The Argonauts Book Review: A Bold Memoir Worth Discussing

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June 26, 2025

BOOK SUMMARY & STATS

SUMMARY

Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts is a genre-defying memoir that blends personal narrative, critical theory, and cultural commentary into a raw and luminous meditation on love, identity, and family. At the heart of the book is Nelson’s relationship with artist Harry Dodge, a gender-fluid partner, and her experience of pregnancy and new motherhood. Through lyrical prose and references to thinkers like Judith Butler and Roland Barthes, Nelson examines queerness, the body, and the complexities of language itself.

What makes The Argonauts so compelling is how it resists categorization—it’s not just a memoir, or a work of theory, or a story of queer domesticity. It’s all of these at once, fiercely intimate and intellectually rich. Nelson invites us into her evolving life with candor, vulnerability, and a sharp mind, making this a thought-provoking read for any book club ready to explore the intersection of the personal and the political.

STATS

Title	The Argonauts
Author	Maggie Nelson
Book Club(s)	Our Shared Shelf #5 in May 2016; Between Two Books #31
Publication Date/Year	May 2015
Page Count	160
Genre(s)	Nonfiction, Memoir, Queer, Feminism, LGBT
Setting	N/A
Goodreads Rating	4.02
Audience	Adult
Series	No
Translator	N/A
Awards	1; multiple nominations

BOOK RATING & REVIEW

RATING

BCR Rating	3
Availability	4
Format	5
Length	5
Diversity	5
Bechdel Test	Pass
Page Turner	No

REVIEW

I first came across The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson because it showed up on two book club lists I follow—Our Shared Shelf and Between Two Books. Although I didn’t read it as part of an active book club discussion, its appearance on those lists piqued my interest, and I eventually read the Kindle edition a couple of years ago.

At the time, I had high hopes for it since it was on two lists and regularly popped up on recommendation lists. And the subject matter—gender, identity, queer family-making—is timely and important. But I’ll be honest: it didn’t land with me the way I wanted it to.

That said, The Argonauts is a book I’m still glad I read if only to experience why it resonates with so many. I gave it three stars: interesting and worthwhile, but not one I see myself returning to.

BOOK CLUB RESOURCES

BCR RECOMMENDATION

Not only is this book featured on our 3 Books Every Book Club Should Read, Maggie Nelson is on our list of 10 Authors That Your Book Club Should Read. Even though The Argonauts wasn’t a personal favorite, I do think it’s a good pick for a book club if the topics and themes align with your group. There’s so much to unpack—identity, language, the body, queerness, and more—all of which can spark thoughtful, layered conversation.

The book’s short length and fragmented structure make it an easier, quicker read, even if the themes are deeper. It’s widely available in most formats across platforms. This book is a good choice for clubs looking to challenge themselves with something different.

BOOK DISCUSSION

There are a handful of resources available for The Argonauts, mostly in the form of study guides and essay-style discussion questions. While they lean more academic than conversational, they can be a helpful starting point for framing your book club’s discussion—especially around the book’s themes, structure, and theoretical references. The BCR General Book Discussion Guide also provides a loose format for fostering organic conversation.