A Quick and Easy Guide to Consent

September 28, 2020
Rotman (Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up) delivers a slim but cogent comics guide for readers curious about what exactly makes up “affirmative consent.” Sergeant Yes Means Yes acts as the narrative cruise conductor, helping several example couples navigate consenting to sexual activity. The cheery Sergeant uses slideshows to explain such issues as how impaired judgment due to drugs and alcohol affect one’s capability to give consent, age of consent laws, considerations around sending nude photographs, and more. Heterosexual couples are evenly mixed with queer couples represented in an upbeat cartoony art style. The Sergeant talks to a gay couple about the intersection of kink and consent, and to multiple people of different races on disclosing STI status. A helpful nine-page list of terms and communication prompts, including a “yes, no, maybe so” list, which can be filled out by the reader, are also included. The message lands as especially relevant for younger adults or older teens who are just beginning to date, but this could provide a refresher course, too, for anyone who is struggling with communication in relationships. Along with the other titles in the Quick and Easy series, Rotman’s upbeat primer would fit well on college sex-ed syllabi and in school libraries or guidance counselor’s offices.

October 15, 2020
Grades 9-12 Breezy and bubbly, Rotman and Howard's illustrated guide to consent tackles a sensitive topic with straightforward enthusiasm. The exuberant narrator, Sergeant Yes Means Yes, bounces from a couple's apartment to a bar to calling a taxi for a teen, showing off a realistically and diversely drawn cast of people willing to ask questions and share experiences. Terms are simply defined, and the focus is on sexual activity as a cooperative and communicative experience that should be enjoyable for both participants. Interspersed throughout the text are quotes from educators, while the back of the book has a few resources for youth readers and a bibliography for adults. The end of the book also includes a number of simple checklists for couples to think about or discuss if they need prompts for determining each other's needs. The tone, the occasionally fourth-wall breaking humor, and the cartoonish reactions create a Schoolhouse Rock!-does-sex-ed vibe. Good especially for older teens starting serious relationships or any adult looking for a friendly primer on affirmative consent.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)