"Gender is Really Strange" is a science comic about sex and gender. This is a concise but packed guide.

From page 2 I was hooked in- everyone should be aware of their gender, it was thrust upon us as kids.

The illustrations by Sophie Standing are really beautiful and clear, never over the top. I had a few issues with what order to read on the page, but because it is nonfiction comprehension was still mostly fine.

I would love to see this book in the hands of medical professionals. It touches on trauma based care and focuses on being understanding of others.

This book is well researched, and the footnotes do a great job at acknowledging pitfalls. I also appreciated the history included as I don’t have a science background. I think that the science level here could be read by most people in high school or above :).

Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A beginner friendly guide to understand gender. Definition, brief history, distinction from other terms, THE TERMS used, along with biological & social factors.

Attractively informative, Gender is Really Strange is a highly recommended read 💙❤️💚💛💜

I have to say that this was surprisingly in-depth - given the page count, I expected this to be a guide for beginners but it goes deep into the medical details, describing the role of hormones etc. I very much appreciate the anti-colonialist POV and the stress not to use binary and white-centric categories to forcibly label concepts that differ from them.
I didn't like the art because I don't like this particular style but I liked the colour scheme.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC!

An interesting 'graphic novel' style nonfiction explainer. I thought it was an interesting angle to come at gender expression from a colonization angle to try to express how natural the spectrum of gender is among many different cultures. Hoping it might serve as a lightbulb moment for understanding towards others - or even the reader for themselves! - for whomever comes across this title. I'm hoping at least one of the libraries in our consortium picks it up. Enjoyed the art style & it helped the flow of information.

<i>I would like to thank Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

<b>Gender is really strange</b> is an ideal book to educate ourselves about gender identity and sex. The different concepts are explained in a clear and attractive way, including several examples across cultures and religions.

I think this book will be very helpful to help parents explain gender identity for children.

A quick read as it’s a graphic novel explaining any questions we might have regarding gender and sex. Good illustrations and easy to understand it would be good for anyone wanting some first time information in an interesting format

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Gender is Really Strange answers many questions you may have regarding gender. I would recommend it for middle grade and above because the terminology is a bit advanced. I appreciate scientific terminology and facts, but it is a bit dry. It's a great resource for parents to introduce the topic to their children.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review.

This is a great entry point for people wanting to learn about gender identity.

It's a quick, 40 page non fiction graphic novel that is informative and easy to understand, and has wonderful illustrations.
The language is concise, neutral and scientific, but not confusing and the sources are cited clearly. The explanation of sex and gender is great and the section about intersex individuals was particularly well done. It's intersectional, current, informative and open, delivering the information without embellishing it.
Nothing is overlooked in the text and the illustrations as it includes neurodivergency, race and disability.
Overall a good read that is well researched, representative and written by someone knowledgeable on the subject.
However, and to preface this critique, I identify as non-binary, I’m also a lesbian, physically disabled & AuDHD. In this book, "autigender" has been included amongst other non-binary identities. I don't believe this should have been done, as it is a "neurogender" and isn't always viewed as valid.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Netgalley ARC review! Thank you for the opportunity ✨
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Make this the standard entry point for people needing to learn about gender identity.
This quick, 40 page non fiction graphic novel opens up our perception of gender, and does it well. To preface this, I identify as a demigirl & under the non binary umbrella, I’m bisexual, physically disabled & AuDHD.
The language is scientific & concise from the first page, with sources cited & neutral language. It doesn’t make you feel confused or lost, but doesn’t water down important biological & scientific information, particularly around intersex individuals. The information is intersectional, up to date & open, with focus on delivering the info as is, not embellishing it. I particularly like how the text handles neurodivergence, disability, race, biological sex & intersex bodies, in that none feel overlooked, and the effect being a part of these communities has on gender is important.
Overall a great, snappy read with tons of research & representation.

I really enjoyed this. As someone who discovered the concept of gender identity later in life, I feel like reading ‘Gender is Really Strange’ simultaneously healed a piece of my inner child that longed to know why they felt different, and presented the information in a way that was fit for an adult.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4 | 😘=2 | 13+

summary: short graphic novel exploring the ins and outs of gender, gender expression, and gender diversity in today’s world.

thoughts: I liked this! it’s the kind of thing one would want to have on hand in a conversation with one’s hypothetical mother who listens to too much Ben Shapiro, because, like, well-documented scientific rebuttals to transphobic people are good.

