do I get a happy ending? - Valentin Mings

This memoir doesn't focus solely on the past; rather, it gives the reader an inside look at what the author is going through as it happens. Written almost like a journal, the author makes a point of discussing topics that society has deemed taboo or inappropriate, in hopes of starting conversations about those very same topics. Readers are shown Valentin's unfiltered emotions as they grapple with their most vulnerable desire yet, being intimately known while trying to be a person they could've looked up to as a child. They do this by processing past traumas out loud, hoping to figure out how their life arrived at the point it did, by unpacking themes of sexual assault, depression, discovering sexualities and gender identities, alone-ness, and fitting into an unwelcoming world. Valentin hopes to start conversations among others about the same or similar topics, forcing the taboo and controversy surrounding these topics to be dismantled one casual conversation at a time.