Grey Warden

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

To say that the events at Rutgers University prompted the writing of this book would be a gross understatement; it's more the culmination of a man’s life that finally found its way into print. Chris Rosalie documents his own experiences growing up as a gay young man in Brooklyn and even before that as a latent gay child, whom most everyone else seemed to have identified as such save himself. His struggle to find his place and identity is a human one; we've all struggled to find ourselves and for some it’s a lifelong odyssey. First crushes, failed relationships, preconceived notions and expectations, difficulties in the workplace- all are common to everyone of us. But it's the added social stigma of homosexuality that can add confusion and a sense of alienation to it all and drive people, gay and straight, to extremes such as bullying, violence and suicide.

I have to confess that in my younger days I was one of those teasing and tormenting Chris and other gays; not that I've ever borne any ill will against homosexuals, but it was the kind of thing that was sort of expected from you. To his eternal credit Chris seems to have gained a measure of peace with this concept: that we all are products of the times we grew up in, and it was often simply no more than that. Chris accepts and understands that, and the Rutgers tragedy still shows how much work needs to be done to destroy the walls between us and he's more than willing to step up to the challenge.

In some spots the book is disjointed. It's done in a first person stream of consciousness manner- relaying his anecdotes and experiences growing up, and often digressing a bit from them before returning to topic. There's also several typos and misspellings, but try not to let those distract you from the message. Accept yourself for who you are. The rest, while it may be difficult at times, will follow.

One more brick from the wall down.