January 2023

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This January we will be discussing Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen. We will be meeting on January 13th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can find the link in the sidebar to the right (or the bottom of the page if you're on a phone browser)!

Angela Chen is a journalist and editor, working primariliy in science and technology studies with a specific interest in information infrastructures and issues of quantification and classification. Her goal is to understand the systems we use to organize and shape reality. She is currently a senior editor at WIRED and has previously been a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Vox Media’s The Verge, and MIT Technology Review with work appearing in publications around the country.

The book we are reading for January is the result of a project started to understand the role of sexual attraction in Western culture when the author was working as a science reporter at The Verge. It has been named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR, Electric Literature, and Them. 

So, what's the book about?

This powerful nonfiction book is an engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.

What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, about romance and consent, and the pressures of society? This accessible examination of asexuality shows that the issues that aces face--confusion around sexual activity, the intersection of sexuality and identity, navigating different needs in relationships--are the same conflicts that nearly all of us will experience. Through a blend of reporting, cultural criticism, and memoir, Ace addresses the misconceptions around the "A" of LGBTQIA and invites everyone to rethink pleasure and intimacy.

Journalist Angela Chen creates her path to understanding her own asexuality with the perspectives of a diverse group of asexual people. Vulnerable and honest, these stories include a woman who had blood tests done because she was convinced that "not wanting sex" was a sign of serious illness, and a man who grew up in a religious household and did everything "right," only to realize after marriage that his experience of sexuality had never been the same as that of others. Disabled aces, aces of color, gender-nonconforming aces, and aces who both do and don't want romantic relationships all share their experiences navigating a society in which a lack of sexual attraction is considered abnormal. Chen's careful cultural analysis explores how societal norms limit understanding of sex and relationships and celebrates the breadth of sexuality and queerness.
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via GIPHY

If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in-store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!

Buy Online!

Paperback
Hardcover
Audiobook
eBook

We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!

Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!
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Reviews & Interviews

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex
-- Library Journal
Read Me: Angela Chen’s Ace Challenges Us All to Reframe How We Talk About Sex 
-- Them
'Ace' is the first book of its kind. Here’s why anyone, asexual or not, should read it.
-- Mashable
A Conversation with Journalist Angela Chen -- Stonewall National Museum & Archives