The World Out There: Becoming Part of the Lesbian and Gay Community [Paperback]

Michael Thomas Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

A much-needed introduction to life beyond the closet door, The World Out There is the first book for a new generation of young men and women who want to know more about what being part of the gay and lesbian community means. Ideal for the thousands of young men and women who migrate to urban gay communities every year, The World Out There is also for the thousands of others isolated in less receptive settings for whom this book will open up a whole wonderful and reassuring universe of possibilities.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Coming out is not a simple process but a long, complicated series of decision and choices that continues for years and years. After saying "yes, this is who I am" (and telling lots of other people), a newly out person, particularly a young person, may find that he or she doesn't know what to do next. Michael Thomas Ford's The World Out There shows you how to take on the challenge of wending your way through a new world that is complicated, sometimes scary, and amazingly fun.

Ford approaches his task with verve, ingenuity, and imagination. He deals with survival questions (How do you confront homophobia in the workplace? How to tell if you are dating someone?), identity issues (Do you have to love Judy Garland? Do all gay people think alike?), and, most important, sex (the joys of sex; safe sex; sex as an act of love; sex as an act of lust). Ford knows that every life is multifaceted, and he manages to strike a fine balance between public presentation and inner growth. In his portrait of the world out there, cruising, political activism, family, and love are all important. Written in a friendly style and intercut with interviews with celebrities such as Melissa Etheridge and profiles of gay life in specific cities, including New York and San Francisco, The World Out There is a useful, important source book and guide for the newly out, or for anyone seeking a primer on gay and lesbian life. --Michael Bronski --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Outspoken intersperses bibiographies and other "fast fact" lists among 12 interviews with a business executive, police officer, Olympic boxer, actor, and more. In his earlier, acclaimed The World Out There, Ford sensitively explains issues, dispels stereotypes, and shows some of the many ways that teens can become involved with a larger gay community.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565842340
• ISBN-13: 978-1565842342
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,055,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Thomas Ford is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from humor to horror, literary fiction to nonfiction. His work for adult readers includes the best-selling novels What We Remember, Changing Tides, Full Circle, Looking for It and Last Summer, and his five essay collections in the "Trials of My Queer Life" series. As a writer for young adults he is the author of Suicide Notes and Z (forthcoming in 2010), and under the name Isobel Bird he wrote the popular "Circle of Three" series. In 2009 he signed a 3-book deal with Random House for a series featuring Jane Austen as a modern-day vampire. The first book in the series, Jane Bites Back, will be published in January, 2010. His work has been nominated for 11 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book and twice for Best Romance Novel. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award (for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot) and a Gaylactic Spectrum Award (for his short story "Night of the Werepuss").