Diversity Rules Magazine

4 Diversity Rules Magazine August 2019 "Unredacted" is Jim Koury's first literary endeavor. He is a seeker of personal truth. Through his book, his goal is to help others to over- come the s gma of their past and realize their their own per- sonal truths buried inside of themselves. "Unredacted" is a book about personal evolu on into the person that is inherently buried deep inside us. It is also a stark and raw look at what people go through in the closet be- cause of a society that is hell-bent on condemning and persecu ng people for who they are, and for whom they love. By bringing these aspects of many individual's hidden closeted life to light, it is the au- thor's hope that folks who read this book will have a be er understand- ing of what one deals with in terms of their secret lives, and how they seek out sexual gra fica on, companionship, and just a support network within which to func on, most mes, in a non-accep ng environment. If it can help someone under- stand and realize what life is like for someone else outside of their dy, straight existences, and, as a result, look upon those who are different with a more empathe c perspec ve, then the book has served its purpose. More importantly, this book is for those countless others who have experienced a lot of the same things detailed in "Unredacted," and the associated emo onal turmoil. If you can personally relate to what is in the book, then it is the author's sincere hope that you can muster the courage to cast off your hidden past, and the fear that someone may find out about things you did. Thus helping you move forward with your life. If that is the result, it is worth every consequence of not remaining silent and embracing and evolving into all that is YOU! I was cha ng with an acquaintance of mine about my first book en tled, "Unredacted." I was telling him about some of the comments and ques ons I was ge ng in response to its release in June. He thought it would be a great idea if I took some space in Diversity Rules Magazine to promote the book and actually an- swer some of the ques ons as well as address some of the comments I have been receiving. I was rather hesitant at first since I thought it might look self-promo ng and ego s cal to feature my own book on the cover. Then I thought about it, and said, "Why the hell not? It is my first book, and a huge ac- complishment for me. If I don't promote my book and myself, who is going to?!" So, here we are, with my book as the feature in the August issue. So, let me address some of the ques ons I have go en over the past couple months since its release. Why did you write the book? Wri ng a book has always been an aspira on of mine. It is something that I have always wanted to do, but the effort involved in wri ng one always seemed so daun ng, and scary, actually. Folks would tell me, "Just write and then you'll be surprised about how easily it will flow." Well, they were right! A er I penned out an outline of what I wanted to do, I just started wri ng down my thoughts and feelings, and it actually became quite an easy endeavor to under- take. I actually started wri ng my book three years ago, with starts and stops, and frustra on abounded. I would get pre-occupied with other things and put the book on hold. However, in February of this year, I was si ng at the computer looking at what I had wri en, and decided it was me to finish it. I fo- cused and wrote, edited and rewrote, un l I had a Unredacted A Book About Empowerment By Jim Koury, Editor/Publisher

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