I am often frustrated by the claim frequently found in Internet comment sections... "there are only two genders!" That naive insistence ignores chromosomal "abnormalities", hormone fluctuations, the impact of colonialism and white supremacy, and literally thousands of years of cultural experience to the contrary.

"Gender is Really Strange" is both a quick read (presented as a graphic book) and incredibly informative (heavily annotated). It makes every effort to make a very complicated subject accessible, and it mostly succeeds. (I'm a 50 year old ally who reads extensively and has advanced degrees and I still found new and unfamiliar info here!) Due to the complexities of the science, this book is probably best read by high schoolers or older, but even those who don't understand all of the info contained will be struck by the revelation of the intricacies of gender and gender expression.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
#GenderisReallyStrange

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read the e-ARC!

In addition to the beautiful arts, this book talks about gender in a detailed manner but still managed to explain things in a simple way. I admire everything here and had a fun time reading through it. A very helpful one too!

This book is so beautiful! It perfectly explains different gender identities and going into their history and cultural relevance, but the language is also simple enough that it could be given to a young teenager to help them discover more about themselves. Loved it so much!

Gender is Really Strange and this is really true, we are beautiful complex beings filled with all of these chemicals and we do not need to be forced to be one thing or another. This is a non-fiction info graphic filled with lots of medical, sociological, psychological, cultural information about what is gender. Examining various societies that do not conform to the Western European discourses, because this often erases Indigenous experiences and culture. And the information highlights the importance of allowing indigenous terms to live without equation.

Highly recommend for high school and older (only because of the terms used - lots of specific medical terms), and given in conjunction with other books about gender (I would recommend reading this along with Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing).

5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the access to this early Advanced Reader Copy. This is my honest opinion.

I loved this in-depth but introductory book about gender, it definitely has some really important notes and ideas that I think everyone should read especially those who do not understand transgender and non-binary as labels.

Also note there is a missing quotation mark on page five around feminine.

3.5

This was such an interesting little graphic novel. Teddy Goetz goes into how colonialism impacted ideas of gender norms around the world and talks about gender from both a scientific lens and a cultural lens. I thought the graphic nonfiction format was super accessible and I liked that they provided sources for further research at the end and made note of specific people and cultures to reference for further research throughout the text. The art was very pleasing and a good addition to the text, and I liked the color palette. Overall, I thought this was an interesting read and I will definitely be recommending this and checking out other entries in this line.

Part of a series. It was super short and gave descriptions that were easy to understand. There was so much information. I learned a lot.

4 stars

Gender is Strange is a useful book that speaks seriously and clearly to the current “moment” without focusing too much on the hysteria and fear that seems to attach to it in some quarters. Many people assert their sense of things: “there are [only] two genders,” but this book makes it clear that much of the world across history has seen gender very differently, with greater complexity than the reductive binary. Ultimately, it is written to educate anyone, but also with an eye to those who are wondering about their place in the whole two-gender conception.
Now, that makes me sound like I grew up in one of these “exotic” places, with a sophisticated understanding of the territory, but I knew no one in high school that I could name as gay, and didn’t even realize there was something like a gay bar in my town until my late twenties (my sister’s brother-in-law had taken her to glam Chicago gay bars in the seventies, the most fun dancing she said she has ever had in her life [which I don’t think had anything to do with her--after two straight marriages--marrying a woman--those who were gay bars, not lesbian bars she went to in Chicago]).
In grad school I learned from Judith Butler (Gender Trouble) that gender is a kind of performance. ”Gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original” she says, but girls become women based in part on social and cultural expectations. Some of it is biologically defined, sure, but it is also culturally defined to some extent. And part of my reason for reading this book is personal in that my largely conservative family in western Michigan agrees with the church in which I was raised that being gay (or glbtq) is basically a sin, so there’s that, in places and families across the country. I understand this is a vexed issue, in my family an country. I just went through a joyous and traumatic wedding splitting my family in two. So I know it is not easy for everyone to deal with these issues. I have lost a lot of sleep over this and related issues, and again lately, though my position on it has been clear for years.
So I learned a lot in this book, though I knew some things about how different cultures have seen gender and honored differences: The Two Spirit Native American affirmation is just one of the long-standing approaches to non-binary and gender expansive categories I knew about. But I was reminded that even “sex” isn’t binary, as some humans are born intersex, but you knew that, probably (though 1-2% of the population, I was surprised to read).
We get in this illustrated non-fiction book a series of useful introductory information on a range of transgender possibilities among humans and it is so complicated and interesting and sure, possibly scary to some people, that the world can be so complex. But it is complex, as it turns out: Agender (not having a gender--new to me!); bigender (having two genders, new to me), as well as gender fluid; autigender (one’s autism so influences your experience of the world that autism and gender are linked--new to me as a formal category but since I have a trans friend with autism, I already knew some things about this, and am interested in knowing more--neuro queer is one label).
Africa is completely interesting to me for its variety of historical approaches to gender, but really, many countries in the world have different ideas about it: Travesti of Brazil, Pageant Queens of Venezuela, the Bakla of the Philippines. The idea of woman as a political category is different in various societies--how can it be used to limit access to power, hmm? And what is normal? Bruce Cockburn sang, “The trouble with normal is it only gets worse.” “Normality” is subjective and political and limits possibilities for some people.
How much is biology a determinant of gender? How much socialization? If it were seen to be cool to be gay or trans or straight in your community or school, might one choose to be something else? And can people change? Or can people be forced to change, as in gender therapy? There’s a lot in this book, you should check it out. I liked it quite a bit.

