lasiepedimore's review

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4.0

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Innanzi tutto, buon Coming Out Day a tutt*! A chi è già fuori, a chi è ancora dentro e a chi si è confidat* solo con persone di fiducia: siete tutt* meraviglios*, non importa quanta merda vi buttino addosso gli/le stronz*.

Detto questo, parliamo di Pride, un breve libro sui percorsi accidentati che portano ad accettare la propria queeritudine. L’autore, Robert Holt, oggi è uno psichiatra impegnato nella lotta al bullismo e sulla prevenzione dei suicidi ed è molto attivo nelle scuole. Ha a sua volta una tremenda (davvero tremenda) storia di omofobia subita da suo padre e, per la prima volta, ha deciso di metterla nero su bianco – insieme ad altre – per aiutare più persone possibile, soprattutto giovani, a intraprendere quel percorso che porta a essere libere e ad abbandonare quello che potrebbe portarle al suicidio (che, ricordiamolo, tra i/le giovani LGBTQIA+ le probabilità di tentare il suicidio sono parecchio più alte di quelle de** coetane* etero/cis).

So che è disponibile soltanto in inglese, ma è un libro davvero prezioso e potente per chiunque stia nascondendo al mondo un’importante parte di sé. Vi consiglio tantissimo di leggerlo, consigliarlo a vostra volta a chiunque pensiate possa averne bisogno e di seguire Robert Holt (@DrRonHolt), perché a volte basta davvero poco per tenere una preziosissima vita con noi.

Sono solo un po’ dispiaciuta per non aver visto menzionate nel libro né l’intersessualità né l’asessualità, che invece mi capita di vedere nei tweet dell’autore, ma tutto quello che Holt dice nel suo libro è davvero applicabile a chiunque, quindi non fatevi frenare da questo e leggetelo. Davvero, davvero, leggetelo.

wcs53's review

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4.0

I downloaded this little book for free from Amazon a few weeks ago on the recommendation of a friend/colleague. Although this book is predominantly aimed at young people who are questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, it is useful for anyone to read, especially if you know someone who may be struggling in either of these areas in their life.

The book was written by Dr Ronald Holt, who has spoken to thousands of college-age students to help them make sense of their questions and their lives. This book gives you information that has helped many people sort out what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or questioning (LGBTQ).

In the book he shares some personal stories, as well as the stories of people he has encountered throughout his career. Some of these stories are heart-wrenching, as they describe some of the abuses that people have encountered because of how they tried to live to their true selves. But all of these stories also show hope in the way that these people have had the courage to live to their true selves. At the end of the book Dr Holt brings all of the characters together in a final story that shows how their lives intersected.

It's worth reading this little book if only to educate oneself on an area where there is so much prejudice and misunderstanding.

wai's review

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4.0

This is a wonderful little read perfect for middle schoolers who might be questioning if they're LGBT+ or parents whose kids have just come out and they don't really know much about the queer community. I really appreciated the story about the person who used they/them pronouns, even though there was a slight inaccuracy (the use of "they was" rather than "they were" - even when talking about a singular person you should change was -> were for flow) but otherwise it's wonderful and a perfect illustration for people who are not used to using they/them pronouns for the nonbinary people in their lives. This is a great starting point for people not very experienced with the LGBT+ community and may have some questions, for themselves or others.

slettlune's review

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3.0

I haven't read a ton of self help books, but this was free on Amazon and I figured hey, I could use some insight on how being closeted for so many years might still influence me. Holt writes candidly about his painful relationship with his father, and I found myself underlining a lot of his points about mental health, bullying, and shame.

The thing that mars the book for me are the examplified stories he offers. He says they are all true and people he has met, and I don't doubt that, but the way the stories are told comes across as sort of fake and amateurishly written. Especially the dialogue, which might well represent actual conversations but which are written in a way no normal person would speak.

A valuable, comforting book that might be very valuable to someone young and unsure, but I wish they'd written the real life examples in a more neutral way.
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