This book is an amazing explanation/reflexion of how people can feel about gender. Through the interviews and the biographical parts, put in comic book form, I really connected with those people. It felt somewhat intimate and personal, and did help me put into words feelings and thoughts about Gender. I really liked that Rhea Ewing put a good diversity of humans, as much as they could within their means as disclaimed in the introduction. It made me see how gender is viewed or experienced in different environments than mine (white francophone lesbian). While it didn't give an answer to what it gender (because no one can really claim they have the answer to that), it illustrated many view on the definition of, some which resonated with me, some didn't, some changed my vision of things. I think this is a great book for people like me who are questioning themselves because it gives tracks to start your own journey, and it lets us see that we are no alone in those thoughts. Because it is so direct since we get the words of the interviewed people, I think it would also help people like parents or people who didn't grow up learning about this concept understand it. There is no never ending explanations, just human experience: anyone will resonate with that.
To conclude, this book definitely helped me putting words on some of my feelings, and helped understand how to be a better person for trans people around me, may they be nonbinary, ftm, mtf, genderqueer, etc.

5/5 stars, incredible book, will for sure get myself a physical copy to reread when I need it and to keep as a reference. Thank you #NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC!

"Fine" by Rhea Ewing is a fantastic graphic novel that takes a deep look into gender through interviews with friends of the author and strangers from all over the country. A lot of topics around gender are covered in this book and each one made me stop and think for a while. It was much more than what I was expecting, in a very pleasant way and was an insightful read. I highly recommend it and will definitely be putting it on the purchase list for the high school library I work for.

Note: Post goes live a month before publication date, so March 3, 2022
Publication date: April 5, 2022
My Thoughts:

This comic starts with the author/ilustrator's own niggling question about gender and how gender is defined. As they went further into collecting stories from a diverse group of people in the American Midwest, Rhea moved from outsider researcher to insider participant. The initial question moves from a scientific curiosity to a personal quest for self.

What I appreciate about this is that like the anthology Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words, this comic's power is in Rhea's ability to be a participant in their own truth seeking. This kind of honesty around grasping complexity, including going further into culture and diversity to further complicate simple answers is helpful for young students who are themselves trying to identify and define themselves beyond the binary markers that are set forth for them in the home, in the school, even in society.

As teachers, if we do not have a book like this or Growing up Trans in our classroom, the message we are sending is that it is not important. Even if we are well meaning and have just not thought about it or seen something like this as a gap in our classroom library, we are in fact making a statement. As part of our social equity agenda as teachers, we need to diversify our bookshelves and bring forward stories that address more than just race. This is a great start.

From the Publisher:

As graphic artist Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in which they eagerly approached both friends and strangers in their quiet Midwest town for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, this project exploded into a sweeping portrait of the intricacies of gender expression with interviewees from all over the country. Questions such as “How do you Identify” produced fiercely honest stories of dealing with adolescence, taking hormones, changing pronouns—and how these experiences can differ, often drastically, depending on culture, race, and religion. Amidst beautifully rendered scenes emerges Ewing’s own story of growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager, and ultimately finding themself through art—and by creating something this very fine. Tender and wise, inclusive and inviting, Fine is an indispensable account for anyone eager to define gender in their own terms.

I absolutely loved Ewing’s approach to the interviews and discussions throughout the graphic novel. They are very clear to indicate that these are people opinions. There are footnotes that remark upon the use of outdated or unpopular language. I read some words that made me personally uncomfortable, simply because it is not the language most commonly used in the trans/nonbinary community in more recent times. However, this was a needed reminder to me that every person creates their own approach to gender. In the same way that I am comfortable identifying as queer but many others are not… others may still use terms such as “transsexual,” a term that I have always known to be offensive/outdated. Everything about gender is a personal choice because gender is a societal construct.

"Fine" is an amazing deep dive into the journey of gender identity. Ewing did their research and they did it well. Interviews with countless sources, people from different backgrounds (race, class, sexuality, religion, etc...), and in-depth questions were key to unlocking the sheer amount of information in this graphic novel.

The art is quirky and charming, and their knack for giving character to some of the anonymous interviewees is inspiring. I was really fond of the superhero one!

This is a LONG graphic novel (but in all honesty it's needs to be to tell these stories well) so it's something you'll be able to pick up and put down or re-read sections. I got emotional at some points and needed to take some breaks but in a good "holy cow that really hit me in the feels" kind of way.

Very excited to add this to my library collection as well as my personal collection!

This text is going to be important to a lot of people because 1. some folk will see themselves represented on the page like they haven't before and 2. other folks will get to learn something.v Ewing does a great job of showcasing individuals and their stories. Seeing so many different gender expressions in one text was great and I especially loved that it was showcased in a graphic format.

Wow, what a project. I’m not a usual consumer of comic books, so I was a bit skeptical of how I would enjoy this. I thought it was such an interesting medium to present these interviews. I learned a lot reading this comic, and it gave me more perspective on gender identify. I hope Fine gets a wide audience upon its release; it is important stuff!

