Straight Jacket

Name: Straight Jacket
Brand: Penguin Random House UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Matthew Todd
ISBN: 9781473556263

Author: Matthew Todd

Narrator: Matthew Todd

Unabridged: 11 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Transworld Digital

Published: 03/08/2018

Categories: Nonfiction, Self-help, Personal Growth, Social Science, Lgbtq+ Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health, Emotions, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs

Synopsis

Random House presents the audio edition of Straight Jacket, written and read by Matthew Todd.

WINNER BOYZ BEST LGBT BOOK 2017

SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2017

Straight Jacket is a revolutionary clarion call for gay men, the wider LGBT community, their friends and family. Part memoir, part ground-breaking polemic, it looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be – and if not, why not?

Meticulously researched, courageous and life-affirming, Straight Jacket offers invaluable practical advice on how to overcome a range of difficult issues. It also recognizes that this is a watershed moment, a piercing wake-up-call-to-arms for the gay and wider community to acknowledge the importance of supporting all young people – and helping older people to transform their experience and finally get the lives they really want.

'This is an essential read for every gay person on the planet' - Elton John

'Matthew Todd thought he had long since dealt with the demons surrounding his sexuality. In [his] new book, he reveals the crisis of shame facing the gay community – and how to solve it.' – The Observer

Reviews

Goodreads review by Leo on October 06, 2021

I see I read the version with the more appropriate subtitle! This is a beautiful, passionately written exhortation for gay men to love themselves more and take better care of themselves. Gay shame is something I guess I'm still dealing with. Maybe we all are. Even as I wrote this review I was like, "......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on April 22, 2018

A sincere and heartfelt cry to the gay community to come out of denial about the impact of childhood pains on our lives today. Todd is a journalist and former editor of a glossy gay magazine with lots of pictures of cute and sometime famous people with their shirts off. However, he has a campaigning......more

Goodreads review by Gerhard on May 08, 2018

There seems to be a fundamental disconnect between this book’s title, and its relentless focus on the socio-cultural consequences of gay culture being perceived as celebrating “partying as a central tenet of our identity.” You know the drill: sex, drugs, rock ’n roll, P(R)EP, HIV. ‘How to Be Gay & Ha......more

Goodreads review by Barney on August 03, 2019

Despite the subtitle 'How to be Gay and Happy', this isn't very happy reading. It's more about the psychological damage being LGBT in today's society does to you. Although I really don't want to say anything bad about this book because it clearly is very necessary and has had a positive impact on so......more

Goodreads review by Goodolgab on January 13, 2025

Loved it, I totally recommend to read critically whilst reading it.......more

Quotes

This is an essential read for every gay person on the planet.

Utterly brilliant. The Guardian

Amazing. A seminal work. It will be used as a study book. Will Young

Todd doesn’t hold back in calling for a shift both outside and inside the gay community. He calls out hook-up apps such as Grindr, the 'mean girls' persona that so many gay men adopt, and the gay press itself… Straight Jacket isn’t just a self-help book. It’s a resource for anyone with an interest in knowing what needs to change to bring about real equality... For that, Matthew Todd has another reason to be proud. Evening Standard

The book everyone is talking about… This is probably the most important thing I’ll ever read as a gay man. Full of profundity and fearless honesty. Calum McSwiggan, Youtuber

I recommend it to everyone I meet. I've bought 15 copies to give to people. In my opinion it should be on every teacher's reading list. Whoever you are - especially if you are straight - go and buy it now. It could help change your life and the world around you. Rankin (Photographer & Director)

One of the most powerful books, sensitively and elegantly written, I think, that I have ever read. Lord Michael Cashman CBE

If only this had been written twenty years ago I can only imagine the lives that could have been saved sooner. This is a hugely important book for everyone. It's changed the way I see myself, other people and the world. Paris Lees, author and British Vogue Contributing Editor

Matthew Todd dares to shine a light on the dark legacy of gay shame [and] it’s not a pretty sight…There are some uncomfortable and downright terrifying truths to be confronted in Todd’s brilliant, essential new book. It’s difficult to underestimate the importance of Straight Jacket. If you are struggling and want help and don’t know where to look, this book is a great place to start. But even if you’re not, [it] is by far one of the most important books you’ll read this year. Gay Community News Ireland

An essential book... Part sociological polemic and part self-help book, it zones in on some of the issues that disproportionately affect the gay community, from depression and anxiety to drug and alcohol addiction and body and eating disorders. I found myself both deeply upset and hugely relieved by its candour. After reading the book, tender as it is, you can’t help but want to share your own experiences. Consider Straight Jacket a call to arms. Independent (i)