Review: A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns

Title: A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
Author: Archie Bongiovanni, Tristan Jimerson
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Limerence Press
Source: Paperback from Publisher
Release Date: June 12, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Archie, a snarky genderqueer artist, is tired of people not understanding gender neutral pronouns. Tristan, a cisgender dude, is looking for an easy way to introduce gender neutral pronouns to his increasingly diverse workplace. The longtime best friends team up in this short and fun comic guide that explains what pronouns are, why they matter, and how to use them. They also include what to do if you make a mistake, and some tips-and-tricks for those who identify outside of the binary to keep themselves safe in this binary-centric world. A quick and easy resource for people who use they/them pronouns, and people who want to learn more!

Review:

This is a great guide to gender pronouns.

I learned a lot from this book. I recently read a book with a non binary character, and it was hard to get used to the use of “they” to refer to a single person. I was always taught that you shouldn’t use “they” to refer to one person in your writing if you don’t know the gender, or you want it to be universal, and instead you should use “one” or “a person.” This book shows how the pronouns “they/them” and others should be used today.

The book also gives examples of how to handle situations where you are unsure of or use the incorrect pronoun. For instance, it is better to try and use the correct pronoun, rather than just ignoring the person’s wishes. You shouldn’t ask someone what pronoun they “prefer” because their gender identity isn’t a preference. Gender identity is who they are, so they can’t change it. Instead you should ask what pronoun they use. These kinds of sensitivities are important in the modern world of multiple different gender identities.

This is a great guide to pronouns, in an accessible graphic novel format. It is short and informative, with some humour in the illustrations.

Have you read this guide? What did you think of it?

Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett