Appropriately, a Spanish language version of the book, titled "Yo", will also be released Tuesday, and that night Univision is airing an hour-long Spanish-language interview with Maria Elena Salinas on "Aqui y Ahora" at 7pm EST.
Details of the book had been closely guarded --- until now.
A Costco store in San Juan apparently didn't abide by the release date guidelines and put the book on store stands Friday. Puerto Rico's Primera Hora got a hold of a copy.
Here are some translated excerpts from the article:
Ricky Martin always knew he was gay. He began to feel it as far back as his adolescence when he felt intimidated before his friends for being a virgin. Even though his first sexual experience was with a woman, in his autobiography "Yo", he openly confesses it is men who arouse his animal instincts.
"Since I can remember, I have felt a very strong attraction to other men and, although I can say that I have also come to feel a lot of attraction and a lot of chemistry towards women, it is men who ultimately awaken what is instinctive, the animal in me."Martin says that the fear of being rejected and the fear of his career going down the tubes was what kept him in the closet, despite family members and close friends being accepting of his sexual identity.
"Socially, there are so many prejudices against homosexuals that I thought nobody would understand me, that I'd be rejected, since those are the codes I heard and learned as a child. So since my adolescence, when these desires I first began to manifest themselves, I had to deal with this great conflict between my emotions and my thoughts."It wasn't until his 30's, Martin writes, that he began to feel comfortable with his sexuality but, even then, the singer admits he began to enjoy the 'spice' of keeping his sexual encounters secret.
He didn't know how he would say it, but he wanted to say it, so he began to loosen the ropes little by little. The provocative video from the opening of his "White and Black" concerts, in which he appeared with words painted on his body such as "accept yourself" and "discover yourself" was the start of his coming out of the closet.In the book, Martin also describes what was going through his mind when he came out on March 29th of this year by pushing a button and simply sending a Tweet.
But it was the birth of his children, Mateo and Valentino, that gave him the final push . "When I held them in my arms for the first time, I not only realized just how simple and beautiful life could be, but I felt the need to be transparent with them," says [Martin], who establishes his own commitment to defend the human rights of gays, lesbians and transgender people. He rejects discriminatory words such as "maricón", "puto" and "pato" [words that can be interchangeably translated as "fag" in areas of Latin America].
[Martin] says that as soon pressed the button "send" he shut down the computer and went to his room to sleep for half an hour, but [he says] curiosity killed the cat. He then called a friend and asked her to look at his Twitter time-line and tell him what was happening. Then he experienced more relief. "She said, 'Kiki, it's pure love..."
"And then all that fear I felt, the fear many people have at the moment they come out of the closet, it was just in my head. I know that maybe this is not the case with others when they decide to do it - there are those who are faced with a painful wall of misunderstanding and rejection - but I can say my own experience was nothing but positive and empowering," he says.
"We met at a radio station and from the moment we saw each other it was like a great encounter between souls, at least for me. I was traveling out of Los Angeles and went to the station for an interview. The moment I opened the door to the studio, I found myself face to face with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen," narrates the Puerto Rican singer in his biography.
The relationship occurred at the end of 1993 when Martin was about to join the cast of "General Hospital" and ended some time later when the couple realized that it couldn't survive Martin's constant touring. Martin says he offered to end his music career and perhaps let the world know he was gay but says that his partner was the one who convinced him that he should not cut his career short even if it meant and end to the relationship.
Martin apparently also puts to rest a question repeatedly raised by gossip magazines when it comes to his current domestic situation: He indicates he does not have a current partner and is raising his children on his own.
He also only addresses his relationship with Mexican news anchor and actress Rebeca de Alba - a relationship that played out in public for some time even as rumors swirled around Martin that he was gay - without directly mentioning her name.
He also talks about Barbara Walters asking him if he was gay - and his denial.
Martin, who was featured on a groundbreaking Fathers Day People en Español cover posing with his twin boys back in June, spends the later part of the book describing the road to becoming a father.
In the closing chapter, Martin says that writing the book taught him to embrace and love his entire life, with it's ups and downs.
"I think everyone should accept the life they were given," he says, ". That doesn't mean they shouldn't try to live it as fully as they want to live it,but - in the end - what matters is to accept yourself, to love yourself, to be happy and to do good."
What's next: Martin has been hunkered down working on his next album, which features songs in English and Spanish a la Shakira. For the project, he has reunited with producer Desmond Child who also produced "Living la Vida Loca".
A new single, "The Best Thing About Me is You" featuring Joss Stone, debuts on Ryan Seacrest's radio show this Monday. You can hear the FULL SONG here. The Spanish version of the song, "Lo Mejor de Mi Vida Eres Tu" features Natalia Jimenez. :30 second clip here.
Related:
Reactions:
Previously:
- What are Perdo Julio and Ricky Martin up to? (Sept. 29, 2010)
- Guest Post: "Why Ricky Martin Matters" by Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano (March 30, 2010)