The Times I Knew I Was Gay

A charming, highly relatable graphic memoir about one woman’s coming out and coming of age that “brims with hope, and the joy that arises when one is finally ready to step out into the world” (OprahMag.com).

Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusing than many of her friends did. As she grew older, so did her fears and a deep sense of unbelonging. From her first communion to her first girlfriend via a swathe of self-denial, awkward encounters, and everyday courage, Ellie offers a fresh and funny self-portrait of a young woman becoming herself.

This “heartwarming, delightful memoir of self-discovery” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) reminds us that people sometimes come out not just once but again and again; that identity is not necessarily about falling in love with others, but about coming to terms with oneself. Full of vitality and humor, The Times I Knew I Was Gay will ring true for anyone who has taken the time to discover who they truly are.

Eleanor Crewes is a London-based illustrator and the author of the graphic memoir The Times I Knew I Was Gay and the middle-grade graphic novel Lilla the Accidental Witch. The Times I New I Was Gay began in 2017 as a hand-stitched zine and then was published as a small book by Good Comics and exhibited at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival and Thought Bubble. The newly expanded American edition was praised by Oprah.com, The Washington Post, Autostrcaddle (“[one] of the best queer books of 2020”), and others. Learn more about Ellie at EleanorCrewesIllustration.co.uk.