Diversity in All Forms! discussion

June Bonus Read- Gay Pride

"June 28th 1969- LGBT Pride Month 2019. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. The month has been recognized since 1970, one year after the Stonewall Rebellion which took place on June 28th 1969, commemorating the impact the riots had had on society."

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

I'm looking forward to this.

I’ve owned this book forever and haven’t even opened it. I’m excited to have a community to buddyread it with :)

I'm at the library checking this out, right now. I hardly ever have time for group reads anymore- but I've wanted to read this one so much! I'm excited too. : )

I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I started this two days ago and am just flying through it compulsively. A little over halfway through, I'm loving the honesty, intensity, tragedy, comedy, and pure *heart* of this book. Perfect for Pride Month, and very well-written. I can't wait to find out what happens next, but I also don't want the story to end.

Wow. Amazing read. Just started it today.

I'm 21% in and really enjoying it. The look into Irish history is fascinating and the characters wonderful!

I devoured this in 2-3 days, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I have yet to write my review (5 stars!), but I thought it was just gorgeous and amazing. So much honesty in the writing, and unapologetic forthright description of a time in Ireland (and many other countries!) when personal acceptance of LGBTQ+ people was very rare, and laws were in place to actively discriminate against them.

I laughed at some of the quirkiness and humor, but cried at all of the awfulness that inhumane human beings can perpetrate. I really identified with this book on many levels, especially with Mrs Goggin. As the single parent of a transgender and gay son (they are two different things), I'm so grateful to have raised him in an era when acceptance of LGBTQ+ people has been - mostly - on the rise. Overall, I was moved by the amount of "heart" poured into this powerful novel.

Christine wrote: "I devoured this in 2-3 days, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I have yet to write my review (5 stars!), but I thought it was just gorgeous and amazing. So much honesty in the writing, and u..."

2-3 days? Impressive, it took me a whole month to finish it. Your response reminded me about how much I enjoyed it as well.

I love this book! It took me a good week to read it and I was so sad when it ended. The writing was so beautiful and the characters were lovable.

This book is just so complex and meaty. It is terribly funny in places and tragic in others. I'm up to Part II and just loving it. It is so tragic how people treat people who are different from themselves.

Kirsten "Ghost Deserved Better" wrote: "This book is just so complex and meaty. It is terribly funny in places and tragic in others. I'm up to Part II and just loving it. It is so tragic how people treat people who are different from the..."

Agree.

Brendan wrote: "Christine wrote: "I devoured this in 2-3 days, and absolutely loved every minute of it. I have yet to write my review (5 stars!), but I thought it was just gorgeous and amazing. So much honesty in ..."

I'd say that to start, Ireland was not accepting of Cyril or other gay men. It also locked up teens and young women in convents (e.g. The Magdalene Laundries) for having sex, being pregnant, or even because they were raped). The psychiatrist he saw as a young man said, "there are no homosexuals in Ireland." I thought that was hysterical. Then he used aversion therapy by giving him a painful shock when he had a positive reaction to pictures of attractive men. That wasn't so funny. I didn't blame him for staying away so long.

Ireland has sure come a long way though. I think they legalized gay marriage before many other countries did.

I plan to get this book at the library soon. I'm so glad they have it and all your comments are great! Never too late----I had not joined GR yet in June.