Seeing Gender: an Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression by Iris Gottlieb

It is so satisfying when a book not only looks fantastic on the outside, but it's as good on the inside! The cover caught my eye on display, and as a wahine (pronoun she, her, ia, whaea), I was really keen to learn more about this wonderful facet of humanity. Published in 2019, this is author and illustrator Iris Gottlieb’s third book, and it is a fascinating read about gender identity. Well-researched and presented with Iris’s striking illustrations, it answered many questions I had and made me think a lot about how people are categorized and the impact this has. 

Clearly written, and not too heavy or academic, it covers terminology, gender theories, scientific information, key events and figures in history, along with explanations of many 21st century cultural phenomenon, albeit mostly North American. So, you won’t find anything about takatāpui or fa’afafine or read about any of our gender heroes like Georgina Beyer here, but there is some discussion on gender variance in other societies and cultures around the world. 

As a Cisgender woman (I know what that is now!), I found the book really interesting. I think it is a really good overview or primer for someone wanting to know more about this topic, and Gottlieb’s very personal experience at the end of the book was enlightening. It should be compulsory reading for everyone, especially those who only see black and white and grey rather than the whole rainbow. Highly recommended.

Check out Seeing Gender on our catalogue.

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