Out!: How to Be Your Authentic Self

by Miles McKenna

Overview

Miles McKenna is a queer and trans activist. He transitioned online in front of a million people. Out!: How to Be Your Authentic Self is his survival guide.

When Miles came out on his YouTube channel in 2015—then transitioned online in 2017—his aim was to help other teens navigate their identities and take charge of their own coming-out stories. From that experience comes Out!, the ultimate coming-out survival guide for anyone questioning or queer.

Out! covers questions big and small: how to stay safe when coming out in a toxic environment, what to do if you don’t feel comfortable with your birth name, what style haircut best suits your identity, and how to find your chosen family. Miles offers readers coming-out conversation starters (“Can I have the bathroom pass? Also, the correct pronouns?”), a recipe for a very gay cake, and a guide to mastering the masculine haircut. You’ll find resources for finding a gender therapist, pointers for being a queer ally, and Miles’s Ten Commandments (#5: You are valid in your identity, even if you’re the only one who can define it).

If you’re a person seeking answers, look no further! This book is for you. And remember: Whoever you are, you are worth fighting for.

“Any teen with questions about gender identity and/or sexuality will find heart, humor, and essential guidance in McKenna’s book, and so will the adults looking to support them. An indispensable first purchase.” —School Library Journal

Includes color images

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419739958
Publisher:	Amulet Paperbacks
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	440,659
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Miles McKenna is an actor and social media icon known for his comedic voice and LGBTQ+ advice and activism. He was awarded the Shorty Award for Best LGBTQ+ Account of 2017, headlined two nationwide tours that covered a total of 35 shows, and has creatively collaborated with companies like Google, HBO, ATT, and Lyft.

Editorial Reviews

"This coming-out guide for the next generation hits all the right notes... The pictures tell the best story of all: that of a young man who’s comfortable in his own skin. A worthy read for teens, tweens, and their parents."—Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Any teen with questions about gender identity and/or sexuality will find heart, humor, and essential guidance in McKenna’s book, and so will the adults looking to support them. An indispensable first purchase." —School Library Journal

"Energetic and lovingly written memoir... McKenna acknowledges the weight of coming out and reminds readers that he’s only an expert at being himself, urging readers to likewise live authentically."—Booklist

From the Publisher

"Energetic and lovingly written memoir... McKenna acknowledges the weight of coming out and reminds readers that he’s only an expert at being himself, urging readers to likewise live authentically."

Booklist

★ 07/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—YouTuber and LGBTQIA+ activist McKenna, a self-described "queer, transgender, twenty-something-year-old guy who tries to be funny on the Internet," crafts an affirming and refreshing guide to understanding sexuality, gender identity, and coming out. Focusing on self-acceptance and authenticity, McKenna reminds teens there's no right or wrong way to come out. He offers an informative play-by-play of his own coming out and transition. The text is interspersed with lists on topics such as how to come out at school, including a template letter to administrators. Opening this book is like diving straight into McKenna's Instagram page—there are bright, full-page selfies and Polaroids. Illustrated elements also include handwritten journal entries and colorful text boxes providing biographical information on LGBTQIA+ historical figures. Slang, hashtags, and humor are peppered throughout the text, conveying a modern tone that will appeal to teens. McKenna acknowledges his own white privilege but does not delve into the possible challenges an LGBTQIA+ person of color can experience. Extensive back matter includes a glossary, a recipe for rainbow cake, a playlist, a gallery of fan art, and thoroughly researched online resources for LGBTQ+ youth and allies. VERDICT Any teen with questions about gender identity and/or sexuality will find heart, humor, and essential guidance in McKenna's book, and so will the adults looking to support them. An indispensable first purchase.—Allison Staley, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

School Library Journal

First-time author and narrator Miles McKenna shares his one-of-a-kind guide to self-discovery for anyone questioning or transitioning and for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. McKenna's candid and fast-paced approach is full of both energy and sensitivity. A great mix of humor and wisdom, McKenna's unique self-help survival guide provides details from his personal experience, advice known as "Miles's Ten Commandments," and innumerable resources and websites that are available. His youthful tones broadcast positivity and confidence, and, most of all, hope. McKenna provides insights into important questions and topics with grace and humility. Ideally suited for a younger audience, this audiobook is beneficial to those of all ages. E.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

2020-05-16
This coming-out guide for the next generation hits all the right notes.

McKenna, a queer, white, trans YouTube personality, presents a new generation of tween and teen readers with an updated coming-out guide that’s fun, fresh, and incredibly useful. Celebrity-authored books can be hit or miss, but this one will be a hit thanks to the warmth and personality that infuse it. Along the way, readers will learn about McKenna’s story of coming out as queer, then as trans. But although sections of the book discuss his life, the focus remains on providing solid real-world advice. McKenna tackles a laundry list of common (and less common) aspects of coming out, from the role and changing nature of self-labeling to finding or making safe spaces to therapy to maintaining a healthy mental state throughout the process. It’s on this point that the book truly shines; McKenna consistently and effectively reminds readers to value their mental health. Links in the text and in the backmatter will supply readers with plenty of places to turn for help. Superfans will be ecstatic because the book is peppered with photo-shoot images of McKenna, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. The pictures tell the best story of all: that of a young man who’s comfortable in his own skin.

A worthy read for teens, tweens, and their parents. (activity guide, resource list, glossary, fan art) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews