Buy used:
$7.24
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
to get FREE delivery Thursday, October 31. Order within 33 mins
Or Non members get FREE delivery Sunday, November 3 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: The book may have minor cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, minor sunburn, minor water damage, minor bent. The book may have some highlights, notes, underlined pages. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included . Safe and Secure Mailer. No Hassle Return
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Other sellers on Amazon
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

This Book Is Gay Paperback – June 2, 2015

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,575 ratings

The bestselling young adult non-fiction book on sexuality and gender!

Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.

There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You're welcome.

Inside you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask, with topics like:

  • Stereotypes ― the facts and fiction
  • Coming out as LGBT
  • Where to meet people like you
  • The ins and outs of gay sex
  • Stereotypes ― the facts and fiction
  • How to flirt
  • And so much more!

This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBTQ also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.

You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.

This book is for:

  • Anyone with questions
  • Parents of gay kids and other LGBT youth
  • Educators looking for advice about the LGBTQIA+ community

Praise for This Book is Gay:

A Guardian Best Book of the Year

2018 Garden State Teen Book Award Winner

"The book every LGBT person would have killed for as a teenager, told in the voice of a wise best friend. Frank, warm, funny, USEFUL." ―Patrick Ness, New York Times bestselling author

"This egregious gap has now been filled to a fare-thee-well by Dawson's book."―Booklist *STARRED REVIEW*


Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Juno Dawson is the international bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction for young adults. She is a columnist for Attitude magazine and a key LGBTQ+ activist with the charity Stonewall. A former teacher specializing in behavior studies, Juno now writes full time and lives in Brighton, England.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Fire; 1st edition (June 2, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1492617830
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1492617839
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1070L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.68 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,575 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Juno Dawson
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,575 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very informative, well-researched, and real-world. They also describe it as funny, witty, and an easy read for kids or adults. Readers mention it's great for people who want to know more about the LGBTQ community.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

38 customers mention "Information quality"38 positive0 negative

Customers find the information in the book very informative and well-researched. They say it provides a great overview of life in the LGBT acronym. Readers also appreciate the resources cited in the back of the book. However, some say the book is okay for teaching the basics and a great resource guide for parents, teens, anyone coming out, or anyone willing to learn.

"...This manual would have been so incredibly useful and informative in the 90s, and I don't care what that says about my age...." Read more

"Super informative whether you are gay or not. Totally recommended for anyone who wants to know from the very basis what being LGBTQ means" Read more

"...quite funny and witty- lots of resources cited in the back of the bookCons:- mostly talks about gay men...." Read more

"...The text itself is factual and very matter of fact (and occasionally funny)...." Read more

37 customers mention "Humor"35 positive2 negative

Customers find the book funny, witty, and sarcastic. They say it's an easy read for kids or adults. Readers also appreciate the tone and accessibility.

"...quick read (i finished it in a couple days)- quite funny and witty- lots of resources cited in the back of the book..." Read more

"Well written with facts, humor and anecdotes. Non judgmental. Answers a lot of questions in well organized and self-contained chapters...." Read more

"...First, pros: most of the language is accessible for people who are unfamiliar with the LGBT community...." Read more

"...While it certainly is an easy read and I'm sure has been helpful for people, I found myself yearning to learn more about the social issues and..." Read more

36 customers mention "Readability"31 positive5 negative

Customers find the book awesome, fun, and informative. They say it's a great idea for a book and well-done.

"This book is so amazing.I feel like I need to read it through a second time. So many things resonate in this book...." Read more

"...It is a great idea for a book and I love the personal anecdotes, but the way he handles (or doesn't) handle a lot of the issues is problematic." Read more

"I found this book to be informative, funny and well done...." Read more

"Great book about explaining the difference in identity and very informative about what may or may not happen during intimacy" Read more

8 customers mention "Lgbt community"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book good for anyone in the LGBT+ community. They say it's great for gay teenagers and people who want to understand. Readers mention the chapter on LGBT sex ed is pretty okay.

"...This is a book which helps teens to come out to the adults in their lives, affirms that they value and they matter, and helps them to make safe and..." Read more

"...The chapter on LGBT sex ed was pretty okay (if you overlook the gendering of genitals and lack of ace talk..." Read more

"...It would be great for gay teenagers, as well as people that want to understand the experience of being gay...." Read more

