To be a Gay Man
by Will Young
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Pub Date 25 May 2021 | Archive Date 20 May 2021
Random House UK, Ebury Publishing | Virgin Books
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Description
In To Be a Gay Man, Will Young speaks out about gay shame, revealing the impact it had on his own life, how he learned to deal with it, and how he can now truthfully say he is gay and happy.
We know Will as a multi-platinum recording artist, Olivier-nominee, and the first winner of the Idol franchise. But his story began long before his first audition. Looking back on a world where growing up being called gay was the ultimate insult and coming out after a lifetime of hiding his sexuality, Will explores the long-lasting impact repressing his true self has had.
As Will's own story demonstrates, internalised shame in childhood increases the risk of developing low self-worth, and even self-disgust, leading to destructive behaviours in adult life.
Will revisits the darkest extremes he has been to, sharing his vulnerabilities, his regrets, tracing his own navigation through it all and showing the way for others who might have felt alone in the same experience.
Here you will find a friend, champion and mentor, breaking taboos with frank honesty, and offering invaluable practical advice on overcoming the difficult issues too often faced within the LGBTQ+ community.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780753554258 |
| PRICE | CA$21.99 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 541306
Will comes across as honest, witty and so very likeable! His balance of seriousness and humour is great.
The content of this book including the existence of gay shame is absolutely important for us to consider and understand in today’s society whether you are a part of the LGBTQI+ community or not. There is much to think about and learn from reading this book.
Valerie M, Reviewer
Will Young, singer, songwriter, actor and winner of Pop Idol, explores his feelings around gay shame. In this open and honest read Will shares how gay shame has both impacted and influenced his life. With traces of humour,
I found this an interesting and thoughtful read.
Chris H, Reviewer
Will Young is a pop star, who first became famous as the victor of the popular ITV talent show, Pop Idol in 2002. Now in his early forties, this short memoir traces the course of his life so far as a gay man.
It is an interesting companion piece to Tom Allen's 2020 memoir, No Shame as well as to the recently Channel 4 drama, It's A Sin.
Being born gay is not easy for anyone and despite a relatively supportive and comfortable background, Young has had his struggles growing up in the 1980s and 1990s and again as a famous person in the 21st century where he has occasionally encountered public attacks from the likes of the Daily Mail, DJ Chris Moyles and Jeremy Clarkson amongst others.
But this is a very good book and very readable too. I was slightly less keen on the later stages of the book detailing his mental health struggles of the last decade. I don't doubt that these were very significant and difficult experiences for hìm at that time. However, in writing about them, he generally adopts a therapy-like way of writing which is less accessible than the rest of the book.
But overall, this is a very compelling and readable portrait of life as a gay man in the Britain of the year late 20th and early 21st century.
Sue H, Reviewer
My thanks to #NetGalley and #Edburypublishing for allowing me to read this proof.
What can I say, an amusing and poignant read. I’ll never know the dilemma and angst that being out of step with what society regards as the norm means. However this well written memoir gave me insight.
A mixture of humour, anger and heartache it was an exceptional good read and I would thoroughly recommend this, especially as it answers the questions that polite society doesn’t allow you to ask.
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