Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Book "Faggot: An Appalachian Tale - Surviving Bullying" by Frank E.Billingsley

About the Book: A teenager tries to make sense of his life. He has turned cold, withdrawn, and depressed. He is different, and everyone knows. He is gay, living in a town that does not understand him. He lives in a family that does not know how to support him. He is abused emotionally, physically, and sexually for years. No one cares. No one helps. Then on one dark rainy night, everything changes.
Share in this story that debates religion, overpopulation, the human condition, and lays the case for the greater acceptance of the LGBT community.

About the Author: Frank Billingsley, an Ohioan, who considers himself a child of the world, spends time between Europe and the United States. Frank holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Administration, a Masters in Management, a Masters in Human Ecology, and a Bachelors in Psychology. He has over 20 years of professional experience in social work, teaching, administration, and as a university professor.

My Review: This is a very well written book, about a teenage boy who is constantly bullied because he is different from his peers. The acceptance of differences thirty years ago was much less then it is today, mainly regarding sexuality differences and the author describes in a most sentimental way all the struggles lived by this boy at that time. This book illustrates not just his struggle for survival, but mainly hope that things can and will change for the better. After going over through so many humiliations in his young life, he concludes that he does not want to continue living like that. He lost hope and felt worthless, and tried to take pills to end his life, but failed to accomplish this task. The boy discovers little by little who he really is. When he figures himself out and his purpose in life, his life acquires a new meaning and although he does not have support, he manages to pass this difficult phase of his life and move on with his new found identity in his mission to help people.
Although it is in the short side for the size, the contents of the book are strong and with a positive message. Well written, very inspirational, this book will keep you entertained for hours. I recommend it to the permanent library of all readers who appreciate a novel with a positive message of encouragement for those who feel different from what is consider by common sense to be normal. Is it about time for us to review our prejudices? This book might make you think about that.

I received this book from the author and I was not requested to write a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.

1 comment:

  1. Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have.
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