When Chani started writing this book, I had the privilege of hearing the author personally read a section. Listening to the audiobook is especially meaningful since Chani narrates it.

I appreciate this book on many levels. I appreciate the clinical nature of clarifying meanings of terms, having clear separation from professional and personal, but also where it all blurs.

Having had a Jewish upbringing, I understand the stereotypes placed upon individuals within the religion.
Being bisexual and married to a woman, I also relate to the stereotypes tied to that identity.

This book feels therapeutic—for the author, the people included, and the reader.

I feel especially connected to the idea of rituals. I explored this in my master’s thesis on artistic and religious practices. My wife created our wedding ceremony—something Chani also mentions—which made me appreciate our own wedding, exactly four months ago today, even more.

So many elements of this book can resonate with people from all walks of life.
I’m grateful to have listened to it and hope others take the time to read or listen and come away having learned something—about themselves or someone else.

Thank you to Chani Getter, Inspirational Living Inc and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy of Mapito: Embrace Yourself which is a LGBTQIA focused self-help guide that as the description states is ‘A How-To Guide on Finding, Accepting, and Loving All of You!’

Now, I am the first to confess that I once had an aversion to self-help, and have struggled with counselling and therapy over the years but with age, I think comes the opportunity for honesty with oneself and I simply wasn’t in the right mind-space or time in my life when I’d either contemplated or attempted to engage with anything that would have benefitted my mental well-being as a whole. So here we are, in 2025 and I am far older than I ever thought I might get and a lot more aware of the person I am and also want to be. I’ve established my gender and am proud of the steps I am taking.

Why the insight into myself that you no doubt don’t need to know? Well, I thought honesty might be beneficial with me reviewing this book and being curious about it in the first place - my younger self wouldn’t have had the patience, and my more frightened self would have run screaming at the possibility that listening to other people’s stories would poke a hole in the protective bubble I had created.

The audiobook of Mapito is narrated by the author, Chani Getter and includes some recollections told to her during her time as a Trauma expert, along with some stories from her own life that will have you experiencing a plethora of emotions and also experience moments of clarity and relatability. I feel it’s important to make note that all the people who have their moments in therapy recalled, have of course been given different names to protect anonymity and patient-client confidentiality.

I believe that there will be something in any of the stories Getter recalls that the listener/reader will find a connection with, and even those that may not be similar to situations you may be in; are valid and interesting in their own right. I know that I came away from Mapito taking away far more than I had expected to. Don’t get me wrong, when I read the synopsis of the book I had a feeling it would hit home, I just wasn’t expecting it to make me think about some things I’d been dismissive of over the years.

Whilst this book is written with the LGBTQ community in mind and many of the people who’s stories that are told, including Chani Getter are members of the community in some way; I do believe that it’s one that anyone struggling with acceptance of self, and of their life and all that it may give is both good and bad? Would gain something.

"Grieving the relationship we want to have and accepting the relationship we do have"

Mapito is told through a series of stories about the human experience. They touched on gender, gender roles, growth through relationships with other people and reconnecting to yourself and your environment. I loved how there was an emphasis on coming home to yourself- both spiritually and physically and how to find a moment to check in. I loved the Jewish spiritual background throughout the book without it being a religious text.

I loved the narrators pace and inflection. Thanks to NetGalley for the early ARC!

This book brought together so many aspects of life and mental health in a way that helped bring them to life. Using both a Jewish Spiritual background and a background as a mental health professional the author brings together so many aspects of what it means to be a human being. So many of the included stories helped me process my own thoughts and feelings.

Favorite Quotes:
"Grieving the relationship we want to have and accepting the relationship we do have"

"All grief is not trauma but all trauma is grief"

"You give up yourself in order to be in relationship"

"If you become ALL we want you to be you will have friends if you behave the way we want you to behave you will have community"

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Self-Improvement
Age: Adult
Topics: mental health, queerness, gender, relationships
Representation: non-binary author, disability
Read for: Disabilit Readathon
Obtained from: Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ALC