I was gifted Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele’s Queer a couple of years ago, and have returned to it a number of times. Sexuality is equally interesting and readable, the pseudo-Scooby Doo gang are a brilliant illustrative devise unmasking the different monsters hiding in the haunted house of sexuality. The text constantly references academia, activism and pop culture in the portraits and quotes makes it hard not to keep compiling new lists of what to read and watch. I am fascinated by the models that this book presented and how through the queering of sexuality can move away from heteronormative standards and ‘goal orientated’ scripts. The book also does an excellent job of contextualising historically and politically, all the interconnecting ideas it puts forward. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, thanks to NetGalley and Icon Books for the digital review copy.

This book gives so much important information, but also history, quotes from historians and experts. I wouldn't say its a graphic novel as such, as there is still a lot of writting, but the pictures and graphics to helps break up the infomation.

I wished i had something like this when in my teens/young adult.
I found this book very interesting, as it looked at views from history, different countries, eras, reglion and so on. I was surprised on the differences but also showed how we are brought up can also have an impact on how we view sexuality. I certainly learnt a lot which surprised me.
One quote that stuck with me is "claiming our sexualities - or asexualities - and being open about them can feel a vital way of being authentic, real & proud"

But due to the amount of infomation and detail you had to read it in stages otherwise for me it resulted in infomation overload. (to me thats not a bad thing as i would argue this is an important topic that isn't always talked about).

Only downside is that it is missing a context page which would have made it easier to go back and find the pages you wanted to re-read easier, especially due to the amount of infomation. I would give it 4.5 stars, but as the only downside is small and there is ways around it, i rounded it up to 5.

Thank you to the publisher and netgallery for providing me with a copy to read and review.

A very interesting study on the delineations of sexuality and how we construct our own lives around it.
This book shows all the different facets and the changing generations that have shaped our preconceived ideas of a ‘normal’ relationship and the boundaries within it. The graphics are very Rocky Horror but that’s one way to show the different sexual differences for us all and what we accept but not what we truly desire or want. This book covers all angles including consent too which so many of us gloss over without realising we’ve already been preconditioned for certain ideals and practices.
A thought provoking dialogue and one I’ll be thinking of for quite a long time and what I myself truly want for my future sexuality.

This is an excellent graphic guide to various topics regarding sexuality that is not only informative, it also gives you a plethora of resources to look into if there is a particular topic you want to explore further. Each page is full of information, artist depictions of and quotes from scholars/sexologists/philosophers, and there's a smattering of pop culture references throughout the art to enjoy while you process the information on the page. The volume has an even tone that doesn't judge anyone - it doesn't go out of it's way to yuck anyone's yum - and is an incredible resource if you have questions about sex and sexuality.

Honestly, I liked this more than I thought I would. It's very well researched, and explains formal academic concepts of gender studies in quite an accessible way. I think it's a great concise update for contemporary views of sexuality and gender.

I think some people will be surprised that this isn't so much a novel and isn't really narrated, it's more of a textbook on the history of gender and sexuality norms. I think it'd have been better marketed as a zine, much like the riot grrl movement, this book argues for and explains progressive social norms. To its credit, this book is one of few which I think has at least mentions that men can be sexually abused and have issues with their sexuality, and I like that it has that balance which many books or information sources on this subject don't seem to have. It's the most neutral view I've read, which is nice, although that said, the early chapter has a slightly contentious view on what and how heteronormative views emerged which some might dispute. I think it's the way these issues were raised with a scooby doo masked villain which made my 'is this propaganda?' suspicion emerge. That said, it explains itself clearly, I just think the comic didn't match the tone of the text at that point. To be clear, I'm saying the scooby doo part at the beginning did seem to have a slightly more hostile tone to the rest of it which was more accepting and exploratory.

It's a very comprehensive and well-written update on the history of this subject, but I suspect it might be too formal for comics readers, and too casual for formal readers, making it a bit of a middle road. It might have done better as more of a comic or as more of an essay.

