Out in Print
For most of your life, people have been making decisions without you. When you were born, for instance, they decided whether you were a boy or a girl (admittedly, based on obvious visual clues).
It’s funny how we remember special things we got for Christmas at the same time we remember things we didn’t get.
From the moment you entered the world, squalling and wet, your parents had many expectations for you. They expected you to grow up with morals, decency and kindness, strength and smarts. They hoped you’d be productive, happy, and live a long life. Dad might have dreamed you’d take over the family business. Mom might have wanted to teach you to ride a bike or a horse. They saw great promise in your future.
They’ve become as familiar to you as your own living room: auditoriums filled with uniformed, spine-straight soldiers on their way to deployment or smiling men and women, arms full of family, on their way home. And, no matter what auditorium they’re in, no matter which small town or big city, [...]
Would you have the courage to alter the very things that define you to the rest of society? In the new book “Nina Here nor There” by Nick Krieger, you’ll see why one young man did.
Thomas Patrick Chorlton is no stranger to politics. Or history. Or LGBT rights. But, it is his passion for the American Revolution and our nation’s top office that pushed him to explore what he calls “the black hole of American history.” His new book, “The First American Republic: 1774-1789,” explores the first 14 presidents that preceded George Washington.
Chaz Bono’s “Transition” is filled with angst, anger, sadness and pain, topped off with wonderment and joy. It’s also repetitious, contains a few delicately squirmy moments and its occasional bogginess is a challenge for wandering minds.
Columnist Dan Savage, with his husband Terry Miller and a friend, decided to do something about that. In “It Gets Better,” they explain what happened and how their un-splashy video became a tidal wave of support.
There are few things in life that you need, other than clothes and food. You need love: someone to curl up with, to re-hash the day, to warm your feet. You need strength to get through the drama. And you need to know you’re on the right path in life.
Some things just can’t be tolerated. Take, for instance, when food touches other food on your plate. Or when socks don’t match up. Or if, like, somebody, like, repeatedly uses a catch-phrase without, like, thinking.
Readers looking for Heavenly succor will find it in Bean’s reassuring teachings, while others will be merely treated to a unique memoir. If you’re up for something good, “I Was Born This Way” is worth laying eyes on.
“Mama Dearest” by E. Lynn Harris c.2009, Karen Hunter Publishing / Pocket Books $25.99 / $34.00 Canada 389 pages The minute you saw that child, you knew who she belonged to. She had the same eyes, same chin, same mannerisms. She wore her hair like her Mama did back in [...]
“Tinsel: A Search for America’s Christmas Present” by Hank Steuver c.2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $24.00 / $32.95 Canada 336 pages The Christmas carol quietly coos that “all is calm, all is bright.” You don’t know about calm – the traffic and pedestrian gawkers kind of ruin that sentiment – but [...]
“In and Out of Hollywood” by Charles Higham c.2009, Terrace Books $29.95 / $34.50 Canada 306 pages, includes index It was just an accident. Nobody meant for it to happen. It was just one of “those things”, only orchestrated when the Cosmos met and decided that it was Your Turn. [...]
For about a month now, you’ve been on a mission. You’ve been doing a bit of spying and stealth is the name of your game. Bravely, you’ve ventured forward in search of your prey, always aware, eyes constantly roving. You’re not sure what your target looks like, but you’re confident [...]
“Hiding in Plain Sight: the Secret Life of Raymond Burr” by Michael Seth Starr c.2008, Applause $16.99 U.S. & Canada 266 pages, includes index Sometimes, you just want to run away, screaming. A stranger publicly divulges details of her love life. Your father gives you a blow-by-blow of his intestinal [...]
“My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them” Edited by Michael Montlack c.2009, Terrace Books $24.95 / $29.95 Canada 304 pages You’re not a painter. You’ve never, in fact, had any desire to pick up a brush other than one for your hair. But still, the second [...]
“Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood” by Melissa Hart c.2009, Seal Press $16.95 / $21.50 Canada 276 pages You thought you knew everything. When you were a kid, knowledge came so easily. An answer to everything sat on your lips at all times and there was little anybody could tell you that [...]
“Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America” by Nathaniel Frank c.2009, Thomas Dunne Books $25.95 / $28.95 Canada 342 pages, includes notes and index Sometimes, it occurs to you that purchasing stock in yellow ribbons might’ve been a smart move. Drive down any street in [...]
“Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat” by Nancy L. Snyderman, M.D. c.2009, Crown $24.95 / $28.95 Canada 304 pages About 1700 years. That’s how long you figure it will take to get into that swimsuit you bought at the end-of-season clearance last August. The swimsuit was perfect, it was marked [...]