Great book!!!!


"Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

As someone who only recently began questioning sexuality and gender, this book made me feel so much more normal about thoughts that I have had and helps me to understand my trans and non-binary friends so much better since that isn’t an experience that I have lived.

I really liked how informative and inclusive this book was. The graphics kept it engaging and there were many interesting facts about humans and gender that even I didn’t know as a queer person! This is an important book and I’m glad the author wrote it!

This was really engaging and well researched (I love a good reference list and liberal use of sources!). This left me with much to think about. Essentially the title is right. Gender is really strange! It is such a mixture of biology and societal factors — of which we really find it difficult to parse out. But either way, we get to express our gender however we want or in what ways feel comfortable to us regardless of that bio social conception or understanding of gender, gender norms, and gender roles.

I learned a lot. For example, How wild is it that it was only in 2016 that the NIH required scientists to use female rats in research?? Until this, the default was only male rats. Wild.

I have said this in another review but the graphic novel medium is so good for really breaking down complicated or sensitive topics in a way that’s accessible but still very informative and robust. Really well done!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by how informative and educational this graphic novel is! It definitely isn't the casual read that I thought it was going to be. The novel provides scientific facts as well as details on historical events relating to "Gender".

I would recommend this book to anyone who is eager to learn more about gender, this book left me feeling more knowledgeable than I was before reading it. I will recommend this to my team at work as well as friends as I feel everyone would benefit from this short read.

Gender is Really Strange is a very informative graphic novel about gender. The art work is very fitting for each page. This is a good book for teenagers and young adults who question gender and gender related labels.

Goetz goes into detail about where the terms "male" and "female" originated as well as how different cultures view gender. He also discusses hormones that flow through our bodies and the effect each has on our body.

This was a very informative read and I definitely recommend it for older teenagers and young adults as well as older adults.

A fact-based, scientific and historical account of gender in all its guises. This non-fiction graphic novel is fascinating and educational for anyone who wants to learn more about this important topic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the advance reader copy.

This is a great book on gender and also a great place for people to start their own research into gender and societal ‘norms’.

The book has great illustrations and included resources and further reading to expand upon what the book has written about.

I would recommend this to everyone, no matter the age as it’s a good way to learn and also be aware of how many things can affect peoples self views.

I loved this book and cannot wait to purchase a copy for use in my classroom once it is released! Goetz does a great job of discussing so many different things related to gender- it’s differences from biological sex, how it has been viewed by various cultures, social aspects, and how it impacts our physical and mental health. The information is presented in a way that is accessible without a lot of background knowledge necessary, and references studies with citations for further learning. I especially appreciated that this book also acknowledged what we still don’t know about gender.

‘Thus, gender is a mysterious mix of biology and society; inherently sensed, yet culturally defined.’

And this is one of the key points I learnt from this excellent book. Gender is messy and complex and people have very different experiences and understandings about what gender is and the way it shapes their lives. This book does its utmost to unpick the complexities and it does this really well accompanied by some colourful graphics.

I enjoyed reading this. It has broadened my understanding but also affirmed that the way I have approached and respected the gender of others has been the right approach. The artwork brings this complex issue to life in brightness and colour and this makes the book attractive to adults and children. It is complex in some places but an excellent book to learn from.

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a great educational read. I feel like this book did a good job at simplifying large, complex topics while also providing cultural and scientific context to better help explain concepts. The artwork also paired really well and this book was able to convey a lot in bit sized information. I’d highly recommend this if you want to learn more about gender or need a quick crash course / intro!

"Gender is Really Strange" written by Teddy G. Goetz and illustrated by Sophie Standing is a part of the "...Really Strange" series and provides an in-depth yet moderately approachable introduction to the complicated subject that is gender. Including multiple citations and sources, "Gender is Really Strange" reminds me of an illustrated research paper that takes the reader through the psychology, sociology, physiology, anatomy, and cultural concepts of gender in the modern era, within history, and across cultures. This latter part really stuck out to me because decolonizing gender is something that is incredibly important within this subject and is often forgotten about.

Now, I read this graphic novel late at night and, if it weren't for the fact that I'm a Transmasc Psychology Grad Student whose research interests revolve around the LGBTQIA2S+ community, I would've easily gotten lost. This isn't a casual read. While "Gender is Really Strange" remains an introductory book to the complicated subject that is gender, I would recommend this more for late teens/early twenties and upwards because of the medical jargon.

Nevertheless, this book is going to become an integral feature of my Trans book collection upon release and I look forward to checking the rest of the previously published "...Really Strange" series.