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Here is my review of the second edition of Hello, Cruel World: 101+ Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws:

Two decades after its initial release, gender theorist and writer Kate Bornstein revisits and updates her young adult self-help book to reflect and address the growing hostility toward the trans community, particularly trans youth, in the 2020s. Drawing on her own history with bullying, religious trauma, and suicidal ideation, Bornstein offers a list of over 100 alternatives to encourage teens to choose Life over Death. Some are gentle, like “Ask for Help” and “Believe in Your Own Laughter,” while others are only barely healthier than suicide itself, like “Starve Yourself” or “Take Drugs.” These options are sure to invite controversy, but they do come with disclaimers that they’re absolute last resort measures and can be taken way too far; the goal is not to encourage these behaviors, but to use them for harm reduction. Bornstein also offers a group of graphic ratings for each alternative based on difficulty, danger, and effectiveness. My personal favorite is the difficulty rating: a person petting a cow means Easy, a person riding a cow means Tricky, a cow on a skateboard means Difficult, and a baby with a handgun means Too Easy – to the point of recklessness.

While the original text is unaltered, still filled with references to George W. Bush and an outdated internet ecosystem, this new edition includes alternatives that better fit today’s world as well as a new essay on the increasing pressures trans youth face today, even from within the LGBTQIA+ community. Bornstein continues to offer support and hope to her readers by honestly recounting the many roles she’s “traveled” through in her 77 years of life, from a “boy” who “just wanted to be pretty” to a nonbinary femme postmodern and sociopolitical theorist, all with playful humor and deep empathy. She even offers a “Get Out of Hell Free” card to her readers – if it turns out Hell is real and a reader is doomed for having indulged in harmless desires, they can simply show that card and Kate will serve their time in their stead.

Hello, Cruel World would be an excellent addition to any YA collection, with the important caveat that it does deal with issues of sexual desire, gender identity, self-harm, and suicide very directly and could therefore be at risk of banning. In fact, I was shocked to learn that this title had never appeared on any major banned book lists in the 20 years it has been around. Nevertheless, these are issues that do affect teens in very real and very severe ways, and it could provide some much-needed lifelines to those still questioning their identities and navigating suicidal ideation. If it saves even one vulnerable teen, this book is worth the risk.

Bornstein, Kate (2025). Hello, Cruel World: 101+ Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws, Second Edition. Penguin Books. 9781644214435, eBook, $12.99