Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? [Paperback]

Linda Handel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Opening the door to a consistent, mature lifestyle is challenging for anyone, but it is especially stressful for gay men and lesbians living in a heterosexual world. In Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House?, Linda Handel speaks from her own personal experiences as a former spouse in a heterosexual marriage, a mother of two, an out lesbian and a licensed therapist to explore the full spectrum of life concerns-from lingering childhood issues, dating and sex to intolerance, abuse and self-hatred-in a voice that is always direct, open and refreshingly honest.

A witty, creative guidebook filled with solid advice, Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? offers encouraging direction to those who have discovered that coming out is only the first step in the journey toward a fulfilling life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Linda Handel's self-help guide for gay men and lesbians may seem hopelessly basic or even insulting if you live in the therapeutic meccas of New York, San Francisco, or Berkeley, where almost any passing stranger can align your chakras, organize an intervention, or point out your internalized homophobia. But in smaller communities, or places where gay-friendly counsel may be hard to find, Handel's advice could be the best thing around (and more trustworthy than an AOL chatroom). Her chief argument is that even when we've embraced our sexuality and faced the trauma of coming out to our friends and family, most of us still need work, whether it's fine-tuning or a psychic overhaul. Covering a range of self-esteem and relationship issues--from sex addiction to spirituality to aging to alcoholism--this book will help readers identify areas for improvement. Handel provides the clear, nonjudgmental guidance one would hope for in a therapist--or a hardheaded friend--and is especially sensitive to the more complicated lives of older gay people. --Regina Marler

About the Author

Linda Handel is a certified clinical mental health counselor in Providence, Rhode Island, and a practicing therapist to gays, lesbians and others. An experienced speaker and workshop leader, she co-hosted The Company We Keep, a public television series on issues in the gay and lesbian community that was nominated for an Emmy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 1 edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570716528
• ISBN-13: 978-1570716522
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction > Coming Out

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Anyone Dealing with GLBT Issues, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? (Hardcover)

This book is simply awesome! I have read several chapters over and over again. I'm not one who likes to read self-help books generally, but this one I highly recommend to friends all the time. There are just under 35 chapters and each one is devoted to a topic that really needs to be discussed more in our "community". Topics include: intimacy; internalized homophobia; sexual esteem; sexual addiction; coming out to parents, children, during middle age and beyond; setting healthy boundaries; aging; codependency; partner abuse; overcoming fears. All of this and more in a book that doesn't sound like a dry cookbook of exercises. All in all, a very well-written and witty book that no one should be without!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read, helpful, entertaining, not at all dry!, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? (Hardcover)

This book can be opened at any chapter, by gay or straight. The words pull things together and make sense of relationship issues. I am not fond of psychology books. This one reads like a series of short stories about myself and people that I have been involved with. The humor makes reading it easy!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughter IS the best medicine!, September 26, 2005

By 

Carmellia Bumgardner "LCSW" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now That You're Out of the Closet, What About the Rest of the House? (Paperback)

The author has approached a potentially very serious subject with lots of humor - I LOVE the song titles for all the chapter topics. She has also added many questions throughout the text for the reader to consider as food for thought, and very useful for what could be a very thorough "self-help assessment." I am currently using the book with a book-study group and everyone adds their vote for this to be AT LEAST a'4"!