This book is gay reviews

Juno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay currently holds the distinction of being the ninth most frequently proscribed book throughout America. Over the span of nearly a decade since its 2014 debut, it has emerged as a crucial resource for individuals seeking comfort and enlightenment within the significantly underserved domain of LGBTQ+ sexual health instruction. Conceived as a practical guide, the publication was primarily designed for individuals who struggled to discover responses to inquiries concerning their gender identity, sexual activity, and overall sexuality.

In a poignant video shared on Instagram, Dawson elucidated that, in her capacity as a former educator, she perceived the quality of sex education available to LGBTQ+ teenagers as rather inadequate. She further lamented that these young people were not truly acquiring any substantive knowledge concerning relationship safety.

The impetus for Dawson authoring this volume was to instill a sense of optimism in individuals whose personal paths felt more laden with bewilderment than with awe and aspiration. Consequently, This Book Is Gay successfully reached its intended readership, profoundly influencing their existence, and achieved bestseller status in the process. In a Goodreads review, Corey Evans articulated that this publication truly represented something he wished he had access to during his formative years while he was discerning his own identity. L.J. Evans, in their Goodreads review, contended that this book ought to be compulsory reading for every adolescent, thereby ensuring they never experience solitude; furthermore, they added, it should be required reading for any parent whose child has disclosed their LGBTQ+ identity to them.

However, Dawson’s publication has found itself squarely in the crosshairs, akin to numerous other literary works recently, becoming the focus of campaigns advocating for the prohibition of books and other forms of suppression. At West High School, situated within the Sioux City Community School District in Iowa, This Book Is Gay was removed from circulation subsequent to its prominence on TikTok and subsequent vilification by Twitter users who labeled it “pornographic.” Furthermore, on the twenty-second of March, the title was cited during a bomb threat directed at the Hilton Central School District in Hilton, New York.

Dominique Raccah, the Chief Executive Officer of Sourcebooks, the publisher of This Book Is Gay, articulated her view that organizations advocating for censorship mistakenly believe they will sway young individuals through the prohibition of literary works. She further asserted that, rather, their actions are merely generating heightened interest in compelling narratives, while simultaneously fostering unity among us all in upholding the fundamental right to read.

The endeavors to proscribe Dawson’s publication do not represent isolated occurrences; indeed, the volume stood among thirty-four literary works that faced persistent challenges during the year two thousand twenty-two, as per a recent analysis issued by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, a division of the American Library Association. Solely within the year two thousand twenty-two, the report indicated that a staggering one thousand two hundred sixty-nine efforts were made to prohibit books in libraries, even though a significant seventy-one percent of the electorate expressed opposition to censorship, and sixty-seven percent specifically disagreed with initiatives to remove books from educational institutions’ libraries. This data aligns with findings from the Unite Against Book Bans campaign and the ALA’s own research.

In the video, Dawson asserted that the current landscape reveals a highly coordinated assault on literature, which she attributed to the ideological exhaustion of the far right. She extended her gratitude to all librarians and educators who tirelessly advocate for freedom of expression, and further urged them to maintain their resolve in complete unity.