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9781941932087

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Reflective but passionate, Gajdics takes the reader on an exploration beyond the what of his experience as a young, conflicted gay man and deeply into the chasm of his search to discover who he was.... This exploration is a hero's journey in which any reader, gay or straight, can find inspiration. -- LAMBDA LITERARY, April 2017 Peter Gajdics' multi-faceted memoir offers help for abuse survivors and those who care about them... His healing speaks to the power and fortitude of the human spirit. The Inheritance of Shame is both about damage and healing. This is a work of love. -- MIKE LEW, author of Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse Cults come in many forms and unfortunately those who want to be normal sometimes become victims of these cults. The book focuses on the triumph of the human spirit and shows how everyone may be different in some ways but no one is born to be what others think they should be. At the end, be yourself and be happier is the theme of the book. -- BEV SELLARS, Bestselling author of They Called Me Number One

Raw and unflinching: a powerful argument against conversion therapy as well as the healing power of memoir. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS, May 2017 In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes... A necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day. -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person Peter Gajdics traces his transformation from 'a man whose food seemed poisonous to his hunger' to a writer who makes real what seemed unreal. Through unrelenting prose, his words provide a home for his orphaned father, tortured mother, and most importantly, his own identity that others wanted to drug, demonize, and destroy. -- KATE GRAY, author of Carry the Sky Reflective but passionate, Gajdics takes the reader on an exploration beyond the what of his experience as a young, conflicted gay man and deeply into the chasm of his search to discover who he was.... This exploration is a hero's journey in which any reader, gay or straight, can find inspiration. -- LAMBDA LITERARY, April 2017 Peter Gajdics' multi-faceted memoir offers help for abuse survivors and those who care about them... His healing speaks to the power and fortitude of the human spirit. The Inheritance of Shame is both about damage and healing. This is a work of love. -- MIKE LEW, author of Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse Cults come in many forms and unfortunately those who want to be normal sometimes become victims of these cults. The book focuses on the triumph of the human spirit and shows how everyone may be different in some ways but no one is born to be what others think they should be. At the end, be yourself and be happier is the theme of the book. -- BEV SELLARS, Bestselling author of They Called Me Number One The Inheritance of Shame provides an in-depth account of the triumph of one man's sanity over a psychotherapy system designed to eradicate personhood. Particularly moving were passages of Gajdics's fondness for the very therapist who abused him, a kind of Stockholm syndrome most survivors of conversion therapy have experienced. A necessary, incredibly nuanced portrait of a survivor, The Inheritance of Shame will change lives. -- GARRARD CONLEY, author of Boy Erased: A Memoir Unforgettable... This book is appallingly appropriate in these times. -- FOREWORD REVIEWS Peter Gajdics carries us along effortlessly on his incredible struggle with family rejection, loss of self and ultimate recovery from the deep wounds inflicted by anti-gay therapy. At this time of immense suffering for LGBTQ+ youth around the world, his emergence from shame should give hope for healing to all victims of this destructive practice. -- JASON MARSDEN, Executive Director, Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Inheritance of Shame provides an in-depth account of the triumph of one man's sanity over a psychotherapy system designed to eradicate personhood. Particularly moving were passages of Gajdics's fondness for the very therapist who abused him, a kind of Stockholm syndrome most survivors of conversion therapy have experienced. A necessary, incredibly nuanced portrait of a survivor, The Inheritance of Shame will change lives. -- GARRARD CONLEY, author of Boy Erased: A Memoir Unforgettable... This book is appallingly appropriate in these times. -- FOREWORD REVIEWS Peter Gajdics carries us along effortlessly on his incredible struggle with family rejection, loss of self and ultimate recovery from the deep wounds inflicted by anti-gay therapy. At this time of immense suffering for LGBTQ+ youth around the world, his emergence from shame should give hope for healing to all victims of this destructive practice. -- JASON MARSDEN, Executive Director, Matthew Shepard Foundation Raw and unflinching: a powerful argument against conversion therapy as well as the healing power of memoir. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS, May 2017 In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes... A necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day. -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person Peter Gajdics traces his transformation from 'a man whose food seemed poisonous to his hunger' to a writer who makes real what seemed unreal. Through unrelenting prose, his words provide a home for his orphaned father, tortured mother, and most importantly, his own identity that others wanted to drug, demonize, and destroy. -- KATE GRAY, author of Carry the Sky Reflective but passionate, Gajdics takes the reader on an exploration beyond the what of his experience as a young, conflicted gay man and deeply into the chasm of his search to discover who he was.... This exploration is a hero's journey in which any reader, gay or straight, can find inspiration. -- LAMBDA LITERARY, April 2017 Peter Gajdics' multi-faceted memoir offers help for abuse survivors and those who care about them... His healing speaks to the power and fortitude of the human spirit. The Inheritance of Shame is both about damage and healing. This is a work of love. -- MIKE LEW, author of Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse Cults come in many forms and unfortunately those who want to be normal sometimes become victims of these cults. The book focuses on the triumph of the human spirit and shows how everyone may be different in some ways but no one is born to be what others think they should be. At the end, be yourself and be happier is the theme of the book. -- BEV SELLARS, Bestselling author of They Called Me Number One

