A good short reference book for those who want to learn more about gender pronouns! I thought I wouldn’t gain much from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. I learned that when asking for people’s pronouns, you shouldn’t say “what is your preferred pronouns” and I’m slapping myself for all the times I said that phrase. I like how the book doesn’t shame people who are still learning to adjust to nongendered language. I think it’s important for everybody to not misgendered individuals and it kind of sucks that society is taught to place a gender label on everything, including language. I love the duel point of view, especially the non-binary voice. I work at customer service, and I’m going to start using gender-neutral language the book suggests. I think this is a must read for EVERYONE, even schools because more children need to know how to use gender-neutral pronouns. I think workplaces should also incorporate this when training new employees as well.

This definitely fills a void. Incredibly helpful. Worthwhile for teens. I hadn't even realized some of the issues it brought up. Great for readers with an open mind. Definitely recommend!

This Non-fiction graphic novel is narrated by a genderqueer artist who uses “they/them” pronouns and a cis male writer who uses “he/him” pronouns. The two snarkily go back and forth to explain the grammatical mechanics of gender neutral pronouns, how to use them, how to integrate them into your everyday speech, and how to be an ally for your friends who use said gender neutral pronouns.

This is a quick read, but it still felt a bit long-winded. However, the information is great for someone who is trying to figure out how to start openly using gender neutral pronouns or if a friend/family member has just asked you to use gender neutral pronouns.

As a non-binary librarian, this book has been on my TBR list for a while and I'm glad to finally have a chance to do so! Overall, this is a great introduction to they/them pronouns - enough so that I am considering purchasing it for my family and partner's family as a crash course! The main complaint I have about this book is the section on asking/defending. On the subject of coming to someone's defense, each person is going to be different and if you're friends with a person it's always safest to double check what kind of situations they want you to say something. In terms of asking a stranger's or acquaintance's pronouns, the risk is making someone who is non-binary or trans uncomfortable, forcing them into a corner to either come out or misgender themselves to avoid it. Offering your pronouns can be fine but in both cases, please be aware of the type of situation you're in and remember the fact that you might accidentally out someone. I largely felt that this section could have focused on this fact a little more.

Beyond that though, (which despite the text wall is only related to a very small section of the book) I very much enjoyed this book! It's quick and to the point and is great for someone unfamiliar with gender-neutral pronouns and non-binary persons!

(Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

This is definitely just an intro guide, but I've never seen one like this so it's definitely important. All thing I had to learn for myself. I'm probably going to buy a copy to show my mom, and anyone else I know who doesn't quite "get" it.

On that note - I definitely recommend asking people their pronouns. It's never as awkward as I worried and even people who don't fully understand normally aren't offended? And also make sure you stick up for your friends, if they're okay with that. Mostly I've corrected people away from who they're talking about, because it tends to happen before they meet? And if someone doesn't use pronouns, respect that. Hey, just respect people as being people.

(Disclaimer: I'm a cis girl, she/her pronouns)

A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns provides a quirky, fun crash course into the world of gender neutral pronouns and the nonbinary identity. Archie and Tristan have managed to provide all the information you'll need in order to understand gender neutral pronouns, as well as the different identities of those who use them, and have done so in such a fun way you'll hardly feel like you're learning.

The first half is written more for cisgender people who are coming into the topic blind, and is mostly narrated by Archie's cisgender friend, Tristan. It serves as a comfortable and entertaining introduction to the topic. The second half focuses more on being nonbinary and the effect misgendering has on nonbinary individuals, narrated by Archie themself. Finally, the last three pages give you alternatives to common gendered phrases, a mini script for how to incorporate gender neutral pronouns in your daily speech, and common gender neutral pronouns beside the gendered equivalents.

As someone who has a hard time finishing nonfiction books, I had quite a bit of fun reading this one. It's very short and yet still provided me with quite a bit of information about gender neutral pronouns, and kept me entertained and interested in the process. Personally, I think a graphic novel is a great way to give an introduction to a subject. This comic is in no way a complete guide to the topic of gender neutral pronouns and the identities associated with them, but it is an introduction that keeps you entertained with illustrations, as well as the author's own humorous twists. For those looking to learn more about the LGBT community, and specifically nonbinary and genderqueer individuals, this is a great book to start with, as it will thoroughly educate you on the topic while providing you some amusement in the process.

