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Average rating3.8
Originally published in 1971, Merle Miller’s On Being Different is a pioneering and thought-provoking book about being homosexual in the United States. Just two years after the Stonewall riots, Miller wrote a poignant essay for the New York Times Magazine entitled “What It Means To Be a Homosexual” in response to a homophobic article published in Harper’s Magazine. Described as “the most widely read and discussed essay of the decade,” it carried the seed that would blossom into On Being Different—one of the earliest memoirs to affirm the importance of coming out.
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Written in 1970 (and it shows a bit), this text is brave for its age and shows a lot of what we have to go through growing up gay and how homophobia is still too present in our societies (even now) and commonly "accepted" (compared to racism that is frowned upon for example) in all class of the society. A great read nevertheless that shows the courage people had to show for things to move forward.