Name: Beyond the Gender Binary
Rating: 4.346938775510204 (49 reviews)
ISBN: 9780593094655

Alok Vaid-Menon

"Poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary"--

Beyond the Gender Binary

Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. "Thank God we have Alok. And I'm learning a thing or two myself."--Billy Porter, Emmy award-winning actor, singer, and Broadway theater performer "When reading this book, all I feel is kindness."--Sam Smith, Grammy and Oscar award-winning singer and songwriter "Beyond the Gender Binary will give readers everywhere the feeling that anything is possible within themselves"--Princess Nokia, musician and co-founder of the Smart Girl Club "A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change."-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "An affirming, thoughtful read for all ages." -- School Library Journal, starred review In Beyond the Gender Binary, poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary. Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon challenges the world to see gender not in black and white, but in full color. Taking from their own experiences as a gender-nonconforming artist, they show us that gender is a malleable and creative form of expression. The only limit is your imagination.

Elle Kay

Wonderful little book...

The way they describe their experiences as a non-binary person is heartfelt and beautifully written. It was factual but felt like having a in-depth conversation with a friend in a coffee shop. Being non-binary myself, I really connected to their experiences, both good and bad, and got some great tips on how to talk about my own non-binary identity with friends and family. 

I would recommend this anyone who wants to have a better insight into non-binary identities, whether they are non-binary themselves or not.

Alok is very varied in their approach to dissecting the gender binary. While the book doesn’t venture too deeply into each aspect, this is a great preliminary read for anyone looking to understand more about gender. It’s also simply an enjoyable read regardless for Alok’s eloquent assassination of gender propaganda.  

Kierce

A great introduction to start the conversation and learn about gender identities, a short novel but still packs a punch. 

Listening to this via audiobook was a great experience especially hearing the passion in Alok V-Menon’s voice! 

A small but mighty pocketbook, everyone should educate themselves on topics of gender identities and acceptance, and this is a great starting point. I recommend.  

jaz ☁️

 - AUDIOBOOK - 

A great introduction to start the conversation and learn about gender identities, a short novel but still packs a punch. 

Listening to this via audiobook was a great experience especially hearing the passion in Alok V-Menon’s voice! 

A small but mighty pocketbook, everyone should educate themselves on topics of gender identities and acceptance, and this is a great starting point. I recommend.  

Kristen Jones

Very informative & blunt but full of love and compassion! A small & mighty read, where I can hear Alok’s desire for change! Good read!

priya

"Being real is not a scarce resource, and it is possible to hold a diversity of experiences without creating hierarchies."

"They used to call me a girl when I was growing up, and when I finally came to accept myself, they called me a boy. I was too feminine to be a boy and then too masculine to be a girl. It’s almost as if they move their definitions precisely to exclude us. We are both too much and never enough. We are always made out to be the problem. But maybe we aren’t the problem; maybe the whole gender system is. Whose definitions are we prioritizing, anyway?"

"Using gender-neutral language isn’t about being politically correct, it’s just about being correct."

Fiona Coffey

Sabrina D. 

A good primer on the gender binary and the ways in which society shapes and understands gender. Very accessible. My only qualm was the handful of cliches, but they didn’t take away from the importance of the text and the value of the ideas! Thank you Alok.

Laura Springall

A very quick but informative read. As a non-binary person myself, a lot of the information in here was not new to me, but books like these are so important for people who want to learn. I often find with books or articles discussing gender politics, the language used can be really inaccessible to people who are just starting on their journey of learning about gender. But Alok’s writing is easy to understand for those who are still learning, while still being engaging for those of us who are well versed in this topic. This was easy to read and would absolutely be a great starting point for people who have questions, want to know more, as well as want to learn how to talk about gender with others

Caitlin Berger

A perfect and necessary book! My only complaint is I wish it was ten times longer! ♥️

Beyond the Gender Binary

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