Un incontournable pour toute personne ayant eu des pensées suicidaires, ou tout simplement cherchant sa place dans l'univers. Kate Bornstein est limpide, drôle, et sa prose accessible. À garder comme référence dans sa bibliothèque, peut-être même en deux exemplaires : un à garder pour soi, dans les moments de doute ou de réflexion, et un à prêter à des ami.e.s dans le besoin.

Sex. That’s what this book boils down to. Said in 101 different ways.

This book claims to be for teens, but sex sex and more sex. Which is dangerous for two reasons.
1. Boys - how many murderers and school shooters CLAIM to have done what they did because “Nobody is having sex with me!” (It’s just an excuse.) This book reinforces that Sex is what makes life worth living - and insinuates that lack of sex is worth dying (killing??) over.
2. Girls - are already pressured from a young age to find their value in sex appeal. This book pressures suicidal teenage girls to have sex - when they are obviously not in the right mindset to find a healthy relationship - pushing them into potentially abusive relationships, STDs, and pregnancy. Oh yeah, THAT’ll help.

It's just an overall good book for outsiders and outlaws of all sorts, a bit of comfort from someone who's been there, and encouragement to just be yourself and do whatever it takes to make life worth living. I love that it doesn't talk down to young people or make distinctions about age appropriateness. The irreverence of this book and how it *actually* talks about things like sex might horrify some parents. If I had a child who was struggling I'd give this to them in a heartbeat. She's really keen on all the binaries that society wants us to fall into -- act your assigned gender, act your age, etc. Kate gives us freedom to step out of these boxes and to be who we are. There are also some great book/film recommendations. Though sometimes I wish she'd go into more detail (She's written My Gender Workbook; this book leaves me wanting My Age Workbook) this can be a great start for a lot of kids, and even adults, who feel really alone in the world.

This book is definitely geared toward adults. It focuses way too much on sex to have a younger teen audience. That said, the Index of Alternatives is brilliant. Of course, one must be in a “good enough” mental state to even be able to act upon these for them to work. This book was good, but we can do better in supporting our teens in today’s rampant suicide environment— and we must.

Let me begin by saying that "like" isn't really a word I would use to describe this book. It wasn't a fun read. I wasn't sucked in. However, I do think it's a very important book, and very brave. I don't think a teen would check it out, but it is the sort of thing that they would read secretly in the library and it might save their life. Literally. The balancing act would be having it available and letting teens know it was available, without making it a big thing . . . "Here's a book about being different and how you are thinking of killing yourself!" It addresses bullying and gender issues and body-type discrimination and all sorts of issues that face teens today.

Also, this important book WILL be challenged if well-meaning parents find out it's on your shelves AND take the time to find out what it says. I mean, this book is scary! It's all about rejecting paradigms and overthrowing the power structure. This is heady stuff, the kind of stuff that we barely touched on in college because it was too hard. (It's presented in a way that is sometimes confusing but mostly makes sense, which is nice). And these power structures that it talks about overthrowing are the ones that, particularly in a state like Michigan, have kept a group of people rich and powerful and in control for a long time.

Anyway, reading this book broke my heart. I was thinking how parents would react to knowing that someone was telling their teens to cut themselves or take drugs or go insane instead of committing suicide, but I was also thinking that, for so many kids, that sort of self-destructive behavior is the only answer. The author is responsible in how she presents these options, but she realizes that they are better options than taking your life. And it broke my heart that we live in this kind of world, where kids make those kind of choices.

i want to be a big kate bornstein fan, but i can't. the first part of this book i really disliked for the same reasons i dislike my gender workbook: for all she talks about the wild diversity of gender options, it seems to be written only for those with a similar path to hers. i was really frustrated by it being a book only for those freaks who are gender outlaws, rather than for freaks in general. it could have been for such a wider range of people because the ideas are so universal. but the list is awesome. what a good resource. i love how they're not, like 101 therapist sanctioned alternatives. many of them aren't even good ideas. but when the important thing is that you're making a choice to improve your life, only tiny steps work and i love the ideas that are, like, not getting out of bed. it's so practical.

Read like..56 pages and I don't get the point of this book other than making me bored.

Whether struggling with sexuality, bullying, or abuse, just a few things that can lead to depression and thoughts of suicide, the book Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, & Other Outlaws can open the eyes of the reader to not only their own challenges, but those their peers maybe suffering through as well. This is a brutally honest look at a multitude of possibilities other than ending one’s life. Kate Bornstein exposes her own personal struggle with sexuality as a young boy, her journey to find herself and becoming okay with not living under a label provided by society. This book will make you laugh and it’ll make you think!

I appreciated the thoughtfulness of this nonfiction novel, the way the author opens up and exposes her own experiences, and really loved the rating system. Of course, I’m in favor of four hearts & four umbrellas, but anything that would help a someone get through a bad place to hopefully come out better on the other side would be acceptable.

-Review by Michelle at EPL

Want to check it out? Here's a link to the item in our catalog: https://rb.gy/ym1bvo

The book you keep on your nightstand when you need some inspiration or to remind yourself why this life is all worth it. I still pick this book up from time to time and every time I discover a new chapter to appreciate. Super easy to read, and despite the title this book is for everyone, but especially appreciative for all the "misfits and the losers."

As Kate Bornstein reiterates on the first page, this book isn't a book of reasons not to kill yourself, but things to do instead. One thing I like about it is that all the alternatives are things Kate has tried herself. It's not prescriptive, and it's not coming from an "expert" in mental health - just someone who's been there and found a way (or, many different ways over the years). If nothing else, doing the items on this list will keep you busy. But honestly, I think most people could find some solace in at least some of the ideas. My favorites:
1. Keep moving
7. Trash your preference files and reboot
15. Run a diagnostic program
19. Make art out of it.
28. Give yourself permission.
40. Make believe.
50. Be your own hero/ine.
64. Go on a quest.
101. Try to keep someone else alive.

I also like the idea that suicidal thoughts are not necessarily a bad thing to have. Instead, Kate frames them as a sign that something needs to change. Some part of you or some old behavior needs to "die off" so the rest of you can keep on living.

"And I can tell you this with certainty: You are worthy and capable of finding a way to live your life just the way you really are. And there are plenty of good people in the world who believe that a life like yours needs to be lived." -32

The book is surprisingly not much about suicide. It is about letting go of what society says is who you should be and being who you know you are so long as it does not involve hurting other people.

In the actual list of alternatives there are some that are problematic such as starving yourself. However the author stated before the list and during the explanations that they understood that the choices were problematic and they do not necessarily reccomend them, but wont deny they exist.

I honestly can say that I did a lot of introspection while reading this and came out stronger in the end. I was not planning on that result but was extremely happy at achieving a feeling of being content with myself upon completion. This book you get out of it what you are willing to learn from it.

Really interesting and valuable book with a different take on the topic of suicide. To put it simply: Find a reason to live... or 101 alternatives to suicide introduced in a fresh way.