3.5

101 alternative al suicidio rifà il verso all famoso "101 modi di suicidarsi". È scritto da un transgender che spiega che non vale la pena distruggersi negando se stessi solo per far contento un non ben definito “altro”.
Io credo che sia un testo grandioso: in chiave ludica mette in evidenza il concetto chiave “sii cio che vuoi essere”, una variazione sul fai ciò che vuoi di Sant'Agostino e di (!!!) Alistair Crowley...
Da lì dipende tutta la nostra vita, la nostra salute mentale ed il nostro futuro.
Dovrebbe essere letto sin dalle scuole elementari per evitare interi eserciti di infelici esistenziali. E molti suicidi, ovviamente.
Si perchè da numerose fonti, manifeste o sottotraccia, ci viene detto e fatto capire che non andiamo bene, che non siamo mai abbastanza.
Io personalmente sono già ultrafelice quando una lettura mi spinge ad un miglioramento personale.

i think it could use some more thought about asexual people and for those who do not link their gender and their sexuality but literally everything else was perfect

This book could be impactful - but in a positive way or dangerous way depends on the reader.

There are some refreshingly honest discussions about terrible and difficult subjects.

There is some beautiful imagery - for example on the nature connection section, there is the sentiment 'Let the woods walk through you.'

And there are some helpful lists and excercises, and best of all a ton of external resources the author identifies.

Tumblr before tumblr happened. The message is good, but the execution is... discomforting.

A marvelous idea from a wonderful person with their heart in the right place--I just don't know if it would really be helpful to someone contemplating suicide. Would one, so locked in despair, actually read it? Would the language--although supposedly directed at teens--that reads like it was crafted for a nine year old not offend? Would one even read to the 101 suggestions?
I don't know. The thing about suicide prevention is that you never know what might work. The main thing, I believe, is to get in the way. Get in the way of the person and, at the very least, there will be a delay. Kate is trying to get in the way here and if it works for anyone then it is worthwhile.

This book when I first read it in 2010-2011 was the first text I had been exposed to by a gender nonconforming author who was explicitly unashamed.

This book is perfect for:
- readers who have access needs and need instructions and formatting to be easy to comprehend
- people who need or want to give themselves permission to experience living a full life.
- those who want to feel validated for acting out and being chaotic when processing heavy personal stuff
- people who aren't into mainstream self help and care books
- readers who like stuff similar to Mark Manson
- readers who appreciate the value of lived experience from the most marginalised people in society

This book isn't for:
- people with addictive tendencies
- people with tendencies to have 'all or nothing' approaches to using their energy and time
- those who are more into philosophical aspects of 'self-care' and 'self-help' this book is a tool for practical action taking and critical self-examination

What this book gets right:
- giving readers a space to explore themselves
- space for people to 'just be' and embrace living and making mistakes with the assumption they are the best judges for 'what is best' for their health, well being and happiness
- using illustrations to convey complex concepts and ideas
- reader friendly format
- writing tone is not prescriptive it's do what you want when you want or need to

What this book could benefit from: (*I'm working completely off memory from a decade ago this may be inaccurate)
- A brief guide to how to use this books advice in moderation with the understanding of addictive personalities/tendencies
- disability informed around 'literal' interpretations of advice
- brief note about the difference between 'self-help' and 'self-sabotage' a.k.a destructive habits. Possibly a tool for understanding how to find the grey space between the two concepts.
- a tool or brief statement around risk and harm to self and others by using this guide

As a more-than-reasonably 'troubled' teenager, I've gone through my fair share of struggles. During a period of my life where I was heavily considering offing myself, my mom of all people went out and bought me this book on her own accord and asked me to read it.

Can I just say that I love my mom?

This book made me feel like I wasn't alone. Though it focused mainly on sexuality and gender laws, I still found myself relating to it very much. Bornstein's view on suicide is unique and I greatly appreciate the perspective that this put in me. I saw the world through different eyes for each moment I spent turning a page. This book is great. I won't say it saved my life, but I can't thank my mom enough for buying it for me.

(The back section is great, too.)

Everything was related back to sex, which would have been fine if the book's intentions had been clearly stated to be this focused on sex. But it was not, so the constant metaphor and reference was uncomfortable and distracting.

Den här har gjort mitt liv så mycket bättre och hjälpte mig enormt mycket när jag började läsa den i januari och mådde piss. Efter att jag började må bättre igen läste jag inte vidare på ett tag för jag tänkte att jag inte behövde den lika mycket. Men idag plockade jag upp den och läste det sista. Bra beslut! Alla borde läsa den här boken. Flera av tipsen är det viktigt att man kommer ihåg ENDAST är bättre alternativ om det står mellan det och att ta sitt liv. Men flera tips är sådant som kan vara bra att göra även om man mår helt okej, men ändå vill ha ett lite bättre liv eller bättre förståelse för sig själv och sin omvärld. Kate är så jävla klok det finns ingen som hen. <3

I bought this book for my wife as a gift, but read it before she got her hands on it. It's a vital book, especially at this moment, when news of "bathroom bills" and the resulting legalized harassment and abuse of trans folk who dare to... exist... in public seems to be mounting by the day.

Boernstein writes in a clear, relatable way, about gender. I've been teaching versions of "gender studies" at the college level for decades now, and I'm going to sit with this book over the summer to relearn how to talk about this stuff. Boernstein makes it very clear that you can talk about very complex stuff in understandable ways without dumbing it down.

Another lesson I'll take: I cried, like, really a lot reading this. I also snickered, and downright laughed. All of this is good stuff, productive for thinking; in other words, the tone of this book isn't just an extension of Boernstein's writer persona in the world, and isn't just about "relating" to teens--it's a carefully-chosen stance with respect to the material and the thinking. "Real" thought (the kind academia finds valuable) isn't necessarily best when it's detached, stoic, and without investment. This book proves that.

I love this book because it is controversial and it is great for people who really are suicidal. When your suicidal you don't want to hear about all the shit you should do like sit down and write a journal or call a friend. This book finally UNDERSTANDS that and gives you some REAL adrenaline producing alternatives, even though they might be dangerous (not eating, running away from home, cutting). I think doing these things are better than DYING at least. I'm glad the author had the courage to publish this. She knows that these things are dangerous and it is really helpful that she puts a key in the beginning to show you how dangerous something is. She advises against doing dangerous things but she doesn't forbid it if it means your life.