A Review of A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson
“. . . we’re trying to create an environment where all are welcome in our lives and spaces . . . and this will eventually become the norm.” — from A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson
Recently, I saw a job description that used the masculine pronoun and then noted at the end of the text: “N.B. The masculine is used only to lighten the text.”
Language is changing every day. As editors and authors, we have the responsibility to pay attention and keep up with these changes. When editing non-fiction, one of the jobs of the editor is to advocate for gender-neutral language.
Gender neutral pronouns are not something new, yet, for some, the practice of using them in our everyday lives and writing is still a hurdle. Why? This is a loaded question. But perhaps one of the reasons is because we forget the power of a pronoun.
A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns reinforces the importance of using gender-neutral pronouns and lays out a plan of action in comic book form. It is a great resource for everyone and an asset to every workplace. As the title says, the guide is quick to read and easy to understand with simple charts, scripts, and examples to follow.
If you are still having trouble writing with gender-neutral pronouns after reading this book, then please rewrite the sentence to avoid pronouns all together because, as authors Archie and Tristan say, “nothing is a cool as being an empathetic and respectful person.”
Here is another worthy source to have handy when choosing which gender-neutral pronoun to use.
A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni & Tristan Jimerson
I CAN EDIT 