I could not be more impressed by this incredible #ownvoices resource, which embodies the kind of accountability that I have always envisioned as possible from white folx. These writers begin by acknowledging indigenous elders, crediting their understanding of intersectionality to black feminist trailblazers, Kimberlee Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins, and bell hooks, and by the end, they have undoubtedly achieved their goal of writing the book they wish they had while growing up!

How To Understand Your Gender is a guide to gender diversity and living with gender that is aimed at anyone who could be interested in reading it—people questioning their own gender, those who want to read more about gender to support people around them, or anyone who is curious in some way or another about aspects of gender and its diversity in the twenty-first century. The book is a general guide which contains discussions of biology and psychology, practical exercises, definitions of various terms, and personal accounts from both the authors and others.

It is written by people who identify as trans, which gives it a level of personal experience rather than feeling like some academic or theoretical book. The tone is soft and open, one likely to be familiar to people who know spaces that are open to all genders and sexualities, with an emphasis on self-care in each chapter, particularly after the exercises. These interactive parts are all repeated stated to be optional too, allowing people who aren’t comfortable with looking into their own gender to still read the book and maybe come back to these parts. Importantly, from the introduction the book discusses intersectionality and encourages people to take an intersectional approach to gender, considering how other elements of identity and life can affect it. These elements all make it a good initial book to read on gender, one which provides further reading suggestions and tries to stay open-ended and positive throughout.

As a practical guide and an introduction to considering gender, How To Understand Your Gender will undoubtedly be crucial to many people. In particular, it does not assume foreknowledge on matters of gender and sexuality, meaning it could be a book read by people young and old who may be approaching the topic in an entirely new way for the first time. It is the kind of book to be read alongside others like Kate Bornstein’s My Gender Workbook, maybe as a starting point before delving into the greater personal reflection of Bornstein’s book, or to be given or suggested to those close to somebody who is trans or who is questioning their gender identity who want more information on the topic.

In my library, we've been looking for something like this for some time. Now that gender identity's been acted to the Canadian Human Rights Act as a prohibited ground of discrimination, there's bound to be more interest among our users in getting up to speed on the subject. The authors of this book are trans-identified themselves, so they're writing what they know. Equally importantly, they're writing openly and accessibly to a broad audience -- people trying to sort out their own identities, and people who aren't really aware of what this all means. The book is suitable for teenagers and adults, and could work in a classroom context.

There's a lot of politics around trans issues right now, and as a straight cis guy I'm far from being an expert. If any of what's in this book is currently contentious in the trans community, or in other communities, I'm not going to know about it. But this looks pretty useful. Some of my library users will appreciate the focus on intersectionality, I know that much.

This book is great for everyone, whether they are questioning their gender, have a trans or non-binary friend or simply want to learn more. It is written in a friendly and accessible tone by authors who are both academics and trans/non-binary. It is very interactive, if you want it to be, and there are plenty of reminders to breathe and take some time out if the book raises upsetting thoughts and feelings. There are also lots of suggestions for further reading and different resources available- books, zines, speeches, websites, art projects.

I took a really long time with this book, I wanted to be able to make sure that I paced myself and could really absorb what was being laid out by the authors of How to Understand Your Gender. I am thrilled that a book like this exists. I'm thrilled as a genderqueer/non-binary person, and I am over the moon to see it as a librarian. I feel like this title should be an essential piece of any library collection.

Iantaffi and Barker are both mental health professionals who are trans-identified. They state in their introduction that How to Understand Your Gender is meant to be a guide for people who may have questions about their gender, and what it is/how it's developing. I feel it also is a valuable title for people who don't have questions about their gender, but are curious about what transgender and non-binary is and what these mean. Particularly, if they have someone in their lives who identify as either of these.

This book really digs into what gender is, how it presents, shifts, changes, and how it intersects with other aspects of our lives (including racial intersectionality, which is so often lacking.) It's written in a easy to digest voice that is suitable for a wide range of ages and reading abilities. A teenager could pick up this book, and I think it would make excellent shared reading with younger pre-teens who are exploring their gender identity with a trusted adult.

This book is a great resource for families and schools. It is accessible, friendly, and comprehensive. Have recommended to parents - both for themselves and their older children.