An unusual title and unusual subject matter I don't know what I as thinking downloading it, usually I refrain from reading the description so I don't become bias.

The subtitle of a contraceptive journey made me think this would be a completely different book. I thought it be about women’s reproduction or things going wrong with trying to have babies. Nope not in this book. This is about the authors time, and use of male contraceptive, particularly the heat method. This was very informative and interesting, and the author is originally from France, so some of the history is new to an American reader. Apparently, this is a web comic or was available other places before it was in print, and in the book’s the author talks about the hetero normative experience, which is, interesting. The author approaches it’s not just in a straightforward, clinical way, but with a personality and in a reference fun that makes you want to know what is going to happen next. Male contraception is almost never heard of besides vasectomies in the US, this was a very intriguing and interesting read. And this reader learned many, many new things.

My faith in mankind is restored after reading this book. I am glad that if not all, atleast there are still countless many who are fighting to achieve gender equity. Bobika's graphic novel was both awe-inspiring and educative. I am glad to know that there are so many men out there practicing and propagating male contraception. Their continuing struggles with both those in power and the public who have been taught to believe that their masculinity lies south of their body is praise-worthy. Kudos to such wonderfully strong men. Bobika in his graphic novel has done an amazing job of compiling everything about male contraception, that any novice should know besides seamlessly drawing his personal experiences. I like how he infuses humor in his novel, making it a light read inspite of the heavy subject it deals with. Kudos to the author for this book. I appreciate both his efforts to practice male contraception and for bringing about such an amazing graphic novel into existence for one and all to read. I can't recommend this enough. It is a must read for one and all.

I am by no means an expert on contraceptives, especially male contraceptive techniques. (After all, I am female.) However, I do know that for the majority of time it has fallen to women (yes, I'm aware this is a cis-heterosexual-centric view point but I can only speak from my personal experience) to bear the brunt of contraceptive responsibility. It's unfair, really, since human reproduction does take two participants. Bobika, the author of Balls Up, agrees with the unfairness. Hence...this book.

Now, unless you've been living under a rock here in the United States, you are surely aware that women's reproductive rights are very much in the news. With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, options for women--regardless of personal beliefs/views on the subject--to take control of their own bodies are dwindling. Rather than being a personal choice, reproduction has become a political and social matter, which is one reason I find Balls Up and the idea of male contraceptive practices to be timely.

Bobika addresses the issue from historical, medical, social, and personal views. The book is informative, but also shouldn't replace sound medical advice from a licensed physician. (Men, if you're interested in the topic, do your research and have a frank discussion with your doctor before trying any of the techniques mentioned in this book.) At times humorous, Balls Up is candid look at the subject, and as the author writes, "...We [cis-heterosexual men] have a debt to pay, and it would be super dope of use to move our lazy butts and take the initiative, without waiting for women to rouse us out of our dormancy (p. 101)."

So, how about it, guys? Are you ready to go Balls Up?

I dipped into this book but withdrew before the climax because there was just too much information on the page to process in the graphical format in which it was presented. A good attempt to put forwards important information to men, and a reminder that actually contraception is a shared responsibility, but the format didn't work for me personally.

Do your balls hang low?
Can you swing 'em to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow? *

When Bobika's partner gives him the ultimatum that "contraception is going to be a team effort," he's stunned to learn there are not many options open to men. He ends up experimenting with a "testicular retraction" technique, (hence the title), that involves wearing special briefs for 15 hours a day to keep those testes too toasty to produce sperm.

This was a humorous and informative look at the history of birth control. (Did you know that due to laws regulating self-mutilation, vasectomy was illegal in France until 1999? I did not.) I liked the layout and overall look of the book, but the info became a little repetitive after a while. My rating is actually 3.5, but I'll bump it up on points for originality.

There are instructions at the end for making your own contraceptive undies . . . if you're so inclined.

*Song that I learned at church camp.

This was an interesting book to read. I didn’t know anything about male contraception and this graphic novel introduces the reader to Bobika, who is a man who has been practicing birth control since 2016. The book is interesting in the way it explores one man’s experiences with male contraception while at the same time managing to educate the reader as well.

The artwork is good and the story is both humorous and educational at the same time. The book also provides the reader with helpful resources, so that they can explore further for themselves. For me male contraception isn’t an area I dwell on, but presenting this in graphic novel format opens a complex subject to new audiences and it was a great way to learn.

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The book tackles a very interesting and relevant topic, but is too text-heavy for the comic book medium. I learnt a lot about male (and female) contraception methods as long as I was interested, but very soon got overwhelmed by the many text passages and distracted by the bright pink colour pallette. I appreciate the intent and effort of the artiste/author. However, this just didn't work for me as a graphic guide.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Balls Up is a highly informative graphic novel and another interesting offering from Europe Comics. It details the history and perceptions of male contraception, particularly in France. I found this to be very interesting as an American reader, since this isn't very common information. I highly recommend this graphic novel for couples, for those interested in sexual topics, and for anyone just curious enough to know more about a topic not discussed very openly. That being said, this is very much a graphic novel for adults, with adult content.

