Coming Up from the Down Low
The Journey to Acceptance, Healing, and Honest Love
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2.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
The dramatic follow-up to the controversial bestseller that has all of America talking…
In his first book, On the Down Low, J. L. King introduced readers to the deceptive underground world of the “down low” (DL), the subculture of men leading straight lives while secretly sleeping with other men. In that first book, King’s own life was exhibit A—he lived for years as a DL man and was able to expose this lifestyle with unique authority.
In this blockbuster new book, King takes readers to the next level in his exploration of the down-low world by answering the most common questions from the thousands of people he’s met while traveling the country. He provides more in-depth information about the lives of men on the DL, dispels the most common myths, and addresses the most frequently asked question of all: What are the signs? But more than that, he tells of his own transformation over the last year, as he’s moved into a more honest evaluation of his own life and the lives of other men on the DL who are trying to emerge from their web of deceit. And he courageously points to the urgent problems in our communities that drive men into such dangerous and reckless lives and keep them there.
Filled with fascinating stories from the men who have lived on the down low and the women who have struggled through it with them, Coming Up from the Down Low shines more light on a phenomenon that has touched the lives of too many. It’s a vital call for greater love, tolerance, and forgiveness in our individual lives and in the lives of our communities, and an inspiration to all of us to embrace the liberating power of the truth.
“The source of my expertise on this subject is, quite simply, my own life. I’ve lived this and been struggling down the road of understanding my entire life. Since the publication of the first book I’ve made further progress down that road, helped along by the thousands of you who responded. The insights I’ve gotten have transformed my understanding of this phenomenon and transformed my life. I want to share those insights with you now, to help you better understand the down-low phenomenon, yes, but also to help you better understand the potential liberating power of honesty, acceptance, and healing in our personal lives and in the life of our community.” —from the Introduction
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This follow-up to the Oprah-driven smash On the Down Low packs few surprises, but in its relentlessly candid, insistently first-person way, it creates a safe, supportive space in which readers who find themselves "living on the DL" might self-recognize and begin to seek light and air. King careens from anecdote to anecdote, from tales from his own sex-addicted DL existence (and his divorce) to those of readers who got in touch with him following the first book's success. Each of the vignettes contains some small lesson, however, from behavior that unconsciously reflects a desire to get caught to habits that are outright dangerous. There are chapters in which men and women "Speak Out"; AIDS is treated clearly, directly and sympathetically; race is aired complexly. All the issues that King treats, he treats specifically: the discussion of race, for example, is drawn out of an anecdote about a cookout, which is itself embedded in a discussion of community acceptance. So while the book isn't linear, it's completely grounded and centered in King's voice and sensibility. While it may not put up the huge, instant numbers of its predecessor, this one is built for the backlist. 8-city author tour. (On sale Apr. 26)
Customer Reviews
TITLE MISLEADING
Kings first book is a great read....frightening yet informative. However, this book is mostly Q&A style. It doesn't tell you anything you don't already know. It lacks substance. Sadly, coming up from the down low for King means coming from secrecy up to admission. In his life's journey, He's traveled from MSM (men who sex other men) --no emotions attached, to...well, I'm bisexual to...ok, I straight like men and admits to having feelings for them. He ends with bringing a man home to meet his Dad. The title "Coming Up From The Down Low" suggested to me that he had over come his lifestyle of MSM and was committed to starting a new journey living a heterosexual lifestyle. VERY DISAPPOINTING FOR ME AS A WOMAN. This promotion of admission, honesty and truth ( I applaud him for encouraging men to do so) may be liberating for King but not for women. At the end of the day the men are still screwing each other. Which ultimately is STILL deteriorating the family structure. Oh, Well!