Asexuality isn’t defined by just one thing; it lives on a spectrum that encompasses a wide array of experiences and identities that live in many different people. Each of these 10 books offers a different perspective on asexual representation that sheds light on the ways that people can experience physical attraction, relationships, and love.
1. Loveless by Alice Oseman
Loveless follows Georgia, a teenager about to enter her first year of university despite never having been kissed or even having a crush. All she’s ever needed were her two best friends, Pip and Jason, but when her plan for romance causes a strain on her friendships, Georgia starts to wonder why love seems so easy for everyone else but so difficult for her. Loveless is a story about identity, asexuality, and self-acceptance, and shows readers how love doesn’t always have to come from romance.
“Give your friendships the magic you would give a romance. Because they’re just as important. Actually, for us, they’re way more important.”
From Loveless by Alice Oseman
2. Ace Voices: What It Means To Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eris Young
Ace Voices is facts about asexuality from asexual people themselves. Featuring interviews of asexual people across the spectrum, Ace Voices is both empowering and reinforcing as it spans across everything, such as dating, friendships, and sex. Every story is uniquely inspirational, and you are guaranteed to find support among the diverse narratives as they discuss what it means to be not only queer, but asexual, and it is a perfect start for your own growth in your journey.
”When it comes to romance, we’re told, “You’ll know it when you see it” Which is fine, unless, of course, you don’t.”
From Ace Voices: What It Means To Be Asexual, Aromantic, Demi or Grey-Ace by Eric Young
3. Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Alice is still reeling from her breakup with her ex-girlfriend after coming out as asexual to her, but she’s determined not to let it ruin her summer filled with all-you-can-eat buffets and TV show marathons. But when Alice meets Takumi, her summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes the center of Alice’s romantic feelings that she didn’t ask for. But Alice is wary of coming out to Takumi about her sexuality, and she’s forced to decide if she wants to risk their friendship for a love that might not even be accepted or understood.
”If knowing you’re asexual makes someone see you differently, then they don’t deserve to be in your life.”
From Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
4. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe follows a young girl named Elatsoe, as she learns to handle her magic of raising the ghosts of dead animals in an America that’s been shaped by magic, knowledge, and the culture of the Indigenous. Elatsoe’s magic has been passed down through generations, but it continues to make her seem dangerous, and when her cousin is murdered, she’s prepared to find out why. Soon Elatsoe uncovers the dark truths beneath the picture-perfect town of Willowbee, and as she relies on her magic, wits, and friends, she’s forced to confront everything that she’s been raised to avoid.
”People don’t give animals enough credit sometimes. Or maybe they give humans too much credit.”
From Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
5. In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
In a strange and hidden forest lives a human named Victor who lives peacefully with his android fatherly figure, Gio, and their two robot companions. But when Victor rescues a robot named Hap, he discovers a dangerous past that may be linked to Gio’s. And when the Authority captures Gio, Victor must embark on a treacherous journey with his friends to the City of Electric Dreams in order to save him. But when Victor’s feelings for Hap begin to run deeper than he ever expected, he must learn to control them and confront his identity as an asexual man while saving the only father he’s ever known.
“Your brain is telling you that you can’t, but you don’t always have to listen to it.”
From In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
6. The Tiger and the Cage: A Memoir of a Body In Crisis by Emma Bolden
The Tiger and the Cage is Emma Bolden’s bold story of living a life of chronic pain and how the world seems to use it against you at every chance it gets. After a strange experience with a teacher in grade school, Emma unleashes a short-lived yet consistent coughing spell that stays with her throughout her life. The Tiger and the Cage is Bolden’s own critique of the institutional misogyny of Western medicine as she uses her own experience to call out history’s unfair labeling of women and parading them as curiosities, and how medicinal institutions often fail the people they’re meant to protect. Bolden also discusses her acceptance of her asexuality and the life she wants to lead despite the hardships. The Tiger and the Cage is Bolden holding your hand while staring at you straight in the face, saying, “I see you and I believe you.”
”Every time a doctor questions what you say, what you experience, what you know, marrow deep of your own body, it has its weight, and that weight is fear. It is difficult to trust in your experience of the body when the people you trust to take care of that body deny that your experience is true.”
From The Tiger and the Cage: A Memoir of a Body In Crisis by Emma Bolden
7. Love Points To You by Alice Lin
Love Points To You follows 16-year-old Lynda Fan, who has the skills and motivation to get into the Rhode Island School of Design, just not the money to actually get there. While Lynda’s parents are paying for her stepsister’s violin lessons, they’ve left Lynda to fend for herself. But when Lynda’s rich and patronizing classmate Angela Wu offers to hire Lynda in order to help her out, she immediately seizes the opportunity. But as Lynda and Angela begin working closer and their hatred turns into romance, Lynda discovers things about herself that she never knew existed.
8. The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
Joy is a thirty-year-old asexual who is secretly in love with her best friend Malcolm but has never had the guts to admit it. But when he unexpectedly tells Joy that he’s met the love of his life, she finds herself lost and heartbroken. So when Malcolm invites Joy on a spontaneous weekend getaway, Joy takes him up on the offer, determined to show Malcolm exactly what he’s missing out on by faking a relationship with a mysterious man named Fox. But when spending time with Fox shows Joy the romance she’s been missing, their fake relationship quickly turns into something more as Joy realizes that maybe Malcolm isn’t meant to be the man of her dreams.
”I was fourteen when I realized I was asexual. I didn’t know that word existed yet. I just knew I was different. I remember the exact moment it happened, down to the smallest detail.”
From The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
9. Thanks For Listening by Molly Horan
Mia considers herself the unofficial advice giver to her friends. If you’ve ever had a problem, Mia knows just the right advice to give. But the problem is that no one ever actually takes Mia’s advice, and when her latest round of advice is once again ignored, Mia is done with it. Instead, Mia takes to the internet and creates an anonymous account in order to give advice under the name of HereToHelp, hoping that maybe someone will finally listen to her for once. And when the girl of her dreams and a couple of new best friends come into Mia’s life, she’s in for a whirlwind of a senior year. Thanks for Listening is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman’s Loveless.
10. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Maia Kobabe’s graphic autobiography tells the story of Maia’s journey of self-identity, grappling with how to come out, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction, and facing the trauma of pap smears. Between the confusion of adolescent crushes and trying to explain to families what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer: A Memoir goes beyond a personal story. This story is a valuable and heartwarming guide on gender identity and what it means, and how to think about it, perfect for all advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.
“Everyone around me – but especially girls – seemed to have access to information I lacked.”
From Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Each of these stories is a perfect way to give readers a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the vulnerable and varying experiences within the asexual spectrum.
Looking for more information on Asexuality? Check out our article, Debunking 7 Harmful Myths and Misconceptions About Asexuality.
Find these books and more on our Bookshop Hooray for Representation – LGBTQ Voices bookshelf!