Sexuality, A Graphic Guide by Meg-John Barker – publishing 29 Jun 21

I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sex is everywhere. It is in the stories we love – and the stories we fear. It defines who we are and our place in society … at least we are told it ought to.

This was my first foray into a graphic novel, and I found it strange and quite difficult to get into. That is not taken into consideration with my actual review though. I enjoyed this book as it went back to the history of differing sexualities, practices and gave reasons for some behaviors that no doubt many of us have. It brought Freud into it which was a bug-bear for me as in my opinion the man has some serious issues in and around how he views sex and sexuality. A lot of the time it focused on how sex is purely functional and only to procreate which is obviously incorrect. Freud’s theme of nature versus nurture was questioned. At its core I think this is a good book as it asks the questions that some people are too afraid to ask and it challenges those people too.

4 stars

The main thing I learned from this insightful guide, was that most of what I know and understand about sexuality isn’t immutable fact. It’s a mixture of received wisdom, and messages communicated by science, the law, religion, pop culture, the patriarchy and all the -isms.

Meg-John Barker defines sexuality as: having sex, the capacity for having sexual feelings, who we’re attracted to and how, how we identify ourselves and how others categorise us.

They kick off with a potted history of sexuality from Ancient Greece and Rome to the present day. Then, using issues including sexual identity, sex work, porn, consent and goal-centred versus pleasure-centred sex, they show how the ghosts of sexuality past still haunt us. (Which is why the visual metaphor of a haunted house, complete with a quintet of familiar-looking cartoon characters, is used throughout.)

I was shocked at just how many damaging unspoken rules there are around sexuality, how incredibly narrowly we define sex, and how little we hear from voices and theorists whose ideas challenge the status quo.

Although it catalogues sexuality's many and varied demons, I really liked the fact that the guide finishes on a hopeful note by suggesting how we might unlearn what we know about sex, and how we could replace that knowledge with something that’s healthier, more open and more inclusive. And I loved Jules Scheele’s witty illustrations. As well as supporting the main points, they make the concepts and theories that are discussed more accessible.

In a few places, it veered dangerously close to I’m-starting-to-feel-like-I’m-back-at-university territory, but overall this is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

I thought this would be easier to read to be honest but despite the graphic format, the information was quite hard to digest.
I felt like there was a lot of information presented but I couldn’t always see the links easily and I don’t think they were summed up very well. A lot of the time I found myself thinking ‘ok so what?’ The information was great but they didn’t really reach a satisfying conclusions on a lot of it.

The scooby doo set up was so smart & a cute little quirk but I feel like it could have been milked more - it got a bit lost in the middle. Also, as a result of the scooby doo plot, I was expecting it to be more entertaining and funny than it was.

I liked the concept & the illustrations are incredible but I feel like this was ‘too smart’ for me. I understand thinking for yourself & drawing your own conclusions but I wanted a little more from this book.

I was really excited to read this. I have been such a big fan of illustrated fiction in recent years and it is such a fantastic way to understand deeper issues without getting bogged down by prose. Unfortunately I felt a little let down, as this felt like blocks of hard facts and history from Wikipedia articles. I couldn’t connect to the Scooby-Doo motley crew of characters either - they are really diverse but essentially two dimensional,

Great effort though, as although I am pretty well versed with sexuality, some of the topics covered were still valuable and enlightening, the format just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book is about a really important subject that isn’t spoken about enough: sex. There is a lot to learn from this book, but I did find a lot of the information clunky.

When presented with a graphic novel, I was expecting more of a natural flow between the text and the images, but I felt like they didn’t marry well together, and I found myself skimming over the images in places.

The information given important, informative and educational, but it is written almost like a list of facts- there is no lightness or voice behind the writing to make it feel enjoyable and I did feel like reading this graphic novel like studying, which then made it feel like a chore despite me being interested in the subject.

