Attitudes toward sexuality and mental health have changed radically in the last 25 years, from casual prejudice and ignorance toward social acceptance and understanding. Writer Simon Jay knew he was gay from an early age, finding himself effete and fabulous in equal measure, but this didn’t go down too well on a rough council estate in South London. Added to which he also displayed the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, a severe mental illness that affects 1% of the population. His adolescence was met with bullying at school, threats on his life, and medication and psychiatric intervention. He details his breakdowns and recoveries with frank honesty and unsentimental detail, writing with humour and warmth about coming out, going on the scene and coming to terms with having a serious mental illness.
The book demonstrates that you can have a rubbish start in life, come up against ignorance and illness around you and yet still let your focus and brilliance shine through. A must-read for anyone who needs their faith restored in humanity.
The book demonstrates that you can have a rubbish start in life, come up against ignorance and illness around you and yet still let your focus and brilliance shine through. A must-read for anyone who needs their faith restored in humanity.
