Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition by Maia Kobabe is currently scheduled for release on June 21 2022. This special deluxe hardcover edition of Gender Queer features a brand-new cover, exclusive art and sketches, a foreword from ND Stevenson, Lumberjanes writer and creator of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and an afterword from Maia Kobabe.

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. Then e created Gender Queer. 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 fan fiction, 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.

Gender Queer is a great read for everyone. I think that readers questioning where they fall in the gender and sexuality spectrum and trying to find the words for how they feel will find comfort and relatability to the worries and fears that Maia has. I think all readers can relate to at least some of those worries, particularly the balance between fitting in or not being a bother with being comfortable with yourself. I think this an important read, not just to show people they are not alone in their thoughts, feelings, and worries but in helping those that might never have felt or acknowledged them what other people might be feeling. The importance of being yourself, even as you are trying to figure out the shape and terms that might best describe it, is important and something everyone needs to embrace. I think this book is a great read for everyone. I think the art does a great job of capture the struggle, and the successes, along the way while showing that the journey is still underway.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the deluxe edition of Gender Queer.

Gender Queer is the graphic novel/memoir of Maia Kobabe. It's about eir gender and identity journey. The illustrations are beautiful. There is a LOT to think about and process with this book. It's so well done and really helped me to understand more about gender and identity. Many are trying to ban this book, but it absolutely belongs in every public library where it is accessible to all.

It is always lovely when an author spends time describing what books/authors (Mercedes Lackey, Tamora Pierce, Harry Potter, etc) transformed eir childhood. Even if the books don’t necessarily hold up today, Kobabe’s depiction of fandom/media consumption deeply resonated with me. Read via KU. (less)

I absolutely loved this memoir. While a part of the community, (but not questioning my gender) I could definitely identify with a lot of the feelings Maia also experiences/ed. It's so helpful when you find things you can feel in tune with and I'm really glad kids now can have these kinds of books to educate themselves, friends, family or whomever. I really think whether you're part of the community or not it is a helpful resource in understanding others.

This was an honest and thought-provoking exploration of the author's exploration of their identity. I would recommend this book highly.

Loved this comic the graphics were really well done and I loved the way the author explored gender in a way that’s easy to relate to and understand

This was such a beautiful book. I loved learning about the author's self discovery journey from childhood to adulthood. The journal entries from eir life gave such great insight to how ey were feeling in the moment and honestly it was sad reading about how ey didn't feel understood and didn't even understand eir own feelings. This gave such great insight into a topic that I know very little about but want to learn more and be educated about so I can be supportive of my friends. This was so honest and at times sad but a definite must read for anyone wanting to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community and gain a better understanding of it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Gender Queer is a cathartic memoir in the form of a graphic novel that delves into Maia Kobabe's—who uses em/eir pronouns—relationships with gender, sexuality and life. This was a throughly enjoyable and educational read for me, Kobabe certainly has a knack for explaining difficult concepts surrounding gender through imaginative illustration and text. It's a very slice-of-life type of memoir, almost as if we as readers were discovering the author's life through eir memories—remembering with em. The beautiful illustrations and perfect balance between internal monologue and dialogue is sure to be a great introduction to graphic novels for anyone.

This was incredibly beautiful and you can tell how much love and passion was put into this! Didn't completely connect with it because of the way some of the story was structured, making me a bit confused as to when something was happening and in what order, but I still liked it a lot!

I’ve seen this book in the news a lot lately. A lot. While I wish I could say it’s all been about how amazing, how honest, how raw this memoir is, it’s not always about that - it’s about hate and ignorance and fear.

This graphic novel memoir has a gorgeous soul, if a book can have such a thing. I choose to believe it does. Every teen and adult should read this graphic novel. It’s not only a good guide for how some of these conversations surrounding gender can go (the good, the bad, and the ugly), but it’s also an excellent opportunity to see a close-up view of one person’s story.

