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66 reviews for:
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
Dan Savage, Terry Miller
3.98 AVERAGE
66 reviews for:
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
Dan Savage, Terry Miller
3.98 AVERAGE
If I were rating the value of this book in terms of its importance to a collection and what was selected for inclusion I would give it 10 stars. It should be required reading in every high school on earth and it gives a great picture of the lives of a wide variety of people in the GLBTQ community. I wish I could put a copy in the hands of everyone who needs the affirmation that "It Gets Better."
But I am not the target for this book, and so it was a bit like thumbing through an encyclopedia on a subject on which I already have comprehensive knowledge. If you are being bullied, if you are queer, if you are conflicted about your sexuality, if you don't have a clue what GLBTQ teens and adults go through - then this is an excellent and exhaustive resource. But it's not a "good read" in the sense that a dictionary isn't a good read unless you need something defined for you.
But I am not the target for this book, and so it was a bit like thumbing through an encyclopedia on a subject on which I already have comprehensive knowledge. If you are being bullied, if you are queer, if you are conflicted about your sexuality, if you don't have a clue what GLBTQ teens and adults go through - then this is an excellent and exhaustive resource. But it's not a "good read" in the sense that a dictionary isn't a good read unless you need something defined for you.
As a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights, it pains me to give this book only 3 stars. I really enjoyed the book starting out, but it gets repetitive after a while. Additionally, I became a bit irritated with the whole "it gets better" message as the book went on. Of course, we want to encourage youth to seek help and support rather than committing suicide. But to consistently say, "just hang in there through high school, because although it sucks to get harassed on a daily basis now, it will get better" is not good enough. These kids shouldn't have to put up with harassment in the first place. We need to do more to pass legislation that puts an end to bullying in schools. We need to create Gay Straight Alliance in schools and create better support networks for kids to feel like they have a safe space. We need to educate the public about the dangerous effects of bullying. The problem is not the kids getting bullied, that's called victim blaming... the problem is the kids doing the bullying. So I recognize the good intentions of the It Gets Better project and the book, don't get me wrong, but I feel like we should be doing more. And thankfully, since this book was published, so much has happened to improve the lives of the LGBTQ community, and I hope we keep progressing forward.
It's perfect for what it is. Not necessarily acover to cover read, but something I will keep in my classroom library as long as there are kids who will need it.
Thank you Dan Savage, et al.
Thank you Dan Savage, et al.
there are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of this book - mostly gay, very little trans/bi/etc rep; that we should be changing the structures that allow for LGBT kids to be disenfranchised rather than telling them to stick it out; some of the suicide talk is hamfisted. but sometimes you just want to listen to queers talk about things working out for the best, and this book does provide that.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
i was talking to my friend about reading this, and he said they might as well have called it "the i hope you like getting mistyeyed, pete project" which i think goes for all of us.
Thanks to our son Lawrence and son-in-law Teddy, my husband and I speak up for our family on page 240. Just learned that this hardcover sampling of over 10,000 Youtube videos made for the "It Gets Better" project has hit the NY Times bestseller list! Could not be more pleased.
All proceeds to anti-bullying non-profits, folks!
I invite you to: TAKE THE PLEDGE:
Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message
to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it,
at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens
by letting them know that "It Gets Better."
All proceeds to anti-bullying non-profits, folks!
I invite you to: TAKE THE PLEDGE:
Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message
to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it,
at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens
by letting them know that "It Gets Better."
Originally It Gets Better was an online project against bullying, created to help lgbt youths after a series of suicides due to bullying. In the book you’ll find some of the transcripts of videos that you can watch on Youtube but also a lot of essays that have not been put there.
What struck me first was the great mix of who wrote for this project. You have famous names in it, e.g. Hillary Clinton, David Sedaris, Tim Gunn, Ellen Degeneres, David Cameron and Barack Obama (this list is much longer), but also loads of ordinary people from all sorts of backgrounds. What made these essays so great for me was that the writers know exactly what they are talking about. They are authentic, have gone through this dreary period of life and do not try to cover up anything. They all made it and are there to offer support and create hope.
Most of the essays are short, about two pages (I have the paperback) and if anything, I think this book is worth so much more than money. It has a profoundly positive message for teens who need it because they are in a cruel situation when they are made to suffer for who they are.
It Gets Better is a book that addresses teenagers. However I think it is one that should also be read by teachers, parents and everybody else working with youths. The message it conveys is absolutely positive and it might help someone by creating hope for a future life without being bullied. 5 out of 5 stars.
What struck me first was the great mix of who wrote for this project. You have famous names in it, e.g. Hillary Clinton, David Sedaris, Tim Gunn, Ellen Degeneres, David Cameron and Barack Obama (this list is much longer), but also loads of ordinary people from all sorts of backgrounds. What made these essays so great for me was that the writers know exactly what they are talking about. They are authentic, have gone through this dreary period of life and do not try to cover up anything. They all made it and are there to offer support and create hope.
Most of the essays are short, about two pages (I have the paperback) and if anything, I think this book is worth so much more than money. It has a profoundly positive message for teens who need it because they are in a cruel situation when they are made to suffer for who they are.
It Gets Better is a book that addresses teenagers. However I think it is one that should also be read by teachers, parents and everybody else working with youths. The message it conveys is absolutely positive and it might help someone by creating hope for a future life without being bullied. 5 out of 5 stars.
For the kids out there that NEED this book, it's a wonderful compilation and so important. A mix of famous people and everyday gay folk contributed their stories of growing up with bullying and coming out the other side in one piece.
Now for myself it started to get a little repetitive, but I realized that this was about me not exactly being the intended audience. So I'll just say this book succeeds at what it set out to do, and will be a valuable resource for years to come.
Now for myself it started to get a little repetitive, but I realized that this was about me not exactly being the intended audience. So I'll just say this book succeeds at what it set out to do, and will be a valuable resource for years to come.