PRAISE FOR OUT OF THE SHADOWS

“Out of the Shadows is several books–a snapshot of three generations of gay men and the effect AIDS has had on them, an argument for the gay sensibility in a time of assimilation, and a memoir. But most of all it’s stories, fascinating stories gleaned from the gay men who came to Odets for talk therapy. They make it both riveting and moving. A gay man could read this book as if his life depended on it–and perhaps it does.”
—Andrew Holleran, author of “Dancer from the Dance,” six other novels, and a
frequent contributor to The Gay & Lesbian Review.

“In this soaring combination of social critique, memoir, and manifesto, Odets urges gay men to ‘discover or rediscover identities that are internally rooted, self-expressive, and revealed in authentically lived lives.’ Drawing on his own experiences, and the stories of patients he has seen in decades of practice as a psychologist, he unpacks the difference between ‘gay’ and ‘homosexual,’ defining the former as ‘an entire life of internal feeling’ versus a ‘single, objective behavior.’ His discussions of gay men’s sexual expression and relationships are frank, compassionate and open-minded. Odets’s greatest strengths are his moving prose and ability to make the psychological material accessible and as fascinating and thought-provoking as the poignant stories.
Gay men will find much to ponder here, but any readers can find meaning in this extraordinary, stirring invitation to re-examine assumptions about what it means to be gay and have a good life.”
—Publisher’s Weekly, March 19, 2019. 

“Out of the Shadows is a beautiful book, perfectly and artfully balanced between acknowledging the trauma of HIV/AIDS and envisioning a future rich with possibility and joy. Walt Odets does what few other writers have done before. Compelling, compassionate, and at times even humorous, this is an important book that addresses, with great seriousness, both the demands of intimacy and powers of sexuality.”
—Michael Bronski, Harvard University professor, and author of  “A Queer
History of the United States” and five other books.

“Out of the Shadows combines the author’s personal and professional experience, and he uses his insights to chart a new path for both younger and older gay men. The book serves as an invaluable resource for both mental health professionals and gay men seeking self-identities free of the labels and stigma imposed by the larger society and the medicalization of homosexuality by previous generations.”
—David G. Ostrow, MD, PhD, founder of the Howard Brown Health Center
of Chicago for gay and bisexual men, and an HIV and Hepatitis B researcher.

“Out of the Shadows is the story of what it is to be gay and alive now. Walt Odets’s profound sensitivities to the dimensions of the closet, the plague years, survival, and rebirth have resulted in a monumental and mature painting–a giant mural of where we have been and where we stand. There is loss and humanness, and there is hope in the despair he charts. There is communion and commonality, and ultimately, there is celebration of how outsiders insist on being known and seen. I wept with sorrow and pride at the persistent and contradictory life force running in a seam throughout the book. Shadows is a major addition to the literature of gay life and death, of the difficult task of finding forms of intimacy that humans need in order to thrive.”
—Jon Robin Baitz, playwright 

“. . . [Odets’s] writing is poignant and achingly beautiful—so much so, in fact, that I occasionally had to put the book down to avoid weeping on the subway. . . .The exquisitely told story of Odets’s longtime friend and lover, who fled a trailer he shared with a brutally homophobic family and built a life bursting with meaning and intimacy, is the most compelling story of gay self-actualization I’ve ever encountered. Odets and his close friends and lovers should serve as an inspiration to many gay men, as well as a reminder of what might be the book’s most enduring message. ‘All the diverse forms that true gay life has improvised,’ Odets writes, ‘constitute a special universe that should not be relinquished to meet the expectations of a pathological society.’”
—Benoit Denizet-Lewis, The New York Times