Book Talk Review; Queer

This is a special book

Author Seth King was born in a time when homosexuality was illegal in his state, and fell in love with a male for the first time only months after it was decriminalized.

He's here, he's queer, and for the first time, this is his story. 

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I don't even know where to start with this. This beautiful piece of Seth King that I feel honored to have read. It's real and raw and so vulnerable. 

It took me fifty-two minutes to read this. I wasn't home at the time, but I couldn't not read. So I sat on my uncle's couch and I let the tears fall as I devoured this piece of Seth's beauty. 

This story talks about the first person he ever loved and in so many ways I can relate. You never stop loving the person you fall for. They live inside you and I know for me it's best not to think about. So for Seth King to open up and talk about not only that but what he went through growing up, it's special. 

After reading all of his books and talking to him, and feeling so much in his words, I knew how special and unique he is. But with this memoir Seth King proved just how special and unique he is. 

Opening yourself up to anyone is hard, especially about things that are painful. So writing them down and publishing a book that people will read is so brave. And I am so happy to see this shift in where authors feel like they can be open and honest about who they are. It's hard to know the truth about someone you admire and respect because you can't even begin to imagine how they felt and still feel now. At the same time, it helps you realize why they are who they are and that makes you admire and respect them even more. At least that's what happened to me. 

While I cried and while reading these truths were hard it wasn't devastating. Because you can feel the determination rolling off the pages, the need to live life as truly real and authentic as possible. And that is what I find so awe-inspiring. 

This is the bravest thing an author can do. And this fraction of himself that Seth King gives us is so special. 

I didn't think I could love and admire Seth King anymore, and then he went and wrote this. There's nothing I can say that could encompass everything I feel. I just suggest that everyone reads it. 

*Quote- 

"My past does not define me, but it did happen to me..." 

"First love bakes itself into your bones. He was the house that built me." 

"We all choose who we're going to be, every one of us." 

"We carry all of the previous versions of ourselves inside of us, forever."  

-Abri