What do you think?
Rate this book
Switching Teams: What Coming Out Later in Life Taught Me About Love, Conquering Fear and Accepting Change
Dawn's comfortable existence as a stay-at-home wife and mother of three disappeared as soon as she came out as a lesbian. Although it would be one of the most difficult experiences of her life, it would also be one of the most liberating- at long last the 39-year-old was comfortable in her own skin, even as she realized everyone around her was thrown into chaos. Life got even more interesting when she fell in love with her best friend of 10 years and discovered the feeling was mutual.
It was difficult to imagine what her life would look like after such a dramatic change, and at times she felt the weight of the emotional fallout on her shoulders. But change is as inevitable as Dawn's need to be true to herself. "My coming out was the first step in reclaiming my life as it was supposed to have been," she writes.
Switching Teams tells the story of Dawn's newfound awakening and the reactions of friends and loved ones as they came to terms with her determination to live an authentic life, no matter what the cost. Throughout her fearless journey, Dawn experienced profound sadness and grief but also true peace and joy, thanks to the love of her life and unexpected support from those who mattered most.
Freelance writer Dawn Elizabeth Waters works as a real estate agent, writes a real estate blog, and co-owns an event photography business in Debary, Florida. She studied sports administration at Stetson University and was married for nearly 20 years before realizing she was a lesbian and getting a divorce.
Dawn, a Detroit native, supports LGBT causes and coaches youth sports, and is a lifelong Detroit Lions and Red Wings fan. She and her wife, Yvette, have four sons. She admires her wife, children and anyone who has stared fear in the face and survived in spite of it.
It was difficult to imagine what her life would look like after such a dramatic change, and at times she felt the weight of the emotional fallout on her shoulders. But change is as inevitable as Dawn's need to be true to herself. "My coming out was the first step in reclaiming my life as it was supposed to have been," she writes.
Switching Teams tells the story of Dawn's newfound awakening and the reactions of friends and loved ones as they came to terms with her determination to live an authentic life, no matter what the cost. Throughout her fearless journey, Dawn experienced profound sadness and grief but also true peace and joy, thanks to the love of her life and unexpected support from those who mattered most.
Freelance writer Dawn Elizabeth Waters works as a real estate agent, writes a real estate blog, and co-owns an event photography business in Debary, Florida. She studied sports administration at Stetson University and was married for nearly 20 years before realizing she was a lesbian and getting a divorce.
Dawn, a Detroit native, supports LGBT causes and coaches youth sports, and is a lifelong Detroit Lions and Red Wings fan. She and her wife, Yvette, have four sons. She admires her wife, children and anyone who has stared fear in the face and survived in spite of it.
- GenresNonfiction
184 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2015
18 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Elizabeth Waters
4 books9 followersDawn Elizabeth Waters is real estate broker and freelance writer in Orlando, Florida. She studied sports administration at Stetson University and is a native of Detroit, Michigan. She enjoys working with the Florida Guardian Ad Litem program, advocating for youth protection, creating wellness programs for women, and writing. She and her current wife, Dawn, have four sons and live in Debary, Florida.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 28, 2016
While this was an interesting book on a topic that doesn't get talked about much, there were parts that were pure pontification which let down the actual story. It was also difficult to understand the need for the long baseball themed introduction, but I'm not a sport fan anyway. That said I enjoyed reading this book and can highly recommend it.
March 22, 2016
I received this as a Goodreads giveaway and I'm glad I did. I think for anyone coming out late in life or not this is a must read. I can see many women struggling with their sexuality using this as a tool to help them get a firm grasp on living their authentic lives.
That being said, I did find it a bit of a slog in some areas. After a while I felt as if reading Switching Teams was like having a long one sided conversation with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time who just would not stop going on and on. As far as memoirs go I'd have liked a little more show than tell but all in all I'd say it was a good effort from an honest perspective.
That being said, I did find it a bit of a slog in some areas. After a while I felt as if reading Switching Teams was like having a long one sided conversation with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time who just would not stop going on and on. As far as memoirs go I'd have liked a little more show than tell but all in all I'd say it was a good effort from an honest perspective.
April 5, 2016
I'm going to split this review to cover roughly two areas.
Waters shared a heartfelt and difficult journey, that is eye opening for anyone who is newly coming out later in life or anyone who is not in the LGBTQ community. She discussed the hurdles she did and will continue to face that some may not even consider. However, because she shared these things as a part of HER story, it never seemed to come across as preaching or "woe is me." It was simply, these are her new facts of life. (That's not to say there wasn't ANY pontificating in this book; she's passionate.)
I appreciated the insight and the emotional tone in which she presented her story. It was of the heart.
As for the structure, writing, and editing... I initially was unfamiliar with Dog Ear Publishing, and didn't know it's a self-publishing house, so to speak. So, it left me with an ever growing sour taste in my mouth as I proceeded through the book...
