Title: Brave Face
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: May 21, 2019
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Summary
Throughout his teenage years, author Shaun David Hutchinson struggled with depression and accepting his identity. Growing up in the 90s, there weren’t a lot of positive images of gay men in the media. After realizing that he was gay, Hutchinson struggled with figuring out how he fit with the images he saw. The combination of his depression and the messages society was sending made him feel like he didn’t deserve love.
Over the years, the different moments build up, breaking down Hutchinson to the point where he didn’t have the will to live. He didn’t have the will to keep going. However, he survived, and eventually found peace with himself.
Review: Brave Face
Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this to review. Shaun David Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors, and I was so excited to read his memoir. I had the chance to review The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried earlier this year, and Hutchinson has had a great year so far.
At the core, Hutchinson’s memoir is heartbreaking, peppered with his constant thoughts of not being good enough. Overall, his memoir reads a lot like a novel, supported with emails, journal entries, and stories from Hutchinson’s past. I think this is the memoir that teens need. They can see someone that perhaps struggled with the same problems that they had and made it out the other side. Hutchinson’s message isn’t just that it gets better. It’s that there’s hope, and that there’s going to be ups and downs, but the ups are worth it.
Hutchinson also provides trigger warnings, as well as giving readers the ability to skip the section about his suicide attempt. His discussion of mental health, and talking about getting help, is important for teens that might find themselves in similar situations.
An important memoir that should find its way into any and every library.
5/5 stars