Book
The velvet rage : overcoming the pain of growing up gay in a straight man's world
Edition
Completely revised and updated second edition ; First Hachette Go edition.
Publication Information
New York : Go Hachette Books, 2020.
Physical Description
xvii, 252 pages ; 21 cm
Summary
The gay male world today is characterized by seductive beauty, artful creativity, flamboyant sexuality, and, encouragingly, unprecedented acceptability in society. Yet despite the progress of the recent past, gay men still find themselves asking, "Are we really better off?" The inevitable byproduct of growing up gay in a straight world continues to be the internalization of shame, a shame gay men may strive to obscure with a façade of beauty, creativity, or material success. Drawing on contemporary psychological research, the author's own journey to be free of anger and of shame, as well as the stories of many of his friends and clients, The Velvet Rage outlines the three distinct stages to emotional well-being for gay men. Offering profoundly beneficial strategies to stop the insidious cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior, The Velvet Rage is an empowering book that will influence the public discourse on gay culture, and positively change the lives of gay men who read it.
Notes
Previously published by Da Capo Lifelong 2012.
Contents
- Introduction
- The little boy with the big secret
- Ugly truths & high fashion dreams
- Out & raging
- Drowning
- Bewitched, betrayed
- The real me: a crisis of identity
- Paying the piper
- Stuck in shame: the vicious cycle
- In the mood for a man
- What's it all about?: a crisis of meaning
- Mighty real
- Healing relationship trauma
- The road to contentment
- Skills for living an authentic life
- Epilogue : this Peter Pan grows up.