I don't recall finding spelling errors, instead I found missing and extra words, throughout. I almost wondered if it was a computer glitch, because the words generally tended to be small prepositions. Maybe Waters did a Find & Replace that went awry? Who knows. But it eventually got old.
I want to say that I didn't really start to see this show up en force until around chapter 6.
The structure of the book was a bit meandering in spots with tangential stories, for which I was perplexed over why they were included or where they were leading. Apart from the iffy baseball analogy in the beginning (though I understand why she used it), the first part of the book seemed more structurely sound than the latter.
A book is hard, grueling work, like birthing a baby, so I can see how it could have happened. I think having an official publisher and editor would have tidied it up.
All of that said, if you look past these technical aspects to the messages behind the author's words, there were valuable life experiences and personal insights and discoveries to learn from. And in my opinion, those technical aspects did not hamper my ability to still glean those lessons.
If you want to read this book, don't let these things hold you back - just be prepared for them.
Waters shared a heartfelt and difficult journey, that is eye opening for anyone who is newly coming out later in life or anyone who is not in the LGBTQ community. She discussed the hurdles she did and will continue to face that some may not even consider. However, because she shared these things as a part of HER story, it never seemed to come across as preaching or "woe is me." It was simply, these are her new facts of life. (That's not to say there wasn't ANY pontificating in this book; she's passionate.)
I appreciated the insight and the emotional tone in which she presented her story. It was of the heart.
As for the structure, writing, and editing... I initially was unfamiliar with Dog Ear Publishing, and didn't know it's a self-publishing house, so to speak. So, it left me with an ever growing sour taste in my mouth as I proceeded through the book...
I don't recall finding spelling errors, instead I found missing and extra words, throughout. I almost wondered if it was a computer glitch, because the words generally tended to be small prepositions. Maybe Waters did a Find & Replace that went awry? Who knows. But it eventually got old.
I want to say that I didn't really start to see this show up en force until around chapter 6.
The structure of the book was a bit meandering in spots with tangential stories, for which I was perplexed over why they were included or where they were leading. Apart from the iffy baseball analogy in the beginning (though I understand why she used it), the first part of the book seemed more structurely sound than the latter.
A book is hard, grueling work, like birthing a baby, so I can see how it could have happened. I think having an official publisher and editor would have tidied it up.
All of that said, if you look past these technical aspects to the messages behind the author's words, there were valuable life experiences and personal insights and discoveries to learn from. And in my opinion, those technical aspects did not hamper my ability to still glean those lessons.
If you want to read this book, don't let these things hold you back - just be prepared for them.
May 6, 2016
hree Stars: f/f older lesbian coming out
I was sent this book by Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very poignant novel and Ms Waters has obviously poured out her heart in writing it. Obviously she is a brave and soulful woman, judging by this work.
I thought the allegories she used were extremely good and clearly defined what she was explaining. I also enjoyed her use of similes' which made her descriptions that much more emphatic.
However I did have problems identifying with her actual beliefs and coping mechanisms, as a lesbian, a mother and someone who also came out later in life I could not identify at all with her experiences. Personally I felt that at times it was rather preachy and just a little sanctimonious. Also as a Brit I was not accustomed to the dominant role played by therapists.
I do feel this novel may help many people and would encourage anyone who has doubts about coming out later in life and who holds Christian beliefs to read it and judge it for themselves.
I was sent this book by Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very poignant novel and Ms Waters has obviously poured out her heart in writing it. Obviously she is a brave and soulful woman, judging by this work.
I thought the allegories she used were extremely good and clearly defined what she was explaining. I also enjoyed her use of similes' which made her descriptions that much more emphatic.
However I did have problems identifying with her actual beliefs and coping mechanisms, as a lesbian, a mother and someone who also came out later in life I could not identify at all with her experiences. Personally I felt that at times it was rather preachy and just a little sanctimonious. Also as a Brit I was not accustomed to the dominant role played by therapists.
I do feel this novel may help many people and would encourage anyone who has doubts about coming out later in life and who holds Christian beliefs to read it and judge it for themselves.
February 4, 2016
A refreshingly honest memoir about being true to one's self
With a charming writing style that is one moment poignant and profound and the next wry and humorous, Dawn Elizabeth Waters shares her experiences of her life's journey to being her authentic self. Though this book deals with coming out later in life (an experience that is not often discussed, much less written about), I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with the turmoil and wonder that change can bring. As I wrote in the heading, a refreshingly honest memoir about one woman's experiences of being a "work in progress."
With a charming writing style that is one moment poignant and profound and the next wry and humorous, Dawn Elizabeth Waters shares her experiences of her life's journey to being her authentic self. Though this book deals with coming out later in life (an experience that is not often discussed, much less written about), I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with the turmoil and wonder that change can bring. As I wrote in the heading, a refreshingly honest memoir about one woman's experiences of being a "work in progress."
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews