Gender Queer: A Memoir

by Maia Kobabe

239 pages

English language

Published April 18, 2019 by Lion Forge Comics.

ISBN:: 978-1-5493-0400-2
ASIN:: B07QV9JB7P

(14 reviews)

Gender Queer: A Memoir is a 2019 graphic memoir written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe. It recounts Kobabe's journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author's exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary. Gender Queer initially received a small printing and was marketed toward older teens and adults. It increasingly entered the collections of high school and middle school libraries after receiving an Alex Award in 2020, an award given by the American Library Association to "books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18". Since 2021, its inclusion in American libraries, particularly school libraries, has been frequently challenged by parents, based on the presence of some sexually explicit illustrations. The American Library Association ranked it as the most challenged book in 2021.

1 edition

Marina reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Beautiful and insightful

5 stars

Maia's story is an excellent exploration of gender exploration, the lengthy self-discovery process, and the challenges (and satisfaction!) that comes from trying to be accepted for your authentic self. The book contains many references to other great reading materials, and I've already pulled out tons of quotes when discussing these topics.

Highly recommend this book, whether you feel it relates to you, people you know and love, or just the world around you.

Louis reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Relatable and authentic

5 stars

It is clear that Maia is vulnerable and open with the reader throughout. Maia provides great insight into the experience of gender nonconformity as a child, and this book is a quick important read for anyone with others in their life who may have gone, or be going through, something similar.

alrowell reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This graphic novel is among the greatest hits of the book banners who in the past few years have been berating librarians and threatening the freedom of others to simply read. As an autobiography, I can see how Gender Queer—with its absolute unveiled description of Maia Kobabe’s journey to eir realization of self—might be discomforting to some, but this work could be absolutely life-saving for young people in crisis or just struggling with putting into words who they are.

Jack Phoenix reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The illustrations and the content are illuminating; this is one vulnerable memoir that is worthy of the hype.

J. J. Zepfanman @book reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

An impressive "graphic memoir." One of the few comic-book-style memoirs I've ever read, and one that I couldn't put down. I'm a slow reader and it only took me an hour or two to get through it. The illustrations are top-notch and the writing is engaging, as well. An important work that everyone should read and learn from.

Personal note on the research mentioned: Touching a Nerve, by Patricia S. Churchland.

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Vidya Sagar reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Moved me and made me cry.

Literally Graphic reviewed Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Review of 'Gender Queer' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

And today we are taking a look at the nonfiction memoir comic Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Originally published in 2019 by Lion Forge. There is very light nudity, about half real and about half suggested (with people contorted to cover everything controversial). This is a coming of age story so stuff like menstruation and other puberty developments do loom large at times. I would describe the author/artist person, but that seems to be the point of the book itself. The official description is as follows:

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. Now, Gender Queer is here. 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 fanfiction, and facing the trauma 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.

I guess the only part that I'm not really sure about is that last part, because as an afab person who isn't sure how I identify otherwise, I felt like some questions about what nonbinary is were raised but never actually answered. Not all questions for sure, but I think this is mostly related to my own continuing frustrations and not related to the book itself. Being about the same age as myself, there was a lot of myself and my friends that I saw in this narrative (both gender wise and other wise) which was fun.

The artwork was another real high point of this book as well. The farthest thing from aloof and/or melancholic, Gender Queer is colorful (although strictly realistically), full of all sorts of emotional energy, the page layouts are the skilled balance of varied and easy to follow. Even with a little bit of visual metaphor to express some of Kobabe's harder to explain feelings, I would recommend this as a very easy first comic to many people who are still holding out on books with pictures.

Gender and sexuality obviously take centre stage in this life story, less so class and race although Kobabe came across to me as fairly aware of eir place in the world as afab, white and not poor, which is much preferable to total naivete and ignorance.