Specs
Reviews
(3.33/5)July 19, 2024
April 21, 2025
Autobiography is Hard
This is not written for a Western, queer or queer-friendly audience. This is written for Japanese people who are on the fence about how they feel about gay people. I am not the intended audience of this work, so my criticisms are heavily biased.
The "moral" of this autobiography is simple: "gay people are just like anyone else! We deserve rights too!". It's not anything revelatory, radical, or frankly interesting. It's a true story though, and presents the author's opinion. I think it's present
November 9, 2022
Gradings
Why can't I grade this item?
Honest snapshot of life as a gay man in 2000s and 2010s Japan
I found this to be a breezy, enjoyable read chronicling Nanasaki's struggles in life as he came to terms with his sexual identity in a heteronormative society. Despite the hardships, there's at times great joy in the writing, and one gets the feeling that Nanasaki, who remains a renowned activist for LGBTQ+ rights, has found his own place in life and the world precisely because of who and what he is. The world may tell you that you're "wrong", "out of place" or "sick", but it's important to keep