This book is a case of an interesting format and and interesting topic that just didn’t gel together for me. I was expecting more of a general history of contraception, and I was surprised to find that the book was entirely about testicular temperature regulation. I applaud the efforts Bobika and others are making to shift the burden of contraception towards men, and I learned a lot about the current research in that area. The illustrations are clever and engaging. Ultimately, though, hundreds of drawings of male genitals gets a bit repetitive.

Balls Up - I didn't find humor in male contraception. It has some humorous quips, but it just wasn't a book I wanted to continue reading. What is with the Colored Numbers? There is no explanation for the usage of the Colors. The only "nudity" is the actual pictures of anatomy of a human body, which tells it like it is, in real displays.

it was super interesting but i didn’t connect with the drawings. the story is very refreshing and entertaining.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this books

Over all this, was an interesting look at a single form of male birth control that is practicable by any male. However, it is from a French creator --which means there aren't any resources for Americans reading this book. This might be a good step in getting some men to look into it and creating a conversation. It was a very quick read, easily digestible, and informative. The art style was a little campy for my personal taste, but that's not necessarily a mark against it.

If I asked you right now to name male contraceptive methods, would you be able to mention more than two? Until I read this graphic novel, I couldn’t. In fact, in all my training, male contraception was barely mentioned.

This discusses its own heteronormativity right at the beginning. It is actually refreshing how aware the author (cartoonist Bobika) is of the shortcomings inherent in sharing only his narrative, and how he tries to address them. There is no doubt that there is room for further narrative, from a greater variety of persons and sexualities, yet at the same time, he sets out to write what he knows: his lived experience.

What I love about Balls Up is that it expands the sexual health conversation. As much as we are aware of the socio-economic-political milieu of contraception, it is a conversation where men are traditionally conspicuously absent.

But here, the (cis, straight, male) author becomes present. He becomes vulnerable, and shares his journey that ultimately forces him to inspect his own perception of “manhood”.

Informative, mostly evidence-based, and feminist, his little book is worth being read - and discussed - widely. I’d love to see it at health clinics and doctors’ offices, at schools, and in libraries.

"Balls Up!" is a ride and I <i>love</i> it. I'm neither cis nor straight so I was wary of reading a book that's going to be transphobic or at least not inclusive, but kudos to the artist for jumping straight into the point and talking about patriarchy as well as heteronomativity. The first few pages put me at east and then the whole book took me on a journey. This is a non fictional introduction into the world of contraceptions. To be specific, testicular contraception. The author relays the information straight to your face without sugar coating anything but also not making it monstrous or scary (which a lot of people do, by the way. The way people have to learn about contraceptives as out in the real world is messed up. Thank god I took pamphlets from clinics at age 7 and learned how it all goes.) The way this book unflinchingly tells the history is how I would've loved to learn about the history of contraceptions. And of course, the history is still happening. If anyone even broaches about that topic around me, you better believe I'm shoving this book in their hands.

Extra thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reading copy. This book is gonna change the world, at least mine.

Since this is a graphic novel about sexual health, readers should anticipate seeing images of naked people. That said, the images are cartoons so they aren’t gratuitously graphic.

When the main character’s girlfriend announces that they will be sharing responsibility for birth control, it launches the novel into an overview and history of male birth control options. There is a whole “museum” of options for females, since our international culture has traditionally focused efforts of birth control on women. The male options are all relatively recent inventions.

I felt absolutely seen when I reached a page where the author revealed that 80% of their readers in a pre-publication format of this novel were women. But the symptoms and struggles of the main character’s girlfriend were really what drew me into this story. Birth control sucks! It makes you break out, it makes you sick, it affects your mood…it’s awful. Yet many men are unwilling to look into alternatives, and I think this author has their “balls to the wall” as the novel investigates the (very patriarchal) reasons why.

As a married person with two kids, I felt like I already knew everything I needed to know about sexual health. But now I’m thinking that “Balls Up” might just appear in a few Christmas stockings this year…

Balls Up is a super informative graphic novel, though the cover made me believe it would simply be a fun little book. I'm not mad about it tho, I love nonfiction but had never encountered it in GN format. I didn't give it a full 5 stars because sometimes it was too dense in information, especially regarding historical facts and the like. I would maybe like it more if it was a nonfiction prose book instead, as my expectations would be adjusted to the format.

A short, informative adult non-fiction, in comic/graphic novel format enlightening the reader on 'heat based male contraception'.....based on testicular retraction. It gives some history about contraception, & current info too, & also some 'how to' explanations. This inoffensive book is mostly based in France & at the end of it, it gives references/info & more places to find additional info. I thought it did a good job of explaining this whole contraceptive option.
I received an e copy of the book from Europe Comics via NetGalley for review purposes. This is my own fair/honest review.

Good information, but it dragged and got kind of boring to follow along with. At some points there were an overwhelming amount of words on the pages and that took away from the experience. I think that if you're going to use a comic as the mode of telling your story then try to use the images to get your point across instead of being so reliant on text. But like I said, it was filled with good information.

I started reading it and was interested but the quality of the images wasn’t good enough for my eyes. It seemed a little blurry (maybe it’s the pdf) and this didn’t help me continue reading, sorry