REVIEW: Two Henrys

Two Henrys
Author: Kevin Allison

Two Henrys is one of four stories in the Audible/Amazon Originals This Can't Be Happening Collection. Each story is about someone's worst case scenario and how they used it to their advantage rather than letting bad events own them.

I loved this story! Kevin Allison tells the tale of meeting....and losing....his best friend in school. They were inseparable friends until Kevin divulged he was gay. That revelation of his greatest secret caused a rift between the two former best buddies, culminating in a run for junior high student council president.

I remember the days when the most terrifying thing that could happen to a kid was to be "different'' or even the dreaded term "unpopular.'' I was always in the "unpopular'' group for a large list of ridiculous reasons. I was told I was too smart, never wore the right clothes, my hair was wrong, didn't apply the correct shades of cool eyeshadow and lip gloss, and I wasn't thin enough. As soon as I had that magic birthday where I was old enough to work, I got a job waitressing at a truck stop so I could fix the clothes, my hair, and buy the required make-up. It didn't help....I was still in the reject group. Too smart. Too nerdy. Too plain. Wore glasses. Wore a size 12. I just was that too round peg that didn't even remotely fit the square hole of popularity.

There was one topic that was the ultimate taboo back in 80's public school in the rural midwest where I grew up -- being gay. I'm sure there were gay kids at my school, but they stayed safely in the closet back in those days. The worst thing to call someone back then was a "fag'' or a "fruit.'' It was the penultimate insult. The destroyer of worlds. Worse than being weird. Looking back, I wonder if any of my classmates lived in that hell of never getting to be who they really were. Never getting to just be themselves out of fear of being outted. There would have been no escape from being labeled as The Fag. I grew up in that era.....and I felt total sympathy for Kevin Allison as he told his story with honesty, humor and truth.

I listened to the audio version of this novella. It's an easy listen at just under 1.5 hours. Kevin Allison narrates his own story. His performance is top-notch. It was enjoyable to hear his tale of learning to be comfortable in his own skin. I have hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand the entire audio book. Kevin Allison has a popular podcast called Risk!, showcasing true stories that people never thought they would work up the guts to tell in public. It sounds intriguingly interesting. I added it to my podcast lineup. Definitely worth a listen!