
Out of the Shadows
Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives
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Narrated by:
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Will Damron
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By:
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Walt Odets
About this listen
It goes without saying that even today, it's not easy to be gay in America. While young gay men often come out more readily, even those from the most progressive of backgrounds still struggle with the legacy of early-life stigma and a deficit of self-acceptance, which can fuel doubt, regret, and, at worst, self-loathing. And this is to say nothing of the ongoing trauma wrought by AIDS, which is all too often relegated to history. Drawing on his work as a clinical psychologist during and in the aftermath of the epidemic, Walt Odets reflects on what it means to survive and figure out 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 have come of age since then, at a time when HIV is still deeply affecting gay communities, especially among the most marginalized.
Through moving stories - of friends and patients, and his own - Odets considers how experiences early in life launch men on trajectories aimed at futures that are not authentically theirs. He writes to help reconstruct how we think about gay life by considering everything from the misleading 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 of aging.
©2019 Walt Whitman Odets (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Excellent
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Wait for it.
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Excellent book
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But in the difficult, traumatic, and heartbreaking moments there lay reasons to truly strive for and cherish gay life and everything it means. As a young man I found it incredibly insightful and has given me new ways of seeing things. Definitely worth the read for anyone seeking to understand the past and also themselves and the men they love.
Heartbreakingly Insightful, Inspiring
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Could not put it down! VELVET RAGE 2.0
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An Important Book for Gay Men
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Relatable!
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Inspiring, Moving, and Enlightening
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Sappy but some interesting parts
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Depressing
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