The times I knew I was gay

by Eleanor Crewes

Paper Book, 2020

Status

Available

Call number

HQ75.4.C74 A3 2020

Genres

LGBTQ+

Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels and Comics

Comics

Collection

Dennis R. Neill Equality Center

Publication

New York : Scribner, 2020.

Description

"Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusing than many of her friends did. As she grew older, so did her fears and a deep sense of unbelonging. From her first communion to her first girlfriend via a swathe of self-denial, awkward encounters, and everyday courage, Ellie tells her story through gorgeous illustrations--a fresh and funny self-portrait of a young woman becoming herself. The Times I Knew I Was Gay reminds us that people sometimes come out not just once but again and again; that identity is not necessarily about falling in love with others, but about coming to terms with oneself. Full of vitality and humor, it will ring true for anyone who has taken the time to discover who they truly are."--Amazon.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member kitlovestea

All I have to say is that this is simultaneously relatable and a little sad. The number of times she felt the need to go back into the closet was a little unfortunate, but it's definitely not uncommon. I'm glad she worked it out in the end and some of the scenarios were pretty dang funny

regardless.

Recommended for anyone interested in a non-linear coming out story in graphic novel form.

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LibraryThing member villemezbrown

A stumbling and shuffling account of stumbling and shuffling through coming out as gay. It's a pleasant enough read, but falls just a smidge outside the zone of "like" for me due to the lack of flow in the story and art. That may be due to the format of having only one or two images on each

two-page spread and having to turn pages repeatedly to compete a single thought.

This 320-page 2020 edition is an expanded version of a 2018 edition that had only 120 pages. I searched for some images of the 2018 pages and see that in the conversion Crewes sometimes cut an original image in two horizontally, made adjustments to any overlapping word balloons and figures, and pasted the resulting halves on opposing pages in the 2020 version. Some other material seems to have been deleted or redrawn. I wonder if I would have preferred that take on the material?

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LibraryThing member ritaer

gradual self acceptance

LibraryThing member jennybeast

Episodic graphic novel about a young woman's gradual understanding of her own sexuality. Love the representation for those of us who didn't really think about it when we were young and discovered these sorts of things as we grew. Or maybe just assumed one identity and then had to find a way to a

better fitting one later? I don't know -- I haven't seen it so specifically laid out like that before, and this book is successful about telling that story. I think the somewhat stark style works quite well.

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LibraryThing member BarnesBookshelf

To me, reading this book felt a lot like reading a poetry collection; I couldn't read too fast or I'd miss something important. I related to Crewes a lot while reading it. I feel that many white queer western women may relate because of the heteronormative cultures that we're brought up in that

help us internalize so much nonsense. It was also nice to read a coming out story that wasn't entirely linear. Crewes talks about coming out multiple times and how long it took her to finally accept that she was gay. This is a fantastic Pride Month read.

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