Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

a very informative history about non-binary people and their identities. but i found it read like a textbook at times, but still a good book to learn about being genderqueer but i think someone who knew little about the identity would struggle to read this at times.

This was insightful, but it was delivered in a pretty dry form. I found it difficult to read it for long periods of time, and I wasn’t really drawn into returning. Usually, I can’t get enough of texts on gender. That said, when I was reading it, I enjoyed the discussions. Having a text written by a nonbinary person is wonderful, and I look forward to seeing what Eris produces next.

insightful and a long overdue look into gender and how understanding is more needed in our society, educating through this book is essential

This is a good introduction to the gender binary and genderqueer identities. It's not as comprehensive as I would have liked, but given that we are still learning, I expect this to be updated sometime in the future and for more material to come out. However, this is a great starting point, a great gift for parents and educators, and something that should be on library shelves.

A little too dry at times and I had a few minor issues but would recommend if you know absolutely nothing about genderqueer people.

Excellent for the person wanting to understand gender pronouns and gender identity more in depth, especially non-binary identity. Unfortunately, the author was too verbose in many areas for this to be thoroughly read by the general public, especially those who need more of an introductory level text. I think it would have been better if the content had been streamlined to focus more on the basics, or maybe had a few introductory chapters and then went into more of the details and academics in later chapters. Then, this book would have incredible crossover appeal for young adults, could be used in schools, for business or other institutional sensitivity training, by parents, friends, and anyone else who simply wants to get an understanding of gender identity. A fantastic concept and book, but as written, I'm afraid it simply won't be accessible enough for the people who need it most: teens who are questioning their gender identity and the general public that is clueless about gender identity.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Ultimately, I didn't rate this because I feel like I kept wanting this book to be something it wasn't - not the author's or the book's fault!

This was interesting but a bit too dry for me. I knew it was academic going in but it was not written in a way that is accessible and interesting to all. This is a shame as this book had some really good thing to say about gender and trans issues.

Unfortunately, this book is too regionally and temporally specific for me to recommend in the current political climate in Canada. It's a great read with plenty of interesting information, but because there is a lot of content specific to the UK, it would not be a good fit for our store.

3.5 stars

A very interesting and important read! I feel like if you're interested in learning more about the non binary experience, this book is definitely the place to start. It talks about the struggles of non binary people but it also provides data and historical information. It begins by talking about some basic and general stuff that'll help you ease into educating yourself on this topic.

Although it felt quite dense as it reads as an academic paper, it's still an amazing book!

This one is all about the non binary: the gender that is not a gender. The idea that gender is a construct. The gender that is somewhere in between. Well researched, it gave me a lot to think about and led me to read further on this topic.

I completely forgot to review this for Netgalley. Shoot now I am having problems remembering what made it so great. It is a little bit dense, but I love that. I love me some theory. This book covers a lot of different identities and doesn't just cover the white western world, which is a huge huge plus. I especially loved how they went into body dysmorphia, and how not all trans* or non-binary people experience that. Overall, it's a dense but well written super interesting book.

Very informative and detailed.

It is clear that the author put in as much research as they possibly could have before writing. They put the upmost care into the information they were imparting on the reader.

I absolutely recommend this for anyone who is attempting to educate themselves on gender non-conforming and non binary identities. This book answers many questions that cisgender people, people who are questioning their gender, or people who want to educate themselves on other gender identities may have.

My only complaint it that in many instances, this book is too dense. I feel as though just as much could have been said with half as many pages. But this is a relatively small complaint.

They/Them/Their" by Eris Young is a non-fiction book that focuses on non-binary and genderqueer identities and covers the daily and bigger struggles they face. The key-area in focus are: history, wider society, mental health, medicine, and the law.

When discussing these topics, Young goes further than to only share the cold facts and stats. They also interpret and try to explain certain results of studies, so that everyone can understand them.

In addition to cold facts, Young looks at society from a genderqueer point of view and shares this insight. This is very often, some people struggle because one person can't represent a whole community. Instead of simply explaining that this is only their experience, Young sensed this problem and decided to go the extra mile:

They conducted a number of interviews with other genderqueer and non-binary people. Thus, various views are established without having to rely on stats alone. These are opinions and experiences from real people, and I really enjoyed getting an insight from various point of views.

