I reviewed this book back when it first came out, and it is more relevant for the queer community now than ever! I have re-read it more times than I can count, and my copy is officially falling apart.
If you are struggling, this book is THE BOOK for you.
It isn’t horror, but it is written by a transgender woman in the form of letters to the reader with small activities to complete. The book is filled with self-love and reminds the reader that it is okay to take care of yourself instead of always putting others before you.
The Trans Rights Readathon is also coming up, and this would be a great book to add to your reading list.
Synopsis
What happens when we imagine loving the people-and the parts of ourselves-that we do not believe are worthy of love?
A transformative collection of intimate and lyrical love letters that offer a path toward compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance.
“Required reading.”-Glennon Doyle
Kai Cheng Thom grew up a Chinese Canadian transgender girl in a hostile world. As an activist, psychotherapist, conflict mediator, and spiritual healer, she’s always pursued the same deeply personal mission: to embrace the revolutionary belief that every human being, no matter how hateful or horrible, is intrinsically sacred.
But then Kai Cheng found herself in a crisis of faith, overwhelmed by the viciousness with which people treated one another, and barely clinging to the values and ideals she’d built her life around: justice, hope, love, and healing. Rather than succumb to despair and cynicism, she gathered all her rage and grief and took one last leap of faith: she wrote. Whether prayers or spells or poems-and whether there’s a difference-she wrote to affirm the outcasts and runaways she calls her kin. She wrote to flawed but nonetheless lovable men, to people with good intentions who harm their own, to racists and transphobes seemingly beyond saving. What emerged was a blueprint for falling back in love with being human.
Overall Rating
5/5
Quick Take
Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom is a challenging, enlightening, heartbreaking, and soul stirring read that I can honestly say is a must-read for just about everyone. It is one of those books that comes about once in a lifetime and forces you to confront yourself and bleed through each word. It changed me in the most painful, and beautiful, way.
Tell Me More
There are only a few books that I have read in my lifetime that have affected me as deeply as Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom. This book is a short collection of letters and prompts that can be read in one quick sitting; but just because the book is short doesn’t mean that it isn’t impactful. Thom bleeds and pours love into each word and provides us insight into her soul. While I am not transgender, I related deeply to many of the letters in this book. It is not designed to be a self-help book, but it did help me to reconnect with myself and resolve some emotional pain that I have been carrying around.
The LGBTQIA+ community will find solace in each page, but so will those who do not identify as a member of this community. Thom has created a universal work of art that will impact those who read her words for generation. I have already re-read this book and practiced the prompts multiple times. With each re-read I connect with a different part of myself.
Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom should absolutely be required reading as Glennon Doyle has said. It is lifechanging, lifesaving, and a beacon of hope for every one of us.
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