Free ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm glad I read this book. It does a good job of, if not untangling, then at least recognising the many complexities of gender. The artwork is beautiful, often either underscoring a point or paying homage to an important figure. I think that Gottlieb does a genuinely great job of touching on myriad subjects - I didn't expect a book on gender to touch on the depiction of black men and police brutality, but I'm very glad it does. This is a hugely wide reaching book, and although its breadth often comes at the expense of depth, that's really not a bad thing. It gets the balance just right, giving enough detail to inform the reader on a topic and pointers to know where to do further research.

I identify as a cis woman and my presentation is pretty femme, but I didn't feel excluded by this book or like this book was meant for other people. I've definitely learnt from it. As someone who always aims to be inclusive, I know that there are things I get wrong, and this book has helped me to understand where I can do better; it's particularly good at offering tangible ways to do this, rather than simply saying 'try harder'. Recommendations such as checking pronouns and minding language are helpful to have.

It's not without fault, though. There were several instances of language that I feel could be improved; the use of the term 'poc women' rather than 'woc' or 'women of colour' was fairly frequent (although 'women of colour' was also used, the term 'poc women' is just nonsensical; it literally means 'people of colour women'). The assignation of the identity of 'transgender woman' to Marsha P. Johnson was a bit iffy, seeing as she never claimed this identity herself and I find it problematic to assume gender after someone's death; a large part of the book is dedicated to not assuming someone's gender identity, and I don't think this should go out of the window posthumously. Finally, the use of content warnings is inconsistent. Sections which discuss sexual assault are given content warnings, but that's it. Sections discussing, for example, the murder rate of trans sex workers or black men and police brutality are not. I personally think that using content warnings should be consistent; either use them in all potentially triggering cases or none.

These are fairly small points, and I really do only bring them up because the book itself is so important and so beautifully realised. I would absolutely purchase this as a primer on gender for all those with even a peripheral interest in the topic. The addition of the author's personal experience with gender at the end was a wonderful touch. I'm glad this book exists.