You-ology: A Puberty Guide for EVERY Body

I appreciate this book is an improvement over many terrible books that have historically been available to those wanting to familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of puberty. For starters, it's more inclusive. And it dispels several myths that pervade a lot of old books. But, I am very disappointed the authors took the time and energy to only fix some myths and then also muddied the water with others.For example, this books talks about how testes make testosterone, whereas ovaries make a little testosterone and a lot of estrogen.Why is that a problem? Most testes also create estrogen. And they can't create sperm without it. More specifically, lydig cells and germ cells transform androgens into estrogen.Estradiol, an estrogen, as well as testosterone are both actually crucial to a lot of sexual function among most people with testes. Estradiol regulates numerous aspects of spermatogenesis, including proliferation, differentiation, survival and apoptosis of germ cells. And estrogen needs to stay in balance with testosterone to help control sex drive and the ability to have an erection, too.That is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The illustrations on public hair, for example, reinforce a false binary of a penis growing large and a vulva with no visible labia majora.The real elephant in the room is that sex is not binary. Combinations of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors contribute to development of sexual organs--often along a spectrum. Most human bodies start off looking very similar and a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors often trigger the development of a penis or a clitoris. But many people have different sizes and shapes of each. And some have body parts that aren't easily classified as one or other. Moreover, many people don't have a 23rd pair of chromosomes that look like an XX or XY. And those who do have an XX are not all born with a vulva and those with an XY are not always born with a penis. Again, the development of bodies depends on all three factors.A book about puberty should start with these basics. If it did, readers would understand much more about their bodies--and better understand how it might relate to the bodies of others. This book doesn't and shouldn't need to talk about much sexual activity. That's not its purpose. But why perpetuate myths that leave readers less prepared, at some point, to understand the bodies of any sexual partner(s).Another example: *Most* people with a clitoris have one that is 3-4 inches in length--which is the size of the average flacid penis. A clitoris is not best illustrated by a literal dot as it is in this book. It has a distinctive shape. It is often mostly internal, so when it swells and hardens, it stays roughly the same length. Most penises have a lot of their length outside the body, so they often expand in length with arousal. This book has a (very non-proportional) drawing of ovaries, fallopian tubes, a uterus, and a vagina---but no drawing with the shape of a clitoris?Most strikingly, this book spends a lot of energy trying to explain gender. I get it. People use male and female to describe both sex and gender and that can be confusing. And trans people are extremely marginalized. But this book also further muddies and conflates the two by failing to fully describe and distinguish biological sex. Moreover, it would be more helpful if it explicitly stated that the two are only related insofar as a cultural ritual of assigning both based off a cursory external physical examination at birth.This book mentions that some people are assigned a different sex, called intersex, at birth. That's not how it usually works. (I'm endosex, but it's clear to me that the authors didn't bother to have an intersex person review a draft.) It doesn't need to go into detail, but why provide false information and perpetuate stigmas about fertility?It would be more helpful to describe that many sperm look and function differently (there are wide varieties of motilities and morphologies); that eggs, uteruses, and vaginas don't all look or work alike; that many people that people born with a vulva for example, don't have a uterus; and that many people may not be able to create babies--and some can do so only with medical assistance.In short, I am disappointed that despite efforts to improve inclusivity, this book further stigmatizes many people. And it is tragic that the book won't help many, if not most, readers understand the basics about puberty and sexual development.

The book is very comprehensive in covering challenges our children face as they move through prepubescent into puberty.The physiological changes are scientifically based as are the emotional changes. A great book for parents and children alike. Excellent

I like the exposure this book is giving my family in regards to different ways of being normal. I've been reading it at bedtime to my 9 and 12 year old while they're playing in the room. They pretend to be ignoring me but then they'll have a comment or question and I know they're paying attention! I have my added comments too relating to things we've been through or my personal experience or observations and their personalities are really coming out but they know the conversation is open. One of them pretends like he wants to burn the book because it makes him uncomfortable to talk about these things and the other one is so silly with the vocabulary. I can tell they're learning a lot and it's helping them understand their world relating to both themselves and their peers. A great read and very fun and educational!

Our kids are 7 and 8 years old, and first of all, they both love this book (I bought them each their own copy). It seems to be understandable for them, and they enjoy reading it. There are some illustrations, and it's not patronizing or boring to read for them. I will say that both read a bit above their grade level, so not all 7 or 8 year olds will be ready to read this book independently.For many reasons, we want them to have accurate info about the human body and puberty-- we want them to be self-confident, and we know that knowing the right names for different body parts can help in some tricky situations, like instances of abuse. There are already so many good books out there about sex in general ("Sex is a Funny Word," "It's So Amazing", etc.), and we were really impressed with the pop-up book "Vaginas and Periods 101" by Kristen Lilla.But it's been hard to find books written for children that talk about bodies and puberty in a more detailed way that avoids separating things into "Boy stuff" or "Girl stuff"-- all kids struggle with hormonal changes, and many appreciate tips on navigating friendships and relationships. Plus, it can be helpful for them to learn about what happens to all different kinds of bodies. AND a lot of those other books about puberty equate biological sex (genitals) with gender (he/she/they), which can be confusing at best for kids who know that this isn't always true.This book also has a great section on friendship, and specifically they introduce kids to the concept of "True Friends" (versus Best Friends). It is so much easier to be friends with lots of people and be inclusive when you aren't ranking your friends as best (or not).

this was a gift. have no idea how effective it was.