This book does a great job at introducing the reader to many different ways people identify and it's being published at exactly the right time. The author started this project while in college, partly as a way to understand their own identity. They interviewed numerous people and compiled those interviews into this book.

With so many books being challenged in libraries, we needed something like Fine. There are no sexual images for the pearl-clutchers to point to as a reason to exclude this title from a collection. It doesn't preach or dictate. What it does is allow people to better understand one another and don't we all need a little more understanding in our lives?

I couldn't be happier with Fine. The diversity is a welcome breath of fresh air. I have already recommended it to colleagues and friends and I only finished it yesterday!

My thanks to Liveright Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rhea Ewing presents the idea of gender through the eyes of their 56 interviewees, as well as what it all has come to mean to them. This comic isn't a How-To Guide to gender but focuses instead on the nuances of language, expression, and the overlap with other identities. Not all of the interviewees agree with one another, some seem to disagree with themselves years later, but they all offer a different perspective on gender and what it means to us, individually and as a society. From what femininity or masculinity means to what that has to do with us or our bodies, Ewing presents the different interviews in a way that makes sense and helps guide the reader through such a heavy or intense discussion. All of these different perspectives are tied together with one through-line: Rhea's own journey with their gender identity, because underneath it all, they were trying to understand themself.

Rhea Ewig was incredible at putting together this varied collection of stories detailing all the different expressions of gender. It goes to show how complex humans are in terms of gender, which is still not as discussed as it should be. So many of the experiences detailed in this graphic novel were completely outside of what cisgender, straight people know and grow up with. Clearly, it is why it is so valuable to have resources such as "Fine" to help those who want to understand how deeply gender norms are ingrained into society, and how much they do not help the vast majority of people.

*Many thanks to W. W. Norton & Company and Netgallery for the eARC of this book*

Note: I am a non-binary person

TW: Mentions of death, suicide ideation, murder, discrimination, medical dismissal, transphobia, gender and body dysphoria, sex, abusive relationships

Rhea Ewing's done a fantastic job of translating all their interviews with some amazing people into an interesting and educational, and often emotion, journey through each panel of their artwork. There were so many interesting and varied viewpoints from each person regarding the same questions, and nothing was held back.

So much credit needs to go to the interviewees though. They were all incredibly raw, open ,and vulnerable, and shared many sacred personal experiences, as well as traumatic and scarring moments.

I really appreciated Rhea's honesty when confronting their own ignorance. When they find they have privilege connected to their race, they own up to it, and take responsibility. I also really liked the focus on the aspects of privilege and exclusion that can occur in the LGBTQIA community, as well as even trans spaces.

Masterfully executed, and sorely needed, I cannot recommend this book enough.

What started as a school project, turned into a decade-long quest interviewing (56) people across the spectrum of gender identities.

It was beautiful to see how everyone had different answers to all the posed questions. This just goes to show you how fluid gender is and there is more to it than a binary option on a questionnaire.

Themes: femininity, masculinity, race, gender expression, body image, hormones, health care, labels, relationships, bathrooms, housing, and the queer community. All of these things factor into ones identity.

Amidst other peoples personal stories is Ewing's own story growing up in rural Kentucky, grappling with their identity as a teenager, and ultimately finding themself.

CW: gender dysphoria, transphobia, racism, ableism, body image issues, drug use, sex work, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt

I really enjoyed this comic about the full spectrum of gender identities and how people identify within their bodies! The art was great, and the interviewees and author left me feeling a lot more educated/clear on gender identity, and even my own place on the spectrum as somebody who is currently questioning!

This is a great title about the wide spectrum of gender. Ewing's use of interviews along with their own thoughts on gender gives a wide variety of opinions and experiences. It's a great not only for trans, non-binary, and individuals in the process of questioning their gender; but also could help to show people who have never thought about gender as a spectrum just how diverse and nuanced gender can be.

I really loved how Ewing acknowledges their shortcomings: they state in the text that they're not a trained researcher, and that they never thought about the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity/culture before starting this project. Yet they did an excellent job by interviewing a plethora of people from a variety of backgrounds giving them different views and perspectives to learn from and share with readers.

I would highly recommend this title for anyone interested in learning about just how nuanced, diverse, and different gender can be.

An excellent compendium of voices across the gender spectrum. Ewing does a great job thinking through their limitations and perspective, and I'm grateful to the interviewees who helped them develop this book. It's one that's helping me as a gender-questioning person and one I'm absolutely psyched to have in my repertoire of recommendations. There's not just one trans experience--they express this so well in graphic format.

Author Rhea Ewing conducts interviews with people of a variety of identities about gender: what it is, how they define it, and how they express it. The interviews are interwoven with Ewing's own multi-year exploration of their own gender identity. Issues such as race and culture, which cut across and obviously influence gender, are also discussed. I appreciated the insight to the various interviews, but came away with an overall sense that those interviewed had a much more binary understanding of gender than I expected regardless of their individual identities.