I’m so glad e shared eir story with us. We don’t deserve to hear eir personal secrets, but I’m so glad e decided to share them. Thank you, Maia, truly.

I read this book on one seating and it was eye-opening. I not only appreciate the insight from a nonbinary person, but the science behind gender was eye-opening. This is a book that needs to be in every library but some will find problems with it. This is a book that allows people to know that they are born this way and that they aren’t alone.

I first was interested in the book because of the controversy with Barnes and Noble. That's how I heard about it. When I saw it here, I knew I wanted to grab it to read.

I loved it. It was so validating for me, as I am nonbinary. Maia Kobabe opened up and talked about so many things I have personally struggled with, and did so in a way that was so easy to read, understand, and relate to. The drawings are amazing too.

I thought I was the last queer person to read Gender Queer, so when I saw it up on here for the release of the Deluxe Edition, I thought I'd finally get around to it. I certainly have friends for whom it has been eye-opening or a revelation; to me it was about what I was expecting, maybe a little less of a cohesive narrative as I had no idea it came from a series of single-panel(?) comics. This is not to say it wasn't a good read, and for something that started as separate comics and tried to keep as many of them as possible it does a great job of keeping a high level of investment (I have certainly read similar graphic memoirs that don't do half as well). For those who are looking for a novel-like memoir with a tidy bow of an ending, they will be disappointed to find that a cartoonist who has spent eir life grappling with the complexities of sexuality and gender just turning thirty doesn't have everything figured out yet. I think the rest of us readers are grateful for the honesty of an ending that isn't an ending at all.

As someone who is cisgender, I truly appreciate Maia's insight and experiences because they serve as a reminder to me of the ways I impose microaggressions on people. I'm thankful to em for the book.

I read this on my lunch break at the office today and showed up to my next meeting with tears in my eyes because this book was so beautiful. I loved everything about it and pretty much knew it would become a favorite when I was getting emotional at the introduction written by ND Stevenson.

Maia Kobabe's memoir pulls together so many little moments from eir life that helped em figure out eir identity and it was so well presented. There were so many moments where I had to stop and go, holy shit wow. E does a fantastic job of showcasing that discovering yourself, whether that be gender or sexuality or fashion sense, is a journey and it's okay to not have the answers and other people are going through the same things. I wanted to bookmark like every other page.

I have not read the original version, so I cannot say how different this deluxe edition is compared to that, but I will 100% be purchasing a physical copy and shoving this into the hands of everyone I know.

Gender Queer depicts Maia's journey of self-discovery, told in graphic novel format. I had never heard of e/em/eir pronouns before reading this so I would like to thank Maia for educating me. This is such a thought provoking and important read that I will encourage anyone to pick up.

Having not read the first publishing of Gender Queer, this Deluxe edition was a treat! Right from the Introduction by ND Stevenson, I was hooked and felt seen. The moments and feelings shared all throughout the panels felt all too real, and don't pull any punches, which is so refreshing. The extras at the end are an interesting insight into Maia's process, and as every artists' processes are different, it's so fun to see! I will definitely be purchasing this edition for our Community College Library.

An incredible graphic novel about finding yourself and struggling with gender identity. An absolutely essential addition to any library catalog. The art is beautiful and the content is heartfelt and authentic. A must read for anyone, regardless of gender identity.

I read the original edition of Gender Queer a little while back, but revisited it this week thanks to NetGalley providing an eARC of the new deluxe edition. Just as good the second time around!

The actual content of the memoir is more or less unchanged (from what I could tell, at least), so readers already familiar with the original edition may not find anything hugely different—though for collectors, the gorgeous cover redesign is worth it alone. This edition also features a lovely foreword from ND Stevenson, an afterword from the author, and some interesting back matter showcasing the early sketches and process for creating the comics. If you still haven't picked this book up, the deluxe edition is an excellent place to hop aboard!

This is a beautiful, heartfelt, and incredibly relatable read. Sometimes painful, sometimes funny, always honest.