Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife

(Paperback)

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Melissa Giberson is a middle-aged suburban wife and mother of two kids, solidly planted in the life shes always wanted. Yet she longs for something moresomething she cant quite put her finger on until, one day at the Y, she finds herself mesmerized by the sight of a naked woman and asks herself for the first time: Am I gay

This revelation sends Melissa on a head-spinning journey of self-discovery, one that challenges everything she thinks she knows about herself, forces her to decide exactly how much shes willing to risk for authenticity, and shakes the foundations of the family shes fiercely determined to shield from the kinds of wounds she sustained during her own childhood. Torn between her desire to be true to herself and her desire to protect her children, she is consumed by fear and conflicting emotionsand when her husband unexpectedly serves her divorce papers, her confusion only deepens.

Adrift in uncharted waters, Melissa finds fragments of understanding and peace in unexpected placesin a conference room in Israel, a small fishing village in Cape Cod, and at a yoga retreat centerthat help her deconstruct her preconceptions about faith and identity and begin to construct a new framework for her life. Over the course of her ten-year journey, she finds hope, love, and more courage than she ever knew she was capable of, and she gradually assembles the puzzle that is herthe real her.

Reviews

Late Bloomerisan absolutely glorious memoir about a woman coming out, coming into her true self. A woman sharing the most intimate details. The ending of a marriage, the discovering of her own heartbeat, her own desires, the bumpy, scary, frightening, magnificent journey of self-discovery. Giberson writes that coming out is a gut-wrenching process and that she carefully chose each person with whom to share her truth. With this memoir, shes done just thatsharing her truth, sharing the pain and sorrow and joy. And the fear. Sharing intimate details that become chapters filled with so much raw beauty. At the end of this glorious book, Giberson declares, Above all, Ive found me. And we, as readers, are awfully glad she shared herself with us. A remarkable journey, indeed.
Amy Ferris, author ofMighty GorgeousandMarrying George Clooney

Melissa Gibersons memoir is a gripping account of a suburban moms journey from a world of shuttling kids to pools and temple to the self-discovery shes trembling with lust after the beautiful women on Provincetowns beaches. There is a kind of madness that befalls a person brave enough to make that journeya human roiling through self-loathing, euphoria, depression, joy, guilt, fury, fear, erotic discoveryuntil they finally make it safely to where they need to be. This is an honest account of the profound awakening that stems from an appetite for life and yet also comes at a cost. The writing is just right. Its straightfrom the heart.
Richard C. Morais, author ofThe Hundred-Foot Journey

Author Bio

Melissa is a native New Yorker who identifies as a late bloomer, a highly sensitive introvert, and a proud mama bear to two children. An occupational therapist and writer, she has published articles in Kveller and Dorothy Parkers Ashes; she also received an Honorable Mention in the Memoirs/Personal Essay category of the 91st Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition. Her essay Art Is the Antidote appears in the anthology Art In The Time Of Unbearable Crisis (June 2022). Melissa is living her authentic life with her partner and their two cats; together, they split their time between New Jersey and Provincetown, Massachusetts.