• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

According to the World Health Organization, one in three women will be sexually or physically assaulted in her lifetime. These rates are very similar for non-binary people and other feminized people, too. This is rape culture, and young adults are living through it here and now. Fired Up about Consent is a practical, survivor-informed primer for young people who want to learn how to build joyful, mutually satisfying sex lives and relationships.

In these pages, author Sarah Ratchford defines rape and sexual assault, busts the myths behind toothless messaging and outdated advice, and provides sex-positive scripts on how to ask for and offer a clear, enthusiastic, and freely given “Yes!” Along the way, Ratchford touches on topics such as #MeToo, gender identity, masturbation, virginity, porn, sex work, reporting assault, and more, all through a radically inclusive and intersectional lens.

The message is loud and clear: not only is consent sexy, it’s mandatory—and everyone deserves frank and empowering literacy around it. Only with empathy, compassion, and resistance can we move forward into a new culture of consent.

Sarah Ratchford is a feminist journalist with a focus on social justice. They cover sexual health and consent, reproductive justice, trans health, and feminist activism. Their essays, features and news stories have appeared in The Walrus, The Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Flare, Elle, Refinery29, and Cosmopolitan. They’ve hosted and produced a number of VICE documentaries on sex work law, trans health, and abortion access. Fired Up about Consent is their first book.

Sarah Ratchford's profile page

• Winner, Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medalist, Juvenile-Young Adult Non-fiction
• Joint winner, Ontario Library Association's Best Bets Selection

The world needs more contemporary books about sexual culture and communication from a queer perspective that is also respectful of sex workers. Fired Up about Consent is well researched from diverse sources, with a clear voice defined by both emotion and intellectual rigour. This book isn’t afraid to untangle thorny topics like prison abolition, beauty myths, white supremacy, and restorative justice. This is both an invaluable document of and contribution to consent culture, not shying away from all the pleasures and traumas that entails.

Tina Horn, host/producer of Why Are People Into That?! podcast and author of “SfSx”

"An excellent primer for readers looking for a deeper understanding about issues of consent."

Herizons

In Fired Up about Consent, Sarah Ratchford puts forward a roadmap to dismantling what they astutely describe as an epidemic of sexualized violence against women, femmes, and feminized people, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of colour. An invaluable resource for young people of all genders, their book should also be committed to memory by every parent, every teacher, every doctor and every cop—because until those in positions of power and influence clearly understand rape and consent, the ‘grey areas’ where womxn are abused and rapists bypass consequences will continue to exist.

Charlotte Herrold, editor-in-chief, FLARE</src>

Sarah Ratchford’s Fired Up about Consent is a powerful, well researched, no-holds-barred book about consent. Whether you’re hoping to deepen your understanding about consent and rape culture, or learning about these issues for the first time, this book will walk you through its challenging subject matter in a way that is direct, inclusive, practical, and also deeply thoughtful.

Danielle Younge-Ullman, award-winning author of “He Must Like You”

This book acts as a vital roadmap to a culture founded on radical—and necessary—consent. Young readers will find it jam-packed with information, insight, and empathy. A foundational read for anyone working to tear down a system that harms us all.

Lauren McKeon, author of “No More Nice Girls: Gender, Power, and Why It's Time to Stop Playing By the Rules”