Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men's Lives
by Walt Odets
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Description
A clinical psychologist, writer and gay activist reflects on what it means to be gay today through moving stories of friends and patients in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic and shifting social values. --Publisher "Even today, it's not easy to be gay in America. While many young men now come out more readily, even those from the most progressive backgrounds often struggle with the legacy of early-life stigma and a deficit of self-acceptance, both of which fuel self-doubt and, at worst, show more self-loathing. And this is to say nothing of the ongoing trauma wrought by HIV, which is all too often relegated to history. Drawing on his work as a clinical psychologist during and in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic, Walt Odets reflects on what it means to survive and find a way to live in a new, uncompromising future, both for the men who endured the upheaval of those years and for the younger men who are now coming of age at a time when HIV is still deeply affecting gay communities, especially the most marginalized. Through moving, emotional stories--of friends and therapy patients, and of his own--Odets considers how experiences early in life launch men on trajectories to futures that are not authentically theirs. He reimagines how we might reframe gay life by considering everything from the misleading and constraining idea of "the homosexual," to the diversity and richness of gay relationships, to the historical role of stigma and shame and the significance of youth and aging. Crawling out from under the trauma destructive of early-life experience and the epidemic, and emerging into a century of shifting social values, provides an opportunity to explore possibilities rather than live with societally imposed limitations. Though it is drawn from decades of his private practice, activism, and personal experience, Odets's work achieves remarkable universality. At its core, Out of the Shadows is driven by his belief that it is time we act on the basis of who we are, and not who others are, or who they would want us to be. We--particularly the young--must construct our own paths through life. Out of the Shadows is a necessary, impassioned argument for how and why we all must take hold of our futures."--Dust jacket. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Pearl Ruled (p59)
The first chapter, "Are Gay Men Homosexuals?", wants to delve deep into an old, old argument about identity and self-definition that, quite frankly, is beyond my capabilities just now. My dear Young Gentleman Caller, recently departed this sandy spot on Earth, asked me to read it so I did...the first chapter...and I'm just not down for a discussion of what makes me like all the other QUILTBAG people in the world. Am I, in fact, like a lesbian or a trans person?
We're all human, we're all one race, and no thank you on the storms of outrage that reductive formulation brings from all ends of every spectrum of identity. I resign, you're right, make it so Number One, whatever it takes to make you shut your pie hole and let me show more process my personal discontent with the nature of change.
I'll re-engage with this cogent argument for a rethought gay identity when I'm ready to think deeply again. show less
The first chapter, "Are Gay Men Homosexuals?", wants to delve deep into an old, old argument about identity and self-definition that, quite frankly, is beyond my capabilities just now. My dear Young Gentleman Caller, recently departed this sandy spot on Earth, asked me to read it so I did...the first chapter...and I'm just not down for a discussion of what makes me like all the other QUILTBAG people in the world. Am I, in fact, like a lesbian or a trans person?
We're all human, we're all one race, and no thank you on the storms of outrage that reductive formulation brings from all ends of every spectrum of identity. I resign, you're right, make it so Number One, whatever it takes to make you shut your pie hole and let me show more process my personal discontent with the nature of change.
I'll re-engage with this cogent argument for a rethought gay identity when I'm ready to think deeply again. show less
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Books in English
14 works; 1 member
The Best LGBTQ Nonfiction
139 works; 55 members
Author Information
5 Works 223 Members
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
The Guardian Book of the Day (2019-06-17)
Common Knowledge
- Alternate titles
- Out of the shadows : the psychology of gay men's lives (UK) (UK)
- Original publication date
- 2019
- Dedication
- For the hundreds of gay men I have worked with over the past thirty years, for the hundreds of thousands of gay men who have fought to be themselves against all odds, for Matthias, and for Robb and for his parents, Charlotte ... (show all)and Arthur, who supported him in being himself
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 306.76620973
Classifications
- Genres
- Sexuality and Gender Studies, LGBTQ+, Nonfiction, Anthropology, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, History
- DDC/MDS
- 306.76620973 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Social Behavior - Dating, Marriage, Divorce Sexual relations Sexual orientation, transgender identity, intersexuality Homosexuality Male homosexuality History, geographic treatment, biography North America
- LCC
- HQ76.2 .U5 .O326 — Social sciences The family. Marriage, Women and Sexuality The Family. Marriage. Women Sexual life Homosexuality. Lesbianism
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 123
- Popularity
- 264,402
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.13)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 2
