomfortable—not the very detailed illustrations of reproductive organs or nude bodies that I've seen others be put off by.
And this is a shame, because there's a lot of really beneficial information, and the format in theory makes the information really accessible. But when the dialogue is this cringeworthy, it made it extremely difficult to continuing reading at times. Also, because this books serves to be a introductory guide, it can't cover everything (and there may have been additions to the text not present in the ARC I read). But I think there was definitely room to include discussion about things like oral sex, and I wish that there was some time spent further discussing sexual health in the section about anatomy.
I tried reading this eARC when I had downtime at work but I wound up feeling embarrassed about some of the graphic content. I am a grown adult and shouldn't be embarrassed. It wasn't terribly detailed but it still felt strange to me. The content itself wasn't embarrassing. Each chapter has a purpose and there's two or three people discussing the theme conversationally. There's one chapter where randomly they're talking about body types and not to be ashamed and shows those body types and then on the next page these people are entirely naked. While I understand this is meant to be a book to start conversations with and/or amongst teens I'm not really sure if it was necessary to have so much nudity included. While they are drawn and not real it's still strange to me. I wasn't able to access the eARC again when I had time to finish the book so I'm not sure about the rest of the content. I liked the information that was included and it seemed to be a pretty good book but this issue has me unsure if I will get it for my YA collection at the library.
Booklist review can be seen here - https://www.booklistonline.com/Let-s-Talk-about-It-The-Teen-s-Guide-to-Sex-Relationships-and-Being-a-Human-/pid=9742299.
A useful and handy book, which is not only informative but encourages open and honest communication. Facts are given in a clear and concise manner, and independent thinking is encouraged. This can prove a real challenge in the current age of the iPhone. It’s important to have real resources for our children such as this one instead of depending on at times unreliable online ones. Definitely a worthwhile addition to a classroom or home.
This is a great guide to sex for teens. It covers almost everything teens need to know about sex. I would recommend it to high schoolers and mature middle graders because of the swearing and graphic illustrations. I'm not really a fan of works produced by adults that try to use teen language. I think some teens will find that patronizing. I also would have preferred less profanity. It was unnecessary.
This young adult graphic novel is a no-holds-barred look at sex and sexuality for teens. Parts are definitely suitable for tweens and even younger, but other parts may not be depending on your views as a parent. I would encourage you to pick it up and decide for yourself at what age your child(ren) are ready for it. It pretty much covers everything - with illustrations - although I didn't see anything about oral sex which I found a little odd considering the other topics covered. I loved that so many different body types were depicted - small, medium, large, and extra-large, partial and prosthetic limbs, intersex genitalia, etc. It also emphasized the importance of consent and open, ongoing discussions with partners.
Let's Talk About It is a useful, approachable, honest guide to all things sexuality for the teen reader. It answers many questions that a naturally curious teen asks and approaches each topic clearly and honestly. While it is not a replacement for a well-rounded sex education class or parent conversations, it can ease the teen into sex ed when used in conjunction with a class or "the talk", and perhaps open up a dialogue for those parents who are timid about broaching the subject. Appropriate for middle grades and up.
This nonfiction graphic novel is chock-full of helpful and frank information for teens. I love how it calls out some of the more "teacher-y" info dumps and is like, "Okay, yeah, but how do I actually do that?" It covers anatomy, emotions, hormones, interpersonal stuff, gender and sexuality, and so much. AND it's beautifully diverse with LGBTQIA+, people with skin of all colors, people with various disabilities (amputees, wheelchair users, deaf/sign-language, etc.). I don't like how there are depictions of sex organs or one illustration of what p-in-v sex looks like, but not because I'm personally against, more so because I am worried about a book challenge at my small-town library. That said, there is a professional review of it in the December 2020 School Library Journal for anyone who needs that in case of censorship challenges.
Table of contents:
- What is... this book?
- What is... first?
- What is... a relationship?
- What are... gender and sexuality?
- What is... body image?
- What is... your body?
- Where do you... start?
- What is... masturbation?
- What is... safe sex?
- What is... climax
- What is... sexting?
- What are... kinks, fantasies, and porn?
- What is... aftercare?
- Where are... friends in all this?
- What is... jealousy?
- What is... rejection?
- What is... next?
- Further reading
- Author's note
- Index