"...Undoubtedly, this book will help LGBT youth in particular...." Read more

Disappointing: Our Queer Kids Deserve Better!!
1 out of 5 stars
Disappointing: Our Queer Kids Deserve Better!!
Reading this infuriated me. Not because it is an LGBT focused book, but because as an actual gay man I felt like queer/LGBT+ kids deserve better than this! The truth of matter is a whole entire book could be written just about being a gay young man, or just about being a non-binary individual. This book feels hastily written and a disgrace as a resource for things LGBT teens actually need to know. Tell me: WHY does the "Cheat Sheet" section with vocabulary words include "Scat: Eating poop," but NOT even the word "versatile"? How many gay men do you know eat poop?! There are multiple reasons why NOT to get this book or put it in your school library.1) OUT OF DATE/INACCURATE INFORMATIONThis book has a section on it about HIV. Great! But it doesn't even elaborate how signifcantly damaging this was to our beauitful community! No mention of Cleve Jones, no mention of the AIDS Quilt, no mention of Princess Diana. All what it says is that if you don't want HIV, wear a condom- which is far from true. It's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get HIV if you do oral, frotting, hand jobs- basically anything that's not anal. Not only this, but this book treats HIV like a death sentence. No where does it mention anywhere U=U. For indiviudals living with HIV, there is modern day medicine that makes them live long and fulfilling lives. It mentions viral loads, but thanks to modern medicine HIV+ people can become undetectable, therefore unable to transmit the virus.2) LACKING QUEER HISTORY, FOCUSES ON WRONG PEOPLEWill & Grace and Sex and the City? Really? These are two shows mentioned at the end of the book important for the LGBT community to know. What a slap in the face to LGBT elders! The year is 2023. The modern day gay rights movement started in 1969; prior to that the first gay rights movement in the whole world began in Berlin, Germany but then was quickly squished by an evil man named Hitler. This book does not begin to touch the surface at all with queer history. It briefly covers the Stonewall Riots, which did start our modern movement today, but does not even bring up key figures like Marsha P Johnson or Syliva Rivera. It doesn't share the origin of the gay pride flag created by Gilbert Baker in San Francisco, it does not show the evolution of the pride flag which now also has the trans flag in it thanks to Daniel Quasar.Yet for some reason, it's SO important that the author decided to include "Scat" in the vocab section?! Scat is the fetish of eating/smearing feces during sex. It is NOT a LGBT concept. So why is it in this book?! If Juno wanted knowledge on the queer community's fetish side, why not have a section dedicated to the history of cruising. Gay men used to be so terrified of interacting verabally that we used to wear handkerchiefs in our back pockets. This was called the Handkerchief Code. Bottoms wore their hanky on their right side, tops wore their hanky on their left, vers men had both. This was a discerete way of communicating to other men what you wanted. That is 10000% more interesting than including scat!Why does this book include scat, but not fisting, bondage, puppy play, leathermen, etc.? It just feels SO vastily out of place, and quite frankly, off putting. Scat isn't even huge in the gay community. But our leather community has been fundamental! The Folsom Street Fair began because of AIDS and being proud of our LGBT identity. This book doesn't even have the leather flag, but it does have the vocab word for eating poop.3) ALREADY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATIONThe first version of this book came out in 2014. Simply put, this book is WAY out of touch with modern day gay issues. Want the truth? The younger generation is already extremely accepting of one another and they could easily google what this book provides. It does not begin to cover what queer kids are focusing on now. Kids today know and understand what Grindr is, they don't need this book. In 2023, high school/college kids are obsessed with starting their own OnlyFans. What is OnlyFans? It is a website where you can upload your own NSFW content and charge people to watch. It's HUGE with the younger gay community. This book doesn't even address issues associated with social media that queer kids are obsessed over in the modern age.I'll be honest. This book reads a lot like an older queer trying to be cool and hip for a baby gay. I was born in 1995, now 27, grew up in a time where it was still not allowed to marry another man, and now I own hundreds of LGBT non fictional books. The truth is, if you're trans/want to learn more about being trans, I highly recommend reading Susan Stryker's Transgender History. It will provide an indepth look at pronouns and more queer history and understanding than this will. If you're gay/want to learn more about being gay, I highly recommend reading anything by Eric Marcus and his "Making Gay History."This book just ain't it, people.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
This book is so amazing.I feel like I need to read it through a second time. So many things resonate in this book. This manual would have been so incredibly useful and informative in the 90s, and I don't care what that says about my age.

Bless you, Juno&team, for putting together something so thorough and thoughtful.

This book should be required reading in all schools, IMHO.

My eyes are more clear in so many ways.

