Welcome to Consent

January 15, 2023
The authors and illustrator of Welcome to Your Period! (2021) return with a guide for empowering youths in a variety of situations where personal choice is a must. Giving and getting consent can be challenging to navigate, whether it's about lending a shirt, watching a scary movie, using alcohol, or sexting. By exploring different ways of communicating yes and no, talking about consent with others, managing uncertainty, and acknowledging the freedom to change your mind, this handbook provides opportunities to build confidence and bolster personal autonomy. The authors cover the ways consent can be difficult, such as when there is fear of disappointing others or hurting feelings; how power dynamics, shyness, or feeling inexperienced can impact situations; and how society and culture have made it hard to talk about consent. Using quotes from young people and adults, the book takes an inclusive approach; the full-color, cartoon-style illustrations showcase diversity in religion, race, gender, disability, and sexuality. The section discussing sexual matters, for which consent is essential, opens by acknowledging that not all readers will be ready for the information it covers and directs those who wish to skip over it to the next section, which is about peer support. The advice includes assumptions that young people generally have access to health classes that discuss contraception and that everyone would feel comfortable seeking help from the police, but overall this volume is thorough and empowering. An informative and comprehensive guide to giving and getting consent. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction. 11-18)

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March 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 There's been a lot of conversation regarding consent and its place in intimate relations. This selection takes a broader definition, extending consent into all social interactions, real world and virtual. Upbeat text, cheerful illustrations, and entertaining graphics convey body-affirming messages, reminding young adults that they are the bosses of their own bodies and they get to determine physical, social, and emotional boundaries of touching, hearing, seeing, and being seen. Relatable scenarios define challenging situations (power imbalances, peer pressure, cultural differences) and offer suggestions on handling uncomfortable encounters using precise words and phrases. There's advice about when to keep secrets and when not to, along with where, and how, to ask for help. The final portion of the book deals with more mature content. Readers are asked if they're ready to read about serious stuff (porn, intercourse, legal age of consent and consequences, hookups, sexting, etc.) and if not, advised to just skip it until later. The accurate medical information, practical advice, relevant examples, lists of resources, and visual appeal make this an approachable and accessible guide for teens.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.