"They/Them/Their" remains a book that mostly focuses on gender in the US and the UK - especially Scotland. This is something you are "warned" about at the beginning of the book, so you are aware that the book is not inclusive of all countries.

Nevertheless, Young still touches on semantics in different countries - especially linguistic differences, pointing out that a gender neutral language is not even possible is most Romance languages (Spanish, Italien, French, German, etc.). Those comparisons are not use to shed more light on those countries but rather to highlight the differences and challenges faces by NB/GQ people around the globe before returning into an UK/US-centric perspective.

There is only one real critic I have: Young states that their goal is to bring these issues closer to a cis-identifying person who wants to learn more but starts below zero. I can't help but wonder, if this book doesn't appear too heavy for them, since it contains a L O T of information, it could get over-whelming.

Overall, "They/Them/Their" gives a great overview of the diversity of the genderqueer community, the different problems one may face, and it also breaks down stereotypes in always offering different perspectives within the group. Most of the time, it is written in a way that it is easy to read. It has a similar feeling to a well written tumblr post that contains facts: the writing is informal but the information given to you is crucial. I feel that "They/Them/Their" is a great book and there is no better time to read it than now.

They/Them/Their could not be better timed than RIGHT NOW. Its relevance has never been greater than in contemporary society today, for all of us. This book should be mandatory reading for educators, counselors, medical professionals and pretty much anyone else currently living on this planet we call Earth. This is a significant work for understanding gender identity- which is so much more than a binary box one checks on a form. And even if you feel you *get* gender, get this!

This was good and informative and it read like a professionally written paper which I had thankfully anticipated so I really liked that (if I hadn't anticipated it, though, I might not have liked reading it too much). I was able to prepare myself for how this would be structured so that really helped my reading experience.

Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I was drawn to this book because of the relative lack of books about nonbinary identities written by actual nonbinary people. As a cis person, I want to understand more about trans an nonbinary identities, and I personally think that the best way to do this is to read books and narratives by people from those groups. The own voices aspect of this book is what initially drew me to it.

I was impressed with the thoroughness of this book. Right from the beginning, it was apparent that this was going to be a book with a lot of information. The downside to this is that I found it incredibly dense, and even with the glossary at the beginning, I felt that we were somewhat thrown in at the deep end. There were also some points that confused me; the use of they/them/their pronouns, for example, is described as being one of the identifying features of a nonbinary identity, but I have several nonbinary friends who dislike they/them/their and prefer to use she/her or he/his, or a selection of non-standard pronouns (e.g. ey/em/eir). I would have liked a bit more information on pronouns and how an individual might find the best pronouns that fit. I also wondered if the very dense, academic nature of the book might put some people off. I'm a PhD student and so I'm used to wading through very verbose books, but I did wonder if it might be a little inaccessible for the average reader.

That's a relatively minor quibble in a book that I found overall to be very helpful and informative. The discussions about nonbinary v trans and how the two ideas intersect but are not interchangeable was really eye-opening, and I feel like I have a better handle on some of my nonbinary friends' identities now. There was a part of the book that described a nonbinary person being reluctant to go out anywhere that didn't have a unisex toilet, for example, and I'm privileged enough that I've never had to even consider that as a factor in choosing a venue. It's opened my eyes to the things that I take for granted and I hope it will make me a more empathetic person in future. I'm genuinely very glad that this book exists, and I'll be recommending it left, right and centre to anyone who is confused by or just wants to know a bit more about the nonbinary aspect of trans identities.

An absolutely fantastic book about gender and gender identity which also brings up mental health and other topics

I was unable to read it to the end because the app I use crashed and still hasn't worked but you get I'll be buying my own physical copy to read and give to friends!

No matter who you are, as long as you care about people and want to learn more I definitely recommend that you read this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review They/Them/Their by Eris Young. I am a bit ambivalent about this title, but still recommend it for those interested in the topic(s). More information about gender/gender identity is sorely needed, and Young does address those areas head-on. It's not a "quick easy read" in writing style though, and that might keep more casual readers away. Still, I'll recommend it to others.

If you are an ally, a feminist, or in any way give a damn about people--read this book. It gives an incredible amount of information about what it means to be nonbinary, but also is just so inclusionary. You'll read also about the trans perspective, asexualism, mental illness, and a great many other human experiences while learning about breaking through the barriers of a societal binary gender system.