Although I am not familiar with Kodo Nishimura, I couldn’t help but enjoy reading about his journey. Well written and a very honest and true account of his life.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC digital copy. I have not been compensated for my opinion and this is an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this ARC digital copy before needing to switch to other books that were being archived. From the portion I read, this book remains on my Goodreads "want to read" list. I will update my review to reflect an updated opinion when I finish it at a later date..

"The people who live today are not inferior to those who created the rules in the past. We are just as able to think, create changes, and make history."

3.5 stars, rounded up.

"This Monk Wears Heels" is a lovely autobiography/self help book by Kodo Nishimura, a Japanese Buddhist monk and makeup artist. Nishimura shares his life experiences of accepting his identity as a gay person, finding his place in the world, and finding his true self.

The book had some interesting insights into Buddhism and how to apply certain aspects into your life to improve your mental health and self-acceptance.It offered practical tips for mindfulness, illustrated with examples from Nishimura's life and how they helped him become the person he is today.

Unfortunately, the final part of the book about empowerment through makeup felt a little weak for me in comparison particularly to part 2, which dug deeper into changing your mindset for the better.

Overall, this is a nice warm cup of tea of a book, and it can be particularly inspiring to young LGBTQ+ people, especially those living in places where they may not feel safe to be themselves.

Kodo is now a proudly out, gay, nonbinary ("gender-gifted", in more of his words) person who didn't get to see anyone like him growing up and is now keen to be visible to others coming along in Japanese society and elsewhere. He's also a fully qualified Buddhist monk, like both his parents, coming to realise through being allowed to ask a rare question of his teacher that it's OK to adorn yourself and be shiny and still be a practising monk. He weaves life lessons and Buddhist practices through his life story to give a whole that encourages self-respect and positivity, but doesn't neglect the fact that he and others can have real faults that need to be addressed.

There was quite an emphasis near the end of the book of that thing where you visualise something and the universe provides it; I wasn't so keen on that aspect as I don't think it's relevant or applicable to most people's lives. It seemed a strange mix with the Buddhist emphasis on self-development and impermanence, too. But never mind, on the whole it's a positive book that I'm sure many people can draw useful lessons from.

My full blog review https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/02/08/book-review-kodo-nishimura-this-monk-wears-heels/

This Monk Wears Heels is a heartfelt and inspiring memoir by Kodo Nishimura. Nishimura details the struggles of growing up as an outsider and never feeling fully accepted by others. Nishimura often felt judged, misunderstood, and discriminated against. These negative experiences led him to suppress his true self.

I'm not familiar with Nishimura's work, however upon seeing this book I felt drawn to read it. I admire his strength, courage, and wisdom. I enjoyed reading about Nishimura's Buddhist practices, overcoming hardships, and building up the confidence to live authentically. Whether you're familiar with Nishimura or not, I highly recommend this book to anyone who may need some encouragement to accept themselves as they are. Nishimura is a great example and inspiration. Thank you to NetGalley and Watkin’s Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.