I read Ace after it was recommended to me by a colleague, wondering what could be so great about it. Now I have become that person that wants to recommend it to everyone.
This non-fiction book covers the nuances and layers of complexity inherent to the exploration of human relationships and the analysis of individual feelings. With the help of one-on-one interviews and extensive research, US journalist Angela Chen places asexuality back in a social, political and economic as well as personal context, diving deep into the differences between romantic, sexual and platonic feelings. It covers a range of topics; from aromanticism and new ways of being a family, to racism in the ace community and the different perceptions of sex in the history of feminism.
Beyond a better understanding of asexuality, the book was an opportunity to think about all the relationships in my life and to understand myself better. I am also grateful to Angela Chen for acknowledging how intricate and complicated it is to try and understand feelings often taken for granted and shaped by society, and for not shying away from the doubts that often come when trying to explore your identity.
Read this regardless of your sexual orientation, sexuality, or gender. Read this to re-evaluate the meanings and importance of sex to you, the social pressure to have it and how and when and how often. Read this for lightbulb moments about consent, about alternative ways of being and relating to others, about joy.
Not available on bookshop.org – come buy it at the shop!
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