2014 Reading: The Journey Out

I don't remember why I have it or where I got it (though it's most likely from a book sale my first year of college when I wanted to read all the things) but yesterday I read and finished The Journey Out: A Guide For and About Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens by Rachel Pollack and Cheryl Schwartz. It has been sitting on the shelf since I bought it, most likely confusing those who bother to look at my shelves and wonder why I have such a book in my possession.

Not gay, by the way. Just a big supporter.

Though most of the information in the book is cliche and outdated (it was published in 1995), it was still pretty valid.  It's mostly one of those self-help books that lets you overcome curtain things in your life, like those "How To Deal With Death" books or something like that.  HOWEVER, just like every other self-help book, it is EXACTLY the same as EVERY OTHER SELF-HELP BOOK.

It has the same one-size-fits-all advice that you could give to anyone in just about any situation, it just happened to have more LGBT friendly jargon in it.  I'm not saying that is a bad thing or that I would not recommend the book to anyone looking for advice in this area, but the problem with it being so outdated is that the information it has can be found just about anywhere in mass quantities without need for a little book to tell you what to do and give you the confidence to do it.

I also would like to think that times have changed in the past nine years (maybe not as much as we all would like) for some of these things to be understood without being said.  However, there are always exceptions and at the time of its publishing, I'm sure this book was useful and relevant and helped many people who needed it. I hope.

There is one quote that I'd like to share, something that can be advice to anyone and everyone, no matter the sexual orientation.

"A loving relationship with another person is based on your relationship with yourself." (p39)

I wish I'd have known that in my last few... no, ALL of my relationships.

I think I'm going to keep this book on my shelf a while longer. Maybe someday I'll be able to pass it on to someone to show that someone understands.  I want to be that person.