Out of the Shadows (Paperback)

Walt Odets

ISBN 10: 0141990147 / ISBN 13: 9780141990149

Published by Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2020

About this Item

Paperback. A moving, humane and empathetic psychological exploration of gay men's emotional lives- through pain, trauma, love, loss, survival and self-acceptanceEven in our modern progressive world, it's not easy to be a gay man. While young men often come out more readily, even those from the most liberal of backgrounds still struggle to accept themselves and experience stigma, shame and difficulties with intimate relationships. They also suffer from ongoing trauma wrought by the AIDS epidemic, something that is all too often relegated to history.Drawing on a lifetime's work as a clinical psychologist, Walt Odets uses the stories of his patients as well as those of his own deep relationships with other gay men to illuminate how these difficulties may be overcome. From a 74-year-old who only felt able to come out after his wife had died, to the boy raised in a strict religious family who worked his way to San Francisco, to the middle-aged defence lawyer who left everything behind to embrace a new life, the experiences here explore everything from grief to survival, childhood pain to the definition of gay itself. Out of the Shadows shows us how a new way forward is possible through learning to accept ourselves and others as they are, and independently inventing our own lives. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780141990149

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Out of the Shadows (Paperback)
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0141990147
• ISBN 13: 9780141990149
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

''Odets''s warm and lyrical voice, his inspiring picture of how imaginative gay life can be, has sent me queuing for the couch.'' Evening Standard

''A gay man could read this book as if his life depended on it - and perhaps it does'' Andrew Holleran, author of Dancer from the Dance

Even in our modern progressive world, it''s not easy to be a gay man. While young men often come out more readily, even those from the most liberal of backgrounds still struggle to accept themselves and experience stigma, shame and difficulties with intimate relationships. They also suffer from ongoing trauma wrought by the AIDS epidemic, something that is all too often relegated to history.

Drawing on a lifetime''s work as a clinical psychologist, Walt Odets uses the stories of his patients as well as those of his own deep relationships with other gay men to illuminate how these difficulties may be overcome. From a 74-year-old who only felt able to come out after his wife had died, to the boy raised in a strict religious family who worked his way to San Francisco, to the middle-aged defence lawyer who left everything behind to embrace a new life, the experiences here explore everything from grief to survival, childhood pain to the definition of gay itself. Out of the Shadows shows us how a new way forward is possible through learning to accept ourselves and others as they are, and independently inventing our own lives.