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It gets better : coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a life worth living / edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller.

Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Dutton, c2011.Description: x, 338 p. : ill. ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 9780525952336
  • 0525952330
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 306.76/6/0835 22
Summary: A collection of original essays and expanded testimonials written to teens from celebrities, political leaders, and everyday people. While many of these teens can't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the kind of happiness, potential, and satisfaction their lives hold if they can just get through these early years.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Phillipsburg Free Public Library Adult Non-Fiction Adult Non-Fiction 306.766 IT Available 36748001981457
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Every story can change a life.

Watch a video Growing up isn't easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, making them feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted - even tortured - simply for being themselves.

After a number of tragic suicides by LGBT students who were bullied in school, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for LGBT youth facing harassment. Speaking openly about the bullying they suffered as teenagers, and how they both went on to lead rewarding adult lives, their video launched the It Gets Better Project YouTube channel and initiated a worldwide phenomenon. With over 6,000 videos posted and over 20 million views in the first three months alone, the world has embraced the opportunity to provide personal, honest and heartfelt support for LGBT youth everywhere.

It Gets Better is a collection of expanded essays and new material from celebrities, everyday people and teens who have posted videos of encouragement, as well as new contributors who have yet to post videos to the site. While many of these teens couldn't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the levels of happiness, potential and positivity their lives will reach if they can just get through their teen years. By sharing these stories, It Gets Better reminds teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone - and it WILL get better.

