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Stryker offers a conversational and informative teens’ guide to discussing issues of consent.

From the outset of this guide, the author, a journalist and consent activist, is clear that it’s intended for teen readers: Preceding the main text is a “Note to Adults” that recommends strategies for getting the book into teens’ hands and beginning conversations about a subject that can be difficult to broach. Stryker is extremely clear throughout that consent is not just about sex. Early on, she defines the book as “part mentorship, part critical-thinking guide, part self-exploration, part challenge to the things we learn culturally as ‘just how it is.’” She acknowledges that there’s no “One True Answer” when it comes to consent—the book is intended as a jumping-off point for further thought and conversation. Within those parameters, Stryker tackles consent in all its various forms. The author presents each chapter as a question that she answers by using definitions, cultural context, clear examples, and suggestions for incorporating the ideas discussed into readers’ lives; the Q&A format makes the difficult topic more accessible for teens (or anyone). Some questions she considers include “Why is consent so often treated as a gendered thing?”; “Is consent sexy?”; and “What’s the difference between coercion and consent?” Stryker also delves into potential “what ifs” teens may think about, such as, what if “someone doesn’t respect your boundaries?” and “What should I do when I’ve crossed someone’s boundaries?” Keeping these heady questions accessible for her adolescent audience, Stryker answers them using ample personal examples and practical advice. This combination of lived experience and actionable counsel makes the material feel authentic and useful. For reasons laid out in the introductory chapters, the author draws more from personal experience and narrative examples than academic research, as she finds much of the literature on consent to be excessively gendered and narrow. Stryker is able to be more inclusive in her book, specifically discussing how these issues might differ for LGBTQ+ teens.

An engaging, inclusive, and informative guide to this crucial topic.