I feel like this is a book that everyone needs to and should read! Goetz has found a beautifully artistic away of breaking down gender and gender identity in such a captivating and engaging way. The art in this graphic novel is stunning and greatly adds to the overall experience of reading this book.

In just 40 pages, Goetz manages to cover so much information in a clear and digestible way, all while including scientific, anthropologic, and psychological information that feels accessible for readers of any age. I will definitely be adding a printed copy of this graphic novel to my personal library!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I have requested this book mainly for the cover firstly. It didn't disappoint. It is a wonderful non-fiction comic that covers a lot in just 40 pages.

It has enough historical information and technical terms to be very interesting and informative. There are a lot of aspects I didn't know or didn't consider before reading this and this is always very important for a book on this topic. Highly highly recommend this book (read it and discuss it with friends and family)!

Teddy G. Goetz has written a wonderful, valuable book about the vagaries of gender classification. Gender classification, and TNG identities, are a bit of a minefield to traverse right now, but Goetz has laid out the information - including all of the latest science - in an easy to understand way. There is no judgment in the writing, and even gentle words to help someone begin to see what gender means to them and how they might identify in this ever-changing world.

Goetz has also done an excellent job of including non-white cultures and communities in this book. Often indigenous communities accounted for more than two genders and held special roles for figures who identified as something other than their birth sex - Goetz has many examples of this in the book, and even places where people can learn about more.

This is a great introduction to just how complicated identities can be. The information is presented succinctly and gently, while thorough notations in the back allow for more learning along with other recommended reading throughout. This is a valuable book that could help a great deal of younger people, and it frightens me how easily I can imagine it being challenged.

This is an educational, well-informed comic on gender and how society has forced the science behind it into boxes. Gender is Really Strange is a great piece to pass to relatives who want to know the more technical side of the binary. Be warned: it may lead to a rabbit hole of going through the entire series!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this graphic novel.

As an autistic nonbinary person, I found this book so interesting and I wasn’t expecting it to cover aspects of Neuroqueer and Autigender so I was really happy to see the facts and also more recommendations for further reading. The book covers so many important topics, such as hormones, cultural expressions of binary and so much more. It was easy to understand and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
10/10 Needs to be in every office waiting room.

Here and there, it was a bit confusing to know which text bubble or panel I was supposed to read next. This did not distract from the information given.

This book may not convince the ultra-right or uber transphobic family members, but it definitely could help people gain a deeper understanding of gender itself. I feel like someone who is less academic may still walk away with a lot of questions. However, I also think that someone who knows just the basic definitions of gender and sex will learn something from this.
Not only does this book cover how different cultures views gender historically, but it makes a point that the term "gender" itself is English and comes from Western society. Terms like "third gender" is not representative of how other cultures see gender. There are things that are just hard to translate from other cultures.
That being said, I think this point would definitely be something that my older family members may have trouble understanding. I'm not sure if I'd hand this book to my grandfather. People see things from the lens of their own culture. So, older right-wing Americans are not going to understand some points this book is trying to make.
I think that's okay, though. This book does a good job at providing all of the facts, as well as admitting that we don't know everything yet.
It gives you a brief overview of everything gender and how messy the concept is. It goes into the science of sex and how weird that can be, too. All in all, gender is really strange, as the title indicates.

Read this! Read this! Read this! Illuminating and profound. It doesn't matter your age or gender, you will learn something from this wonderfully educational text that discusses gender in all its many forms. Scientific, yet down to earth.

I loved it all, but I was especially interested in learning how other cultures perceive gender. And then the section about how modern gender in the US came to be—surprising and fascinating.

Very well researched and incredibly informative. We need more books like this.

I loved this book!! It was extremely informational and explained a ton of things that even I didn't know about. I am definitely going to buy this for my collection.

AHHHHHHHHH! I am so happy to have been granted access to this gem of a graphic novel from NetGalley, Teddy G. Goetz and Jessica Kingsley Pub. I think everyone needs to take a few minutes and digest the content conveyed in this book, because it might just help yall understand the wild construct that is gender, and how the heteronormative constraints have been bound a bit too tight for far too long. Break out, yall.

Gender and Sex are two different things? And feeling normal or being perceived as normal by others is subjective. It’s time for politicians to keep their hands out of people’s metaphorical pants, per se, and just let everyone live the life they feel comfortable living.

The illustrations in this book were very well-done and perfectly projected when it comes to getting the point across.

Gender is Really Strange hits shelves on October 19, 2023, and this will definitely be an educational resource for all the bigots in my perimeter.