Scan barcode
A review by sara_m_martins
Bi the Way: The Bisexual Guide to Life by Lois Shearing
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
While it feels like a collection of essays, the bias is very present, and sometimes personal ideas get conflicted with fact, most ideas do feel representative of discussions that are had, and most concepts are transmitted correctly. I can see a questioning youth using this book as a resource. I think the biggest sin is that the author did not approach their ideas of pansexuality in the best way, and it gets confusing and comes across borderline pan-phobic to the reader.
The writing is very reminiscent of articles, which make sense, accounting for the author's background.
I wish the structure was a bit more polished, namely when it comes to the third parties accounts' throughout the book - blocks of text are stylistically different, having small paragraphs taken from different bi+ contributors. However, the connections between the text to these paragraphs and the text again was hard to see, and it could take me out of the reading experience a little bit.
Filled with stats and personal ramblings, which can either be your thing or very much not - i personally love facts and figures.
I really enjoyed reading about the bi+ community, as it was one of the hardest things to grieve when i gave up my bi label.
Didn't love the way that bi+ community was made to be the martyr of martyrs, and in my perspective, there a bit of broader picture missing throughout the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.