Journalist/Author/Speaker David Rabadi has released his highly anticipated new book “How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself.”
The sentence for being gay and Arab is death-even when the punishment is self-inflicted. Living a closeted life in a Middle-Eastern culture is brutal-and potentially deadly. Add to the mix mental illness and your odds of survival drop to near zero. How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself is the true story of how one man lived to tell the tale. Gay Arab, David Rabadi, had been taught from a very young age that there are no genies and no gay Arabs. But while David might accept the fact that genies might not exist, he knew from a young age there was at least one gay Arab and it was, in fact, him.
The fear of losing the love and respect of his family kept David in the closet for more than twenty years, but living with undiagnosed mental illness kept him a prisoner in his own head for what seemed an eternity. How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself is a touching, sometimes funny story of David’s struggles and eventual triumph in overcoming not one but two stigmas still judged, misjudged, and misunderstood in today’s society. Told with poignant honesty, David shares his inspirational journey from a fresh perspective and gives the reader a rare view of what it means to be living as an openly gay Arab and coping with mental illness. David Rabadi is the first Jordanian to come out publicly in Yonkers.
David Rabadi was born and raised in Yonkers, New York. Of Jordanian descent, David came from a family of first-generation immigrants who hardly knew how to speak English. David knew from a very early age that America was the place of opportunity, and if he worked hard enough, any dream he had could materialize. David vigorously pursued education and overcame a sizable language barrier during a time when resources were limited in the public-school system. Evidence of David’s tremendous work ethic is clear in his mastery of the English language. David continued his pursuit of language and expression throughout college and graduated with a B.A. in theater and mass communications from Lehman College. David parlayed his degree into a position as a journalist for the online publication, Splash Worldwide, where he conducts Q-and-As with people in fashion and entertainment. Self-expression and self-compassion are the focus of David’s message, but, staying true to his own self in his writing, be prepared for lovely discussions filled with flare, a zest for life, and no-holds-barred honesty. He uses his platform for a cause: the proliferation of compassion, understanding, self-acceptance, and self-love.
Get your copy of “How I Lost My Mind and Found Myself” by David Rabadi on Amazon today:
The official website for David Rabadi may be found at https://www.davidrabadi.com