A bold, timely, and concise new novel, The Harm We Do Ourselves, is highlighting the need for homosexuals to introspect about how prevailing lifestyles among them often lead to self-destruction. It also touches critically on “LGBTQ+” politics in the West, specifically their nefarious impact on gay people in countries where their right to even exist is not yet acknowledged.

The story follows a week in the life of an openly gay man living in Beirut who revisits what it means to be homosexual after a scandal shakes the city.

“The Harm We Do Ourselves promises to be a transformative reading experience for anyone interested in truly understanding homosexuals, with insights into the intersection of identity, society, mental health, and personal growth,” said author Jean Akouri. “It’s based on a lifetime of observations and coping with what being gay entails in today’s world, as well as experiencing the tremendous harm to the perception and acceptance of homosexuals everywhere that is emerging from association with ‘LGBTQ+’ ideology.”

The novel unfolds through conversations and recollections that outline realities for homosexuals around the world, including discussions of religion, social contexts, and coping mechanisms. It remains hopeful for a healthier future for the next gay generation, while emphasizing the crucial need for homosexuals to take a hard look in the mirror and explore what they can do to make their own lives better.

The Harm We Do Ourselves is available worldwide in paperback and e-book formats from e-retailers such as Amazon and can be ordered from leading bookstores everywhere.

About the author:

Jean Akouri has a diverse background in journalism and communications, having worked in Dubai and Switzerland before establishing his own communications consultancy in Beirut in 2004. He was born and raised in Lebanon and is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA, Journalism, 1992).

The Harm We Do Ourselves, Synopsis:

Sami is summoned for an interrogation over the murder of someone he met once years earlier. The victim is yet another gay man found dead at home, as occurs frequently in Lebanon. This one though had a prominent father, which ensured detectives investigating his death would leave no stone unturned.

As Beirut Buzzes with the scandal, Sami finds himself talking about nothing else all week – getting engaged in conversations he’d rather not have with friends and relatives who are concerned he would meet the same fate.

He grudgingly revisits all that it means to be homosexual in today’s world, especially for gay people living in countries where their legal rights to even exist have not yet been acknowledged. Where they remain largely invisible and have been written out of history. Where traditions, religions, laws, and general social environments force them to cope by pretending their lives away…

While hopeful for a healthier future for gay people everywhere, Sami emphasizes the crucial need for homosexuals to reflect on how their prevailing lifestyles promote self destruction. He also rallies against Western “LGBTQ+” politics, highlighting their nefarious impact on how homosexuals have come to be perceived around the world.

The book is now available in Lebanon at all Librairie Antoine branches.