I do think the content of the book is all important, but I would have had a more pleasurable time reading if it were less like a text book and more like a graphic novel.

Informative yet easy to digest, this should be a book everyone picks up. Even if you think you have an understanding, it holds so much learning within its pages and I found myself throughly engrossed in the writing and illustrations as I let myself learn more than I thought I would!

Sexuality has the potential to make every reader feel a little more ‘normal’, all the while breaking apart any belief that there is a ‘normal’ when it comes to human sexuality. I would be hard pressed to find someone who felt left out by this book, or whose personal experience was not represented somewhere in its pages.

The most important thing Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele do in this volume is show how sexual variation has been needlessly pathologized. Their exploration of asexual identities and sex addiction feels particularly important, as those existing on either end of the spectrum of desire often have their preferences medicalised and demonised.

I think this volume will remind even those who fit most snugly into society’s ideal - the straight, monogymous, partnered, semi-regular sex-haver - that they too exist somewhere outside of the norm and have been shamed by the outside. Perhaps because they watch porn, masturbate ‘too much’ or in a ‘strange’ way, or because they have been curious about non-monogamy.

An ideal book to pick up if you’re trying to understand queer sexualities, your own sexuality, or critical theory in this area.

This guide is a great starting point to understanding sexuality and sexual desire. It mixes modern quotes effectively with information on how sexuality has changed and adapted throughout history, and the things that have had the biggest impact on how we view it now. With its format being both text and illustrations it is incredibly easy to read and accessible for varying age groups. Although some illustrations were repeated, and a few didn't seem relevant, they lightened the tone of things that could otherwise have been dense and, probably for some readers, intense. I think the strength of this guide is in how although it would be suited for someone who had no concept of different sexualities, it is also informative and enjoyable if you do have a good understanding of them. I enjoyed that this guide talked a lot about how sexuality isn’t one set thing you declare once and have to stick to for the rest of your life, and was inclusive of trans and non binary stories too. Additionally there was good representation of asexuality and aromanticism that I wasn’t t expecting.
I do have a few issues with the guide though. There’s a couple of parts that feel could have been handled with more sensitivity. During the chapter on sexual desires and being normal there is a “cultural pyramid” of examples of how acceptable different people view certain sexual activities and at the very bottom is sex with animals, sitting just above that is seeing a sex worker. Whilst I believe this is only an example diagram and the guide isn’t saying that seeing a sex worker is only slightly better than sex with animals, I’m not sure wether this example was even necessary and including it seems like an oversight.
My other issue is that the guide talks a lot about how sex and exploration of sexual desires and fantasies should be done in a safe manner, but offers no example of how to safely do that until the very end. I think, especially with how helpful this could be to teens, it would have been beneficial to add examples before page 171/176.
Overall I would recommend this to younger audiences as well as any adults who want to know more about sexuality either for themselves or to better understand others.

This was a really informative read! Although I thought I already knew a lot this book just proved to me that there's always something else to learn. I really loved the comics woven in with the text too and my only complaint is that I wished there had been more of them.

I chose this book to further educate myself and it ticked the boxes for me.

It should be a core read for all adults. Interesting and educational

3.5/5 stars

This is such an important book! It really is exactly what the title suggests: a deep-drive in to all things sex and sexuality. In this graphic novel, the authors explore sexuality through an intersectional and progressive lens. Despite a great effort in recent years, talking about sexuality, kinks and all things sex is still largely taboo and undervalued. This book helps tackle this taboo in a very accessible way, helping to dissect the ways we view sex as a society and normalise discussions on consent, desires and much more.

