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Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws
 
 
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Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws [Paperback]

Kate Bornstein (Author), Sara Quin (Foreword)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 2, 2006
Celebrated transsexual trailblazer Kate Bornstein has, with more humor and spunk than any other, ushered us into a world of limitless possibility through a daring re-envisionment of the gender system as we know it.
Here, Bornstein bravely and wittily shares personal and unorthodox methods of survival in an often cruel world. A one-of-a-kind guide to staying alive outside the box, Hello, Cruel World is a much-needed unconventional approach to life for those who want to stay on the edge, but alive.
Hello, Cruel World features a catalog of 101 alternatives to suicide that range from the playful (moisturize!), to the irreverent (shatter some family values), to the highly controversial. Designed to encourage readers to give themselves permission to unleash their hearts' harmless desires, the book has only one directive: "Don't be mean." It is this guiding principle that brings its reader on a self-validating journey, which forges wholly new paths toward a resounding decision to choose life.
Tenderly intimate and unapologetically edgy, Kate Bornstein is the radical role model, the affectionate best friend, and the guiding mentor all in one.

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Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws + Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation + Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A celebrated pioneer for the LGBTIQ community, KATE BORNSTEIN is the author of My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely and Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and The Rest of Us, as well as the editor with S. Bear Bergman of Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Her plays and performance pieces include Hidden: A Gender, The Opposite Sex Is Neither, and Too Tall Blondes In Love. She lives in New York City with her partner, Barbara Carrellas.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Seven Stories Press (May 2, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1583227202
  • ISBN-13: 978-1583227206
  • Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kate Bornstein is a performance artist and playwright whose latest book was released May 1, 2012--a memoir, A QUEER AND PLEASANT DANGER, with the subtitle, "The true story of a nice Jewish boy who joins the Church of Scientology and leaves twelve years later to become the lovely lady she is today."

Kate has authored several award-winning books in the field of Women and Gender Studies, including GENDER OUTLAW: ON MEN, WOMEN, AND THE REST OF US, and MY GENDER WORKBOOK which she is currently updating for a second edition after 15 years.

Her 2006 book, HELLO, CRUEL WORLD: 101 ALTERNATIVES TO SUICIDE FOR TEENS, FREAKS, AND OTHER OUTLAWS propelled Kate into an international position of anti-bully advocacy for marginalized youth which has earned her two citations of honor from the New York City Council and garnered praise from civil rights groups around the globe. Kate's books are taught in five languages in over 200 colleges and universities around the world.

Kate lives in New York City with her girlfriend, three cats, two dogs, and one turtle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Thanks Kate August 14, 2006
Format:Paperback
I'm not a teen, but I am a long-time freak in the middle of what I sincerely hope is the worst set of circumstances I will face in my life. I am losing someone I love more than just about anything to a very slow and painful disease.

I haven't felt hope in nine months. This book gave me hope.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
REAL-DEAL HELP April 17, 2007
Format:Paperback
This book could save your life. I wish it had been around when I was a suicidal seventh-grader. One of the readers at Amazon.com says, "Every high school library should carry this book!" and that's probably the best possible endorsement. This is a wonderful book.

Hello, Cruel World is the best depiction I have seen of the real world of troubled teens. It accurately locates the bully as the most common cause of self-esteem issues that can take years, even decades, to resolve. Kate's only rule for readers is "don't be mean," and that is certainly the most obvious characteristic of every bully I've ever faced. Kate's winning personality and irresistible sense of humor prevail over the heavy topic matter. Her writing is inspired, passionate, and empathic. There is little if anything that goes uncovered here. (Well, okay, she includes "sex worker" but omits "drug dealer" and "rock and roller" from her list of freak-admissible careers in alternative 34, "Sing for your Supper." I mean, if you're going to include the Unholy Trinity, you might as well go all the way, right?)

Actually, my only real quibble with this book (and it is a quibble) is that I thought this book might be even "safer" if the cover were more discreet. I admit that it's a bit busy for my taste, but perhaps a plain cover would have been even better for the sake of the kids who might have to sneak around with this book.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By HoneyDu
Format:Paperback
At a recent benefit at Bluestockings Bookstore, Kate handed out "GET OUT OF HELL FREE CARDS" where she promised to negotiate with God on our behalf and accept any punishment inflicted on us (even going to hell in our place) for taking the advice she lists in "101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws," which encourages us to save our lives by whatever means necessary. Amung her 101 alternatives to suicide she lists: cutting, starving yourself, taking drugs, and finding the love of your life. All of which she lists with an indication of hearts or skulls the effectiveness of each technigue. Although I did not take any of her suggestions, upon finishing the book I was no longer as suicidal...maybe because I felt like she would accept me no matter how messed up (or un-acceptable) I am and this made me feel better. Every High School Library Should Carry This Book!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Perspective of Extremes
I bought this book for my 14 year old daughter who attempted to take her life earlier this year. I read the reviews and understood the controversial subjects, but felt it would be... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Charlie B.
amazing quide for life
Kate is a good friend of mine so I bought this book to check it out. So glad I did, very important stuff. A perfect guide to living the life you want for yourself.
Published 8 months ago by Bailey
Quite Helpful, But Not For Everyone
There are a lot of great suggestions in this book, but this book can be considered offensive to quite a number of people. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Amelia Ingrao
Great book!!
After seeing Kate give a presentation on this book, I HAD to read it. I'm so glad I did! Although I'm by no means suicidal, the advice Kate offers is extraordinary. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Kelsey
Great Book, Highly Recommended
This book is a very good read. Even if you're not contemplating suicide, it gives great insight into the minds of those who are. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Bria
Simply life-saving.
This book has helped me develop behaviors that save not only my life but my sanity. As a youth worker, I recommend this to all of my clients, and as a person who wants the world to... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Jack Finley
Sent me the wrong book, not this one
I really recommend Native American Spirituality, the book Belltower Books sent me instead of this. However, Hello Cruel World also looks really interesting. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Hannah Dean
101 Alternatives
It was an okay read, but isn't anything I haven't thought or heard of before so it didn't help me as much as I thought it would. Read more
Published on May 18, 2010 by DarkHeart
Books like this that make me worry about our youth.
As an adult, I stopped each time the F word was used, when teens were counciled to "Kill every last one of the MotherF.....s. Read more
Published on January 16, 2010 by greendills
Much love, respect and experience went into this
I just got this yesterday and am so impressed with it. This is not just rehashed or safe, "approved" information here (although she does cover those options), but she obviously... Read more
Published on September 22, 2009 by december75
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I'm nearly sixty years old, and a lot of people think I'm a freak for a lot of reasons. Read the first page
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Golden Rule, Too Easy, United States, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Cheri Huber
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