Such a good read and it is exactly what it claims to be, a quick and easy guide. Love it and cant wait to recommend it to my patrons!

I am starting off by saying I received a free eARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an unbiased review. So thank you kindly!
So I have a friend who is gender fluid. I’ve known them for a good chunk of my life and they’re basically a sibling to me. When they came out to me as gender fluid, it was not the easiest concept to understand. Changing the pronoun when referencing my friend wasn’t easy. But I love them and I was willing to accept them as they came out to others as gender fluid. Not everyone is accepting of this. But this book explains it BEAUTIFULLY. Straight to the point. Also love how it has a section for both people who are cisgendered and gender queer. This can help with the aspect for people who are cisgendered but really, also give a lot of comfort and guidance to those people who have come out as gender queer or gender fluid. This is a drawn reference guide that is much needed in a day and age where people who are gender queer are coming out more and more each day. This can be extremely stressful to people who are non binary. So I want to be the best ally that I can and help advocate for people who are gender queer. This is a fantastic starter guide. Also includes diagrams, pictures, and example conversations that can help put this into perspective. This is a guide I plan on buying for my friend to give to others as well as for me to show others as well!

This should be required reading! Archie and Tristan not only provide a compelling amount of information and instruction in this short guide, but also allow their own senses of humour to shine through, bringing light to an often tricky topic. Not only is this book written as a guide for cisgender people learning to use gender neutral pronouns, but also for non-binary people, with sections dedicated to the process of 'coming out', being misgendered and making the workplace a safer, more inclusive environment.

As a cisgender woman, I have accidentally slipped up a few times when using pronouns. I felt terrible right away, but I had no idea what to do. Should I apologise right now? Would that embarrass them? Should I wait until we're alone? I wish I had access to something like this when I was younger; when the concept of gender neutral pronouns were a bit of an unknown to me. I have no doubt that this guide will be very helpful to both younger and older generations, and will hopefully help pave way for a more respectful society.

This guide is short, snappy and super informative, and an excellent introduction to they/them pronouns. I will be recommending this to many of my friends!

This is such a wonderful and informative comic book! It definitely is a starter course on the complexities of personal pronouns, but it was wonderfully drawn and a super quick, easy and fun read

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me with a copy for review. This was a great little comic that is super easy and quick to read. It is really handy, informative, and accessible and is a great resource for people who are just learning about gender neutrality as well as for people who are just understanding their own gender identity. It covers many different topics within the use of gender neutral pronouns and is really respectful with how it describes and introduces the concepts.

A good book demonstrating the proper use of 'they' and 'them' - Must read for everyone dealing with English language professionally.

I'm always looking for books that are engaging or educating or hopefully both for YA students. Call this one "educational."

Lots of great advice here. Clear definitions when possible and simple examples. I appreciated the sensitivity applied. Not only does it ask cis people to be considerate of the non-binary it acknowledges that this stuff is hard for the uninitiated to understand and remember.

For the most part the book was an adequate guide for how not to offend people but I was also expecting a bit more. The format was nice I that it was in a comic format and therefore faster and easier to read.
I didn't hate the book I just expected more explanation.
FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this book in exchange for an honest review

This book explains the gender neutral pronouns in a funny sensitive and informative way, gives examples on how to use them and shows how it feels to feel misgendered.
It really helped me understand more and I‘ll def look at the examples again so I know how to use them if I get the chance.

This is a non-fiction comics guide to using they/them pronouns written by a cis man and a non-binary person. I have mixed feelings about this book which can basically be summed up as: it’s kinda okay, I guess, but has some problems and may be helpful to some people.

