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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Why do we find sexuality so, well … scary?
Comedian Mae Martin investigates in this hilarious and intelligent guide to 21st century sexuality. Covering everything from the pros and cons of labels, to coming out and the joys of sexual fluidity, Mae ponders all the studs we get hung up about - and then a bit more.
Mae’s mission is to ensure that in a world that’s full of things to worry about, who we choose to kiss should not be one of them. And when it comes to sexuality, she asks:
Can everyone please calm down?
Mae Martin is a comedian and actor. This conversational, illustrated look at sexuality and sexual orientation for teenagers draws heavily on their own dating experiences to offer a thoughtful and reassuring take on topics such as attraction and gender conformity while emphasising their own fortunate upbringing. However Martin doesn’t use much research to support their points and what they do use is weak, while some of the political jokes are now dated.
I picked this up because I very much enjoyed Martin’s participation in series 15 of Taskmaster and knew that they were open about their gender fluidity and bisexuality. As such I can completely understand why they were approached to write a book about this and they do write in a chatty, breezy style that is very engaging and of course, as a comedian, they know how to be funny and there are a lot of chuckles to be had here, mainly from Martin talking about their own dating experiences and crushes.
What I did like about this book is how Martin is very open about how their upbringing has meant that they have never had to worry about their sexuality and gender. Frankly it’s refreshing to see someone acknowledge privilege in that way and Martin does so in a way that in no way diminishes the experiences of other people. It also means that Martin can approach topics such as gender and attraction and analyse how much influence shame has in the discussion because they never had to worry about being judged as their parents did not do that.
At the same time they discuss how sexual labels don’t work for them and why they don’t see them as being helpful together with their problems with the subject of ‘coming out’, which I thought was really interesting and did make me think about them more. It’s particularly useful to have someone within the community talking about these things because it shows teenage readers that there is room for them to explore and work out who they are rather than try to fit into particular ‘categories’.
The issue with the book though is that although it’s great to hear Martin’s voice and experience, there isn’t a huge amount of evidence to back up some of the points that they make. The reliance instead seems to be on quotes from other people within the LGBTQ+ community and where there are scientific studies or academic texts quoted, they seemed to me to be quite weak, e.g. they mention the Kinsey study, which while trailblazing for the time, also had very significant flaws within it (something that Martin does not acknowledge).
At the same time, some of the political references, e.g. to Trump (who was in his first term as President at the time of publication), are now dated, which makes me question to what extent current teens will want to engage with it.
That said, I think Martin has an interesting perspective and she’s got a great conversation style that I think teenage readers will really engage with. On that basis, this is a book that is still worth checking out if you have a teenage reader who has questions about their gender and sexuality.
The Verdict:
Mae Martin is a comedian and actor. This conversational, illustrated look at sexuality and sexual orientation for teenagers draws heavily on their own dating experiences to offer a thoughtful and reassuring take on topics such as attraction and gender conformity while emphasising their own fortunate upbringing. However Martin doesn’t use much research to support their points and what they do use is weak, while some of the political jokes are now dated.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Comedian Mae Martin investigates in this hilarious and intelligent guide to 21st century sexuality. Covering everything from the pros and cons of labels, to coming out and the joys of sexual fluidity, Mae ponders all the studs we get hung up about - and then a bit more.
Mae’s mission is to ensure that in a world that’s full of things to worry about, who we choose to kiss should not be one of them. And when it comes to sexuality, she asks:
Mae Martin is a comedian and actor. This conversational, illustrated look at sexuality and sexual orientation for teenagers draws heavily on their own dating experiences to offer a thoughtful and reassuring take on topics such as attraction and gender conformity while emphasising their own fortunate upbringing. However Martin doesn’t use much research to support their points and what they do use is weak, while some of the political jokes are now dated.
I picked this up because I very much enjoyed Martin’s participation in series 15 of Taskmaster and knew that they were open about their gender fluidity and bisexuality. As such I can completely understand why they were approached to write a book about this and they do write in a chatty, breezy style that is very engaging and of course, as a comedian, they know how to be funny and there are a lot of chuckles to be had here, mainly from Martin talking about their own dating experiences and crushes.
What I did like about this book is how Martin is very open about how their upbringing has meant that they have never had to worry about their sexuality and gender. Frankly it’s refreshing to see someone acknowledge privilege in that way and Martin does so in a way that in no way diminishes the experiences of other people. It also means that Martin can approach topics such as gender and attraction and analyse how much influence shame has in the discussion because they never had to worry about being judged as their parents did not do that.
At the same time they discuss how sexual labels don’t work for them and why they don’t see them as being helpful together with their problems with the subject of ‘coming out’, which I thought was really interesting and did make me think about them more. It’s particularly useful to have someone within the community talking about these things because it shows teenage readers that there is room for them to explore and work out who they are rather than try to fit into particular ‘categories’.
The issue with the book though is that although it’s great to hear Martin’s voice and experience, there isn’t a huge amount of evidence to back up some of the points that they make. The reliance instead seems to be on quotes from other people within the LGBTQ+ community and where there are scientific studies or academic texts quoted, they seemed to me to be quite weak, e.g. they mention the Kinsey study, which while trailblazing for the time, also had very significant flaws within it (something that Martin does not acknowledge).
At the same time, some of the political references, e.g. to Trump (who was in his first term as President at the time of publication), are now dated, which makes me question to what extent current teens will want to engage with it.
That said, I think Martin has an interesting perspective and she’s got a great conversation style that I think teenage readers will really engage with. On that basis, this is a book that is still worth checking out if you have a teenage reader who has questions about their gender and sexuality.
The Verdict:
Mae Martin is a comedian and actor. This conversational, illustrated look at sexuality and sexual orientation for teenagers draws heavily on their own dating experiences to offer a thoughtful and reassuring take on topics such as attraction and gender conformity while emphasising their own fortunate upbringing. However Martin doesn’t use much research to support their points and what they do use is weak, while some of the political jokes are now dated.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
