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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
Incredibly moving and powerful - with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds represented. I am extremely proud that a friend of mine is included in this collection!
I would actually give this a 3.5.
The project is honestly wonderful. Creating a community of peers and elders sharing their messages of hope and sharing how they made it to where hey are today is extremely important and I do believe this is a book that anyone, wether they’re in the community or just an ally,should read. The only thing that kind of deflated my…enjoyment? (Which does not feel like the right word, considering the kind of book this is) is how a lot of the messages seemed made with a script. Some were similar to each other, a bit bland and didn’t really transmit much emotion or engagement. This is not to undermine anyone’s experiences, no one should be forced or pushed to share details they are not comfortable with, but I did feel like some essays were forced and thrown there just to participate.
Besides that, there areso many wonderful stories, and I appreciated how much diversity there was, reflecting just how vast our community can be.
The project is honestly wonderful. Creating a community of peers and elders sharing their messages of hope and sharing how they made it to where hey are today is extremely important and I do believe this is a book that anyone, wether they’re in the community or just an ally,should read. The only thing that kind of deflated my…enjoyment? (Which does not feel like the right word, considering the kind of book this is) is how a lot of the messages seemed made with a script. Some were similar to each other, a bit bland and didn’t really transmit much emotion or engagement. This is not to undermine anyone’s experiences, no one should be forced or pushed to share details they are not comfortable with, but I did feel like some essays were forced and thrown there just to participate.
Besides that, there areso many wonderful stories, and I appreciated how much diversity there was, reflecting just how vast our community can be.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Incredible essays- this book made me extremely grateful to have wonderful people in my life and an amazing family who would accept & love me no matter what. As I am only an LGBT ally and have experienced, thankfully, minimal bullying in my life, I will acknowledge that the essays eventually became a little repetitive for me, but every single one was so important. Five stars for sure, and once my wallet recovers from vacation, I'll be purchasing 2 copies of this book- one for Carolina House & 1 for my private practice. And it's a cause I'm more than happy to direct some money to!!
I Absolutely encourage everyone to read this book. In our world, where ignorance and bigotry still reign, it is so important to gain perspective. This book is a collection of essays/transcripts from the "It Gets Better Project". From President Obama to high school students - it encourages understanding, compassion and acceptance of our wide variety of humans (specifically LGBTQ). Hatred and cruelty can not be tolerated. We must learn to open our hearts to each other.
the only thing i didn’t like was that ellen was on here but it was 2011.
Was passively listening to this one while driving around dogsitting this week. I feel bad giving it 3 stars because I can tell how important this would be to a teen experiencing bullying. One of the first books I ever added to my GoodReads so I’m glad I knocked it out!
This book is a must have for any educator or adult playing an influential role in the life of a young adult. As a teacher, I was struck by how much this book can help my students, GLBT or not. Savage shares his own story and the motivation behind compiling this book of essays as does his partner. Not only are there submissions from politicians and celebrities but also "regular" people living openly as GLBT members of various communities and encouraging young adults to just hold on, because life does get better.
This book was amazing!!! I really would have gotten help from this if I read it when I was younger!! Everyone that is feeling down in the dumps should read this!
It gets better because not only do you have more control over your environment once you're an adult - meaning that you can MOVE AWAY and live in the city, or in a cabin in the woods - but you can have more control over what messages you absorb from family, friends, and our culture. However, one of the most striking things in these essays is how similar they are, despite being written by people from all different parts of the country, of different ages, backgrounds, and nationalities. One theme that keeps coming up is people repeatedly writing that they bullied themselves and punished themselves way more than anyone else ever could, by making vows in their own heads to never tell anyone they were gay, or to never love anyone or do anything that would ever lead to anyone finding out. And then, tellingly, they discuss how much better and how freeing it is when you're not hiding yourself and your true thoughts from everyone. How people can come through for you, even, if you give them enough credit and believe they can handle the truth of who you are.