Autumn Reading List

I'm in the home stretch of Frank Spinelli's "Pee-Shy," so wanted to tell you about a few other books that are on my radar.

"Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City" by Choire Sicha

"Very Recent History" is an idiosyncratic and elegant narrative that follows a handful of young men in New York City as they navigate the ruins of money and power — in search of love and connection. After the Wall Street crash of 2008, the richest man in town is the mayor. Billionaires shed apartments like last season’s fashions, even as the country’s economy turns inside out. The young and careless go on as they always have, getting laid and getting laid off, falling in and out of love, and trying to navigate the strange world they traffic in: the Internet, complex financial markets, credit cards, pop stars, micro-plane cheese graters, and sex apps. A true-life fable of money, sex, and politics, Choire Sicha’s "Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City" turns our focus to a year in the life of a great city. 

Order HERE.

"One Gay American" by Dennis Milam Bensie

Born in the 1960s and raised with traditional values in Robinson, Illinois, Bensie desperately wanted romance, a beautiful wedding, and a baby to carry on the family name. He denied his sexuality and married a woman at nineteen years old, but fantasized of weddings where he could be the bride. The newlyweds "adopted" a Cabbage Patch Doll and ironically witnessed a Cabbage Patch Doll wedding (a successful fundraiser staged by a local women's club) where the dolls were granted the type of grand ceremony off-limits to gay couples. In search of his identity as a gay man, Bensie divorced his wife and stumbled through missteps and lessons that still sting his generation: defending against bullies, "disappointing" his parents, and looking for love in gay bars, bath houses and restrooms. He helped his straight friends plan their dream weddings and mourned his gay friends dying of AIDS. Although true love has not yet come his way, Bensie has learned to love himself. Bensie is the author of the much-lauded memoir, "Shorn: Toys to Men," which recounts his battle with paraphilia. "One Gay American" tells the rest of his story and draws parallels to gay history, decade by decade, with newspaper headlines and quotations. Bensie is the gay neighbor that you either love or hate. Either way, he's got a lot to say and says it with no apologies.

Order HERE.

"The Spirit of Detroit" by Frank Anthony Polito

September 1992. Madonna’s "Sex" is poised to hit bookstore shelves, "The Crying Game" makes its cinematic debut in limited release, and George H.W. Bush will soon square off against William Jefferson Clinton in the battle to be elected leader of the Free World. After abandoning his dreams of becoming a famous actor, Bradley Dayton returns to his roots and enrolls as a Theatre major at Wayne State University in Detroit — a town known for its rich cultural history, as well as its gritty urban decay. But a new cast of characters begins to interfere with his education as these friends (and lovers) induct Bradley into their dark world of backstage drama. By semester’s end, he will have spent many a wild and sleepless Motor City night…and found his fair share of thrills along the way. Inspired by "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" by Michael Chabon, "The Spirit of Detroit" is the follow-up to Frank Anthony Polito’s award-winning "Drama Queers!"

Order HERE.

 "Two Spirits, One Heart: A Mother, Her Transgender Son and Their Journey to Love and Acceptance" by Marsha Aizumi 

In this first of its kind, illuminating new book, mother, educator and LGBT activist Marsha Aizumi shares her compelling story of parenting a young woman who came out as a lesbian, then transitioned to male. "Two Spirits, One Heart" chronicles Marsha’s personal journey from fear, uncertainty, and sadness to eventual unconditional love, acceptance, and support of her child who struggled to reconcile his gender identity. Told with honesty and warmth, this book is a must read for parents and loved ones of LGBT individuals everywhere. 

Now available in e-book. Order HERE.

"Two Boys Kissing" by David Levithan

Everyone's talking about this one since it made the 2013 National Book Award Longlist:

In his follow-up to the New York Times bestselling "Every Day," David Levithan, co-author of bestsellers "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new "Guinness World Record" — all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites — all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

Order HERE.

"Perv: The Sexual Deviat in All of Us" by Jesse Bering 

“You are a sexual deviant. A pervert, through and through.” We may not want to admit it, but as the award-winning columnist and psychologist Jesse Bering reveals in "Perv," there is a spectrum of perversion along which we all sit. Whether it’s voyeurism, exhibitionism, or your run-of-the-mill foot fetish, we all possess a suite of sexual tastes as unique as our fingerprints — and as secret as the rest of the skeletons we’ve hidden in our closets. Combining cutting-edge studies and critiques of landmark research and conclusions drawn by Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and the DSM-5, Bering pulls the curtain back on paraphilias, arguing that sexual deviance is commonplace. He explores the countless fetishists of the world, including people who wear a respectable suit during the day and handcuff a willing sexual partner at night. But he also takes us into the lives of “erotic outliers,” such as a woman who falls madly in love with the Eiffel Tower; a pair of deeply affectionate identical twins; those with a particular penchant for statues; and others who are enamored of crevices not found on the human body.

 Order HERE.

"One-Woman Farm: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle" by Jenna Woginrich 

Jenna Woginrich’s inspiring journey from city cubicle to rural homestead has captivated readers of her blog and previous books. Now, in "One-Woman Farm," Woginrich shares the joys, sorrows, trials, epiphanies, and blessings she discovers during a year spent farming on her own land, finding deep fulfillment in the practical tasks and timeless rituals of the agricultural life. 

Order HERE.