“Sweet, soulful, and deeply humane. Bear at his best.”
— Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home
“S. Bear Bergman and Saul Freedman-Lawson offer us a gentle guide to belonging. They challenge us to navigate our relationship to ourselves, our community at large, and the home we create with our friends and loved ones.”
— Archie Bongiovanni, author of A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
“I’ve been receiving nothing but good life advice from S. Bear Bergman for just about thirty years now. With this book on your shelf, so can you. At every crossroad in your life, you’ll have loving guidance from a smart, kind big brother, a fun and funny uncle, and a best-ever daddy. ”
— Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw
“A delightful, neatly intersectional graphic compendium of advice tailored to a variety of situations lands as so down-to-earth that few readers will mind that it’s telling them what to do... Delivered with more than a spoonful of kindness, this medicine goes down easy and has the potential to facilitate real healing.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bergman is gentle with readers and Saul Freedman-Lawson’s illustrations throughout add an engaging, light touch. ”
— The Globe and Mail
“This is not a history book, and it’s not a memoir, but it’s definitely nonfiction, and it’s delightfully informative and useful, so it gets a spot on this list... Bergman’s approach to life is radical and feminist, and his gentle, encouraging advice centers queer and trans lives and experiences. The illustrations are also wonderfully inclusive.”
— Book Riot
“S. Bear Bergman is the fantastic gay uncle you always wished you had, ready and able to help steer you - with gentle pragmatism and good humor - toward being a better, kinder, more compassionate and thoughtful human being. Heaven knows we could all use it.”
— Hanne Blank, author of Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality
“Bergman’s pages on “how to love” shook me like very few pieces of writing ever have. From beginning to end this book is a wildly thoughtful and beautifully honest guide to honoring ourselves, each other, and our world.”
— Andrea Gibson, author of Lord of the Butterflies
“Special Topics in Being a Human is one of those rare books that is, indeed, essential reading for all humans... S. Bear Bergman offers his trademark tender, thoughtful wisdom in such accessible, bite-sized, pieces that you can literally take them with you. He’s the queer older sibling, mentor and bubbe you’ve always needed; get a copy for yourself and a copy for every other human in your life who’s also out there trying to do their best. ”
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of Surprised By God and Nurture the Wow
“The charming illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson expand upon the text in charming and often hilarious ways, and Bergman’s advice manages to be truthful and direct without ever feeling didactic, as he delivers even the toughest love with maximum compassion and maximum love for humans, in all our frailty and weirdness.”