Always wear a condom.
5 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
Super informative whether you are gay or not. Totally recommended for anyone who wants to know from the very basis what being LGBTQ means
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2016
Pros:
- very informative
- quick read (i finished it in a couple days)
- quite funny and witty
- lots of resources cited in the back of the book

Cons:
- mostly talks about gay men. briefly talks about other people in the LGBT community.
- limited infomation for lesbians, transexuals, asexuals, etc.
- doesn't give a lot of help if you're still questioning. I mean things that'll help you decide on whether or not you might be gay, pansexual, bisexual, asexual, etc. Like I said, it mostly speaks on behalf of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.
68 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2024
I work in education, and I got this as a quick read, and it was so awesome that if I worked with older students, I would share it with them, especially those who are questioning their identities.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023
I bought this book primarily because it had been placed on several “banned books” lists. Which just goes to show how afraid of facts some people are. There are only two restrained nude line drawings, one of a man and one of a woman. And their inclusion isn’t frivolous, the drawings are to enhance the educational value of the text. The text itself is factual and very matter of fact (and occasionally funny). There’s no attempt to appeal to prurient interests, only to curiosity, and to answer that curiosity with factual information, accompanied by personal quotes from a variety of people.
13 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2023
What an uplifting, affirming book for teenagers who are LGBTQ+. I ordered it myself and read the whole thing to see what all the recent controversy has been about. This is a book which helps teens to come out to the adults in their lives, affirms that they value and they matter, and helps them to make safe and responsible choices for themselves and any dating/romantic partners they may have. It emphasizes consent and sexual health + safety. Five star book.
20 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2023
Juno Dawson has written a must read for anyone wishing to better themselves and the world. Learning is the key to understanding; understanding is the key to love and peace. There is no "right" truth, no matter what anyone says.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Well written with facts, humor and anecdotes. Non judgmental. Answers a lot of questions in well organized and self-contained chapters. Shame people want to ban it. The chapter on sex starts with a trigger warning and it's handled better than most public school Sex Ed classes.
10 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Mathieu Corriveau
5.0 out of 5 stars Saying I love this book is an understatement.
Reviewed in Canada on October 7, 2021
Saying I love this book is an understatement. This book is THE book that made me want to read more and value educational LGBT books because there is a lack of education of it in our schools.
Easy to read read and follow. I'm down to my third copy of the book because I believe it should be read more and I donated the previous two books to LGBT organisms.
This is a Sex-Ed book, even for straight people. It does go through the ins and outs of gay culture now. It is an interactive book, there are places to draw and write.
For a ADHD person like myself, opening the book at any page, I'm sure I will learn something new or understand something better. This book is a very good start to have arguments in LGBT topics and arguments.
Overall, this is is one of the best books I've read and actually use and reread very often.
Humberto.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfecta explicación
Reviewed in Mexico on June 24, 2019
Excelente libro sobre la comunidad LGBT, explica muchas cosas y de una manera fácil y entendible
Heather Playle
5.0 out of 5 stars Be a cool parent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2016
I loved this book, and I wish it had been around when I started wondering about my sexuality. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and handles all the basics without getting hysterical. It also covers likely reactions of family and friends - possibly the biggest barrier to coming out. It makes you feel ok about being gay, and that's so important for young people. It also made me giggle a lot, because Juno Dawson's take on so many aspects of gay/straight life is hilarious. Life is far too short to take seriously, and this book really gets that. All parents should also read it, whether or not anyone in the house is gay. Definitely one to buy, read, and then put on the most available bookshelf in your house if you have rising teens. Don't freak out if it goes missing. It's probably doing the rounds of all the questioning young people in your children's circle, and you will be known as the coolest parent for having bought it and made it available (especially if the spine is well-creased).
One person found this helpful
Report
Skriptor
5.0 out of 5 stars Klasse!
Reviewed in Germany on January 1, 2016
Sehr direkt, sehr witzig, sehr klar, sehr pointiert und empathisch geschrieben ist dieses Buch ebenso kurzweilig lesenswert wie hilfreich für Menschen, die eine queere Identität für sich entwickeln und selbstbewusst leben wollen wie auch für alle, die sich z.B. als Eltern, Lehrer, Therapeuten etc. mit Fragen sexueller Identität, unterschiedlicher sexueller Präferenzen, Coming Out Fragen und queeren Lebensformen intensiver beschäftigen wollen. Ich habe das Buch gelesen, weil mich interssiert hat, wie ein solches Buch 2015 aussieht im Unterschied zu ähnlich gelagerten Werken, die ich in den Achtzigern und Neunzigern gelesen habe, und ich muss sagen: die Lektüre hat einfach auch Spaß gemacht, selbst wenn einem die Themen vertraut sind und man seinen eigenen Weg gefunden hat.
Holly Reid
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are anywhere (or not at all) on the LGBT+ spectrum, you gotta read this!
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2020
Funny, witty, informative...this book has it all, and is the perfect manual for those coming out, or dealing with societal stigma. It covers all spectrum including trans, and some other topics that are bound to peak your interest.

The little drawings and charts are hilarious