Although I appreciate this book for what it attempts to do, I also feel like it is limited in certain ways. For one, I don’t think it succeeds in the format of a graphic novel. For me, the pictures and general aesthetic if a graphic novel should be fundamental to the storytelling and intersect with the written substance of the book. In this book, I don’t feel like the images (at least in the arc I was presented with, which may change in the final copy) add anything meaningful to the reading experience. I enjoyed the quotations from experts and the diversity in the graphics, but overall I found myself skimming over the pictures altogether. For a graphic novel, I feel like this is an issue.

I also wish that this is the kind of book I read at a different time in my life. At this point, I feel much more open to sex and sexuality, so some chapters of the book didn’t add anything to current discourse on the topic that I engage in. In saying that, there are also some chapters (such as those that explore intersectionality, sex used as marginalisation and polyamory) that I found very enlightening. I think this is very subjective as it depends on how much a reader engages in or is aware of debates on sex, sexuality and gender. Nonetheless, overall I think this is a very comprehensive, progressive and accessible piece of work on sexuality and sex.

⚡Book Review⚡

Sexuality by Meg-John Baxter

☆Available March 2nd 2021☆

With compassion, humour, erudition and a touch of the erotic, Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele shine a light through the darkness and unmask the monsters in this illustrated guide. From sexual identities to having sex, to desire, consent and relationships, we'll explore the invention of sex as we know it and imagine sex as it could be. Along the way, we'll move past thinking of sex as meaning just one thing, defined by the genders of those doing it, instead making space for lots of different types of attraction, desire, relationship and act.
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As the wife of a man in a wheelchair the main point I loved was that disabilities DO NOT mean that you cannot have sexual relations with another person, that a person with a disability is the same as every other human being. This cannot be stated enough!
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I thought the graphics were great and the speech bubbles from past scientists, authors and historians with words they used were perfect. They made the point without turning the book into a boring lecture.
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Sexuality delves into a topic that society still STILL shys away from talking about. As the mother to teenage children I find the topic should be discussed and I will recommend this book to my 15 year old daughter, to keep her well informed on topics such as the me too movement and where and when she can still say no.
The chapters on consent will be so helpful to many people but I feel it's very important for teenagers in particular.
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Quite simply brilliant.

This graphic guide begins with a deceptively simple outline of basic ideas around sex, sexuality, gender and more, and before you know it, you are flicking through far more complicated concepts and theories around sexual identity, consent, the benefits and limits of labels and far more besides.

The section on consent I thought was especially well handled- laying out both a simple easily workable definition for consent, but also highlighting how complex and nuanced it is. Despite being someone who reads a lot around gender and sexuality, I felt that this guide was still stretching me and introducing me to deeper thoughts, such as notions of what future sexuality could look like, whilst also giving me the language to express concepts and feelings I can find overly wordy or full of hedging and caveats.

The chapters are very well laid out, and it explores the broad topic of sexuality in a way that is diverse in terms of bodies, body types, gender(s), identities and schools of thought. In fact, it surprised me just how much ground it covered, and how quickly.

It is surprisingly comprehensive though short, academic though accessible, and political though broad-church, and I highly recommend it.

P.S. How can you not love a book that has the heading 'heteronormativity is the real monster'?

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really disappointed as I tried to read this graphic novel, it wasn't formatted for kindles so i had to read it on my phone which is a much smaller screen. I found it endearing that the four main characters can be visually linked to the Scooby Gang as it offers a sense of familiarity.

I appreciated how the thoughts of the characters were centred around consent and that both the female and male characters were considering what happens within the realms of consent. And I felt that it was really clever that they spoke about intersecting sexuality and the fetishizing of people of colour. Barker is really intelligent in the way she includes facts in her text but she also deals with real questions, one of them being "what is normal" and how to deal with insecurities regarding the body or sexual knowledge and experience.

The structure of the graphic novel is well put together, the chapters starting with a history of sex and working up to (). The graphic novel deals with really important facts and issues such as reproductive rights, slavery rape and STIS.

As someone who is fascinated by history I really enjoyed the historical elements and reading about the origins of sex, especially in regards to the ancient Greeks. I appreciated the cameos from Freud. It was important to include the cultural diversity that Barker did and was interesting to read about the different view points on such topics.

