Book Review: High-Risk Homosexual + Podcast

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We’re too easy on marketers. How convenient it is to sell by dividing us into “men are this, women are that, and kids are another,” by slivering us into an alphabet soup of birth eras, not to mention by segregating us according to where we were born, our skin colors, our sexual preferences, how much we earn, and on and on. Shame on us for bleating back their generalizations. Story-telling is essential (about my books here) to seeing one another as individuals.

Talk, and I mean really talk, to a coworker, a neighbor, a friend, a family member, and I’ll wager you won’t find they fit commerce-designated absolutes. In exposing ourselves, our hearts open to our humanity and interdependence.

High-Risk Homosexual: a Memoir by Edgar Gomez reminds me of all this. Interestingly, I happened onto Edgar’s short autobiographical essays thanks to his narration on a mental health app.

Here’s my review of High Risk-Homosexual: a Memoir by Edgar Gomez for Goodreads and Amazon…

Edgar’s autobiographical essays demonstrate how essential each of our voices are, no matter who we are. His writing is so courageous, funny, and touching, that I pity anyone who can’t relate to his observations about how complex individuals and relationships are.

His writing sure, his memories vivid, he walks us through a life filled with reprimands for he isn’t and little appreciation for who he is. How have we arrived to live in a world angry about who has sex with who, who loves who, who wears what, and who wants to do what with their own bodies?

He doesn’t merely tell us, he shows us how soul-crushing hypocrisy can be. It’s not enough for us say we love someone if we scorn who they are fundamentally.

Here’s a video interview with Edgar…

What books made you more compassionate toward yourself or others?