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Title details for Brave Face by Shaun David Hutchinson - Available

Brave Face

A Memoir

by Shaun David Hutchinson
Shaun David Hutchinson
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
A YALSA 2020 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection
"[P]rofound...a triumph—a full-throated howl to the moon to remind us why we choose to survive and thrive." —Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling author of Tradition

"Razor-sharp, deeply revealing, and brutally honest...emotionally raw and deeply insightful." —Booklist (starred review)

The critically acclaimed author of We Are the Ants opens up about what led to an attempted suicide in his teens, and his path back from the experience.
"I wasn't depressed because I was gay. I was depressed and gay."

Shaun David Hutchinson was nineteen. Confused. Struggling to find the vocabulary to understand and accept who he was and how he fit into a community in which he couldn't see himself. The voice of depression told him that he would never be loved or wanted, while powerful and hurtful messages from society told him that being gay meant love and happiness weren't for him.

A million moments large and small over the years all came together to convince Shaun that he couldn't keep going, that he had no future. And so he followed through on trying to make that a reality.

Thankfully Shaun survived, and over time, came to embrace how grateful he is and how to find self-acceptance. In this courageous and deeply honest memoir, Shaun takes readers through the journey of what brought him to the edge, and what has helped him truly believe that it does get better.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 21, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781508286134
      • File size: 212073 KB
      • Duration: 07:21:49

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 890
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author and narrator Shaun David Hutchinson wants listeners to remember one thing: Never give up. This memoir is not about the highs in Hutchinson's life after he became a bestselling author--it's about the lowest of the lows. Through his own voice, he painfully recalls his younger years--the depression that compounded his confusion over his sexuality--he is gay--and his fear that the important people in his life would no longer accept him. In a clever literary device, his depression continually chimes in, speaking directly to him and egging him on to give up anytime he encountered difficulty. Hearing that depression brought to life through Hutchinson's own voice is chilling. Though Hutchinson's story includes some horrific events--preceded by trigger warnings--this is an important audiobook. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 25, 2019
      YA author Hutchinson (The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried) explores the travails of coming into his sexuality in the early 1990s, when homophobia was deeply rampant in the U.S., the AIDS crisis was in devastating full force, and equal rights for anyone on the LGBTQ spectrum were still a distant dream. With the lack of positive representation of queerness, Hutchinson’s views of gay people were so negative that it took him years to recognize his own sexuality. In the meantime, trying to live an inauthentic life left him angry and depressed for reasons he couldn’t grasp. The author explores his teenage years with raw honesty, presenting the truth as he saw it and sharing passages from his diaries to illustrate the turmoil he experienced—which many queer teens will continue to empathize with. Though he describes himself at times in deep depression and engaging in self harm, the memoir ends on a positive note, sharing the ways in which he finds acceptance both within himself and within the queer community, and sending an important message to other queer teens: your life is a gift, and support is out there. Ages 14–up. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:890
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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