The normalisation of female masturbation was interesting to include as it not something that is always talked about or referenced to. It was enlightening to read about the history of taboo around female masturbation. I thought it was really clever how the characters unmasked different contributing factors to the negative connotations or beliefs about sex. I felt it was really significant that the graphic novel allows the reader to embrace, learn and understand their own sexuality, sexual needs and sexual desires as the characters do.

I appreciated how there was an entire chapter dedicated to sexual identity and understanding sexual identity, what it was and if it is necessary. I LOVED the inclusion of popular culture references in terms of "gay others" with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Love Simon, the L Word and Ellen. It was interesting to read about the 'invisible bisexuals' and the stigma and biphobia surrounding them and how they are disregarded for being neither straight or gay. Again, I LOVED the popular culture references with Callie Torres from Greys Anatomy and Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99. In a similar way, Barker introduces, explains and normalises asexuality (ace) and aromantic (aro) which I found refreshing as they are relatively new terms.

It was really important how Barker talks about sexual desires, fantasies, kinks and fetishes. Looking at the varying forms of kinks and the limits of BDSM is not something that I would have read when I was first exploring sexuality and therefore I find it really interesting that it was included in this graphic novel.

I really enjoyed seeing the various pop culture references, now looking at monogamous couples, Love Actually, Say Anything, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Also, Mononormativity (normalising monogamy) and popular love triangles: Peeta, Katniss and Gale / Edward, Bella and Jacob, and exploring the ideas and boundaries of polygamy.

The graphic novel even goes on to look as sex work and the stigma they receive. The #MeToo stories and movement. "Porn Panic" and what is "Beyond Porn"

I REALLY appreciated, admired, respected, that there was a whole chapter dedicated to consent. The pressure from society forcing people to believe they need to have sex to be valued or assured in their relationships. Comparing No Means No to everyday situations, using much better analogies that the 'cup of tea' video. Looking at self consent and it's impact on mental and physical health. Betty's Martins 'Wheel of Consent' was something I had never seen before and therefore I found this really interesting and a useful tool to include.

This wasn't something I would normally read however I was intrigued by the premise and thought it would be interesting to follow through with reading such a graphic novel. I found it really informative but in a way that it didn't feel as though you were being forced information, it was really engaging and used facts and theory in a way that wasn't boring and unreadable.

This is the book you never knew you needed about sexuality, in it Meg-John gathers relevant theories and theorists to help you understand the underlying cultural messages around sex and sexuality and then helps you to navigate them in a healthy way. Sexuality in this book is meant in its broadest sense, encompassing not just how you might identify but also how you might feel about sex and the kind of sex you want. Starting with the history of sex which includes a very thorough move through the various era's societal views of sexual expression, exploration and understanding (and its link with societal constructs and forms of control). Continuing through further chapters, including an especially vital one on consent and the final chapter rethinking sex, which I loved as it captures the hope I always feel when reading or listening to Meg-John's work, when i feel that it is possible to get the kind of sex I want.

For those familiar with Meg-John Barker's work and especially the podcast that they were involved in with Justin Hancock, the ideas expressed and explored in this book will not be new, it is wonderful to have them contained in one volume though. It is especially helpful to have an illustrated view, following on from the same format used to great effect on Gender: A Graphic Guide, the beautifully illustrations provide useful expanding and clarification of key ideas and often some welcome light relief. For example the idea of using a haunted house and an investigation team perhaps modelled on a well know children's cartoon, I loved the updated version in this book with a more intersectional team and a support dog. Sometimes pictures really do say a thousand words and this book really shows that especially when explaining some complex thoughts and ideas.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand more about sexuality and especially to therapists to broaden their thinking especially where sexuality has not been covered on your training course. My one plea, would be a list of chapters at the beginning would be super useful.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.