-In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes. A shocking, crystal-clear, unsettling book. The Inheritance of Shame is both a necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day.- -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person

-In a book that celebrates and embodies the power of the medium of writing in a pure way, Gajdics uses the written word to heal from trauma, to reconcile with his parents, to unearth their own suffering in World War II, and as an unforgettable call for compassion. The passionate writing makes the book not only an intriguing read but an important one in the literary and political realms... With its stark presentation of the tangible effects of not only homophobia, but xenophobia -- his mother's time in a concentration camp, and his father's own traumatic WWII experience -- this book is appallingly appropriate in these times. This uncomfortably true account of homophobia to the extreme is raw and unforgettable.- -- FOREWORD REVIEWS, May/June 2017 -In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes. A shocking, crystal-clear, unsettling book. The Inheritance of Shame is both a necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day.- -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person In a book that celebrates and embodies the power of the medium of writing in a pure way, Gajdics uses the written word to heal from trauma, to reconcile with his parents, to unearth their own suffering in World War II, and as an unforgettable call for compassion. The passionate writing makes the book not only an intriguing read but an important one in the literary and political realms... With its stark presentation of the tangible effects of not only homophobia, but xenophobia -- his mother's time in a concentration camp, and his father's own traumatic WWII experience -- this book is appallingly appropriate in these times. This uncomfortably true account of homophobia to the extreme is raw and unforgettable. -- FOREWORD REVIEWS, May/June 2017 In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes. A shocking, crystal-clear, unsettling book. The Inheritance of Shame is both a necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day. -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person The Inheritance of Shame provides an in-depth account of the triumph of one man's sanity over a psychotherapy system designed to eradicate personhood. Particularly moving were passages of Gajdics's fondness for the very therapist who abused him, a kind of Stockholm syndrome most survivors of conversion therapy have experienced. A necessary, incredibly nuanced portrait of a survivor, The Inheritance of Shame will change lives. -- GARRARD CONLEY, author of Boy Erased: A Memoir Unforgettable... This book is appallingly appropriate in these times. -- FOREWORD REVIEWS Peter Gajdics carries us along effortlessly on his incredible struggle with family rejection, loss of self and ultimate recovery from the deep wounds inflicted by anti-gay therapy. At this time of immense suffering for LGBTQ+ youth around the world, his emergence from shame should give hope for healing to all victims of this destructive practice. -- JASON MARSDEN, Executive Director, Matthew Shepard Foundation Reflective but passionate, Gajdics takes the reader on an exploration beyond the what of his experience as a young, conflicted gay man and deeply into the chasm of his search to discover who he was.... This exploration is a hero's journey in which any reader, gay or straight, can find inspiration. -- LAMBDA LITERARY, April 2017 Peter Gajdics' multi-faceted memoir offers help for abuse survivors and those who care about them... His healing speaks to the power and fortitude of the human spirit. The Inheritance of Shame is both about damage and healing. This is a work of love. -- MIKE LEW, author of Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse Cults come in many forms and unfortunately those who want to be normal sometimes become victims of these cults. The book focuses on the triumph of the human spirit and shows how everyone may be different in some ways but no one is born to be what others think they should be. At the end, be yourself and be happier is the theme of the book. -- BEV SELLARS, Bestselling author of They Called Me Number One Raw and unflinching: a powerful argument against conversion therapy as well as the healing power of memoir. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS, May 2017 In Peter Gajdics' memoir, we're taken into a real-life horror film of malpractice and corrupt psychotherapy, hoping at every turn of the page that our narrator escapes... A necessary and devastating memoir about the trauma of conversion therapy and the homophobia that persists to this day. -- DANIEL ZOMPARELLI, author of Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person Peter Gajdics traces his transformation from 'a man whose food seemed poisonous to his hunger' to a writer who makes real what seemed unreal. Through unrelenting prose, his words provide a home for his orphaned father, tortured mother, and most importantly, his own identity that others wanted to drug, demonize, and destroy. -- KATE GRAY, author of Carry the Sky

Author Information

"Peter Gajdics (pronounced ""Guy-ditch"") is an award-winning writer whose essays, short memoir and poetry have appeared in, among others, The Advocate, New York Tyrant, The Gay and Lesbian Review / Worldwide, Cosmonauts Avenue, and Opium. He is a recipient of a writers grant from Canada Council for the Arts, a fellowship from The Summer Literary Seminars, and an alumni of Lambda Literary Foundation's ""Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices."" When not in Budapest, Hungary, his home away from home, Peter lives in Vancouver, Canada. This is his first book."

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