The book is mostly the two authors in comic form talking to the reader, and occasionally each other. It’s kind of like…a comic version of a rather long they/them pronouns 101 lecture. That is one of my core issues with this book, because long lectures don’t even work as a pedagogical tool for most people even when they are in person, but when they are in comic form, it flattens the engagement that might come from a speaker being dynamic and moving around.

A comic could be an awesome way to teach something, if it wasn’t 90% talking heads who occasionally talk to each other, but instead used some of the awesome tools available in comics to tell story, build connection with character, illustrate things, have action on the page. This would also enable more diversity of perspective to be presented in the story; instead of the somewhat knowledgeable cis guy narrator sometimes taking on the role of an ignorant and sometimes harmful person, we could see a range of cis people and a range of non-binary people and a range of binary trans people in the universe of the book. Which then would make more diversity possible, so that readers aren’t seeing only white able bodied young masculine folks.

Another issue for me was the audience. It felt like the book was primarily for well-intended cis people who want to learn. The book says that its both for people who use they/them pronouns and people who don’t. I use they/them pronouns, and felt alienated by the book and the way it talked about people like me.

For example, I struggled with the moment where they set up the cis author as a straw man saying something hurtful, dismissive, and gaslighting (that non-binary folks are just being “dramatic” by getting upset at being misgendered), and then arguing against it. It felt both like it would be confusing for some readers, as he was originally set up as an ally and that’s not an ally thing to say, and that it made the assumption that readers felt this way. As a non-binary reader, this section of the book felt deeply alienating.

When it got to the section specifically for non-binary readers, it assumed a ton about us, including that we all will come out, that an essential part of our coming out is being patient and understanding towards the people you come out to, and that all of us are up for letting it go when we are misgendered. It also talks about toxic relationships with folks who constantly harm and disrespect you (including misgendering), and frames exiting those relationships as simple. As an abuse survivor, that part made me cringe.

I also struggled with comprehension. This is supposed to be an easy guide to a subject that could be new to the reader. I have taught this subject and live it in my daily life, and I kept getting lost and struggling to understand what the book was saying. It was confusing at key points when the core job was clarity.

There are some parts of the content that I thought were especially good, like the tips for service workers, the brick metaphor, the explanation of how exhausting it is to be misgendered all the time, and the tips for what to do when you misgender someone. And there were some parts of the content that felt oversimplified or just off, like comparing the experience of someone deciding to call you a different name to being misgendered, saying that as cis people are less likely to experience being misgendered, and advocating for asking everyone what their pronouns are.

It felt like the book quietly centered non-binary folks that are often read as women (likely AFAB non-binary folks), and that kind of erasure is a real issue. For example, when showing Archie being misgendered, it was always with she/her pronouns. That might be Archie’s experience, but I think it’s misleading to readers, because he/him pronouns would also be misgendering and that’s not made clear. On top of being misleading, it centers AFAB non-binary experience in a way I find troubling. Which brings me back to the structure of the book being 90% talking heads and centering a white thin apparently abled cis man and a white thin apparently abled AFAB non-binary person. The possibilities for a diversity of experience and identity (and for creativity in teaching) are there with a comic, but they don’t manifest in this book, which seriously limits it’s effectiveness.

Written by Archie Bongiovanni (writer and artist for Autostraddle) and Tristan Jimerson and published in June 2018 by Oni Press, A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns serves as, well, just that. It is quick and easy because it is designed to be a practical guide to ease the general public into using they/then pronouns comfortably in their day-to-day life, and to help those who use these pronouns through the process of explaining themselves over and over again. This book differed from other books of its kin that I’ve read by addressing both the gender-queer community and the cisgender community; reading about Archie and Tristan’s friendship and interactions taught me that it’s ok to make mistakes, and never too late to learn. I also really enjoyed the format of a graphic guide, as it was fun and easy to read whilst also being informative and practical.

Quirky illustrations and clever writing make this a useful guide on to how to be respectful in our increasingly diverse/aware world. This book is informative without being patronizing or polarizing. I think this would be a great addition to any public or private library.

A really great series to add to a collection to help people understand pronoun preferences. Title appears to be created for adults, but teen readers will enjoy and benefit from reading as well.