A collection of original essays and expanded testimonials written to teens from celebrities, political leaders, and everyday people. While many of these teens can't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the kind of happiness, potential, and satisfaction their lives hold if they can just get through these early years.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Introduction (p. 1)
  • A Message from President (p. 9)
  • You Will Find Your People (p. 11)
  • The Life Almost Lost (p. 15)
  • In the Early Morning Rain (p. 18)
  • Something Has Changed Within Me (p. 22)
  • Action Makes It Better (p. 24)
  • You Are a Rubber Band, My Friend (p. 27)
  • God Believes in You (p. 30)
  • The Person Worth Fighting For Is You (p. 35)
  • A Message (p. 38)
  • Life Unfolds Exactly As It Should (But Not As You Planned) (p. 40)
  • It Gets Better for a British Soldier (p. 42)
  • Getting Stronger and Staying Alive (p. 45)
  • Coming Out of the Shtetl: Gay Orthodox Jews (p. 48)
  • Going Back In (p. 54)
  • And the Emmy Goes to ... (p. 59)
  • A Message from U.S. Secretary of State (p. 62)
  • This I Know for Sure (p. 64)
  • It Gets Better Broadway by Members of the Broadway and New York Theater Community (p. 67)
  • Rockin' the Flannel Shirt (p. 71)
  • How It Got Better for an Ordained Christian Minister (p. 74)
  • Out of Darkness (p. 77)
  • I Was a Teenage Lesbian (p. 79)
  • Something Special (p. 80)
  • The Dinner Party (p. 82)
  • What I Wish I Knew (p. 87)
  • Freedom from Fear (p. 91)
  • A Message from Prime Minister (p. 94)
  • You Will Meet People Who Celebrate You (p. 96)
  • An Identity Unfolded (p. 99)
  • A Message (p. 102)
  • Brothers: It Gets Better (p. 104)
  • Drop Dead, Warlock (p. 110)
  • Gwendolyn Gone (p. 112)
  • Growing Up Gay ... (p. 114)
  • The Biggest Gift (p. 117)
  • A Message from Senator (p. 121)
  • Transsexual Prairie Girl (p. 123)
  • Art from Rage (p. 125)
  • It Gets Better (p. 127)
  • Too Good to Be True (p. 130)
  • Journey to a Better Life (p. 133)
  • The Gay Guy in the Band (p. 138)
  • Will I Grow Up to Be Paul Lynde? (p. 140)
  • Finding Who I Am (p. 142)
  • Community (p. 145)
  • A Message (p. 147)
  • Gunn's Golden Rules (p. 149)
  • Perfect, Just the Way You Are (p. 151)
  • Where Happiness Is (p. 153)
  • Not-Normal (p. 158)
  • Born This Way (p. 162)
  • Darn It (p. 165)
  • Look at the Moon (p. 167)
  • Critical Shifts (p. 169)
  • For Aideybear (p. 171)
  • A Message (p. 173)
  • The Show Must Go On (p. 175)
  • Survival Tools (p. 177)
  • Dear Uncle Ronnie (p. 181)
  • My Office Wall (p. 185)
  • Keep on Livin' (p. 187)
  • It Gets Better Because You're a Little Different (p. 189)
  • Unapologetically, Me (p. 192)
  • A Collective Voice (p. 195)
  • I Didn't Always Wear a Tuxedo (p. 201)
  • How I Got Over (p. 205)
  • A ôBetterö Evolution (p. 208)
  • Save Yourself, Save the World (p. 211)
  • Becoming an Authentic Person (p. 213)
  • On the Other Side (p. 215)
  • Bully Me (p. 218)
  • To the Bullies (p. 220)
  • The Good Fight (p. 223)
  • A Message (p. 226)
  • Haters Can't Hate Someone Who Loves Themselves, and if They Do, Who Cares (p. 228)
  • Not Playing at a Cinema Near You (p. 232)
  • From ôFaggotö to Field Biologist (p. 235)
  • It Got Better (p. 238)
  • Our Parents as Allies (p. 240)
  • Lesbian Teacher Believes in You (p. 243)
  • Stepping Off the Sidelines (p. 245)
  • My Own Worst Enemy (p. 248)
  • You Are a Beloved Child of God (p. 254)
  • Transgendered and Self-Educated in Maine (p. 256)
  • The Power of ôYouö (p. 261)
  • It Gets Better for Small Towners, Too (p. 264)
  • To Me: With Love and Squalor (p. 267)
  • Happiness Is Inevitable (p. 271)
  • I Wish I'd Been Sassier! (p. 273)
  • Protect and Serve Loves Semper Fidelis (p. 275)
  • The Doors of Acceptance (p. 279)
  • Hope Out of Tragedy (p. 282)
  • Patience Makes Perfect ... Sense (p. 287)
  • Christian LGBT Kids: You're Part of the Plan (p. 289)
  • Terrible Day (p. 291)
  • The Worst of Both Worlds (p. 294)
  • Closets on Fire (p. 297)
  • The King Brothers (p. 300)
  • Community Found (p. 303)
  • From Scared to Proud: The Journey of a Gay Medical Student (p. 307)
  • Authentic Self (p. 310)
  • You Can Live a Life That's Worth Living (p. 312)
  • Epilogue (p. 315)
  • Acknowledgments (p. 319)
  • Resources
  • Some Curriculum Guidelines for Schools and Teachers (p. 321)
  • The Trevor Project (p. 325)
  • GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) (p. 327)
  • ACLU LGBT Project (p. 329)
  • Photo and Comic Credits (p. 331)
  • Permissions (p. 333)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

I wish I could have told you things get better. The words that became a call to action were born in the comments section on a blog post written by Savage about 15-year-old Billy Lucas. Savage, an author (The Kid, 1999), gay activist, and sex-advice columnist, together with his partner, Miller, launched the It Gets Better project on YouTube as a reaction to Lucas' and two other suicides precipitated by gay bullying during the summer of 2010. So far it's garnered more than 10,000 videos filled with messages of hope, love, and encouragement for LGBT teens from LGBT and straight adults wishing to reach out to kids with limited support and resources. It Gets Better the book expands on a selection of those videos, capturing stories from people of every background, including a startling collection of famous writers, entertainers, and politicians. Particularly noteworthy are essays from President Obama and David Sedaris and a bilingual entry from a Mexican student now living in Canada. This a resource every library should have on hand.--Jones, Courtne. Copyright 2010 Booklist
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