Reviews (3)

Wonderful story
Nick faces all the traditional challenges of growing up: school, girls, dealing with his family. But his family is anything but "traditional" --- Nick has two lesbian moms. When Nick is young, he doesn't realize anything is unusual; he loves his birth mom and Jo, and they love him. When he splits open his chin on the coffee table, Jo rushes him to the hospital for stitches. When they lounge in the backyard eating watermelon, they end up in a silly seed-spitting contest. But as soon as Nick starts school, he begins to realize that his family is different.
this book is not just for kids!
I loved it!I'm not a lesbian, or the product of a gay family, but got a chance to feel that there are true family values out there, and Julie Peters is telling about them!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
BETWEEN MOM AND JO is the first book I've read by Julie Anne Peters, but it won't be my last.In fact, as soon as I finished this book, I went and read KEEPING YOU A SECRET and LUNA.And while we're on confessions, this is also the first book I've read dealing with GLBT [...] issues, but again, it won't be the last.This book grabbed at my emotions, affecting me with every word so deeply that I finished it in only a matter of hours--and have been thinking about it ever since.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    4. Family - Adoption    5. Family - Marriage & Divorce    6. Family problems    7. Fiction    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Lesbians    10. Mothers and sons    11. Social Issues - Homosexuality    12. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    13. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Adoption   

Reviews (2)

In Agreeance
I agree with the other reviewer - their emphasis on timing having to be perfect has caused quite a lot of anxiety for me.After all, there's only so much we can control about this process and the rest is part nature, part luck. I would reccomend this book to someone doing home IVI's with fresh sperm, but it will only cause more angst to those doing frozen IUI's with their doctor.

Ok, but a tad melodramatic
This was the first pregnancy book I read.Frankly, I found it a bit scary.The authors clearly had a very hard time with conception and with their small-town North Carolina doctors.That seems to have made them a tad fanatical about moms-to-be doing *everything* "right" or they'll never have a child.And I'm not sure the authros' (expectation and) experience of homophobia is particularly informative for those of us in more progressive settings.I very much appreciate the info. I got from the book; now I just have to try not to worry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Artificial insemination, Human    3. Lesbian Studies    4. Lesbian mothers    5. Medical    6. Parenting - Motherhood    7. Reference    8. Reproductive Medicine & Technology    9. Sociology    10. Pregnancy, birth & baby care   

Reviews (1)

I couldn't put it down
One of the best books I have read in a while. I just couldn't put it downuntil I had finished it, and then I was sad that it was over.This bookhas everything: Humor, compassion, wisdom, insight, and great characters.It makes you think deeply about your own life and your relationships. Theslow transformation of the main character Caroline is fascinating as shegoes through therapy and takes a critical look at herself and her past. Ihave bought copies for all my friends to read and they all liked it just asmuch. If you tend to get depressed during the winter months, read this bookas it may not only cheer you up but may also give you a fresh newperspective on your life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Lesbians    5. Psychological    6. Psychological fiction    7. Single mothers    8. Vermont    9. Modern fiction   

Reviews (2)

Thank-you, Thank-you
Thank-you so much for writing this book.This was the first book I read after learning my eighteen year old son is gay. It brought me great comfort to know other parents went through the same kinds of feelings I did. Icried and yes laughed a little with each new story. It was easy to read,like reading someones diary but with their permission. The stories werehonest and heartwarming. I am in the process of reading it again. Thisshould be a must read for all newly told parents, their son or daughter isgay. Thank-you.

Hope
As a gay guy, this book has had a huge impact on me. I am 36 years old, have been with my partner and haven't yet officially told my parents I am gay. This book has made me do a lot of thinking lately. I would dearly loveto share truthfully who I am with my family but I am not sure whether itwould be too destructive. My mother is 72 and she lost my dad 4 years agowhich seemed to take a lot of life from her. Thanks Bryce for getting thisbook together. It really is one of the best books on this subject that Ihave read in a long time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    2. Family relationships    3. Gay Studies    4. Gays    5. General    6. Lesbian Studies    7. Parent and child    8. Parenting - General    9. Parents of gays    10. Self-Help    11. Gay & Lesbian studies    12. Marriage, family & other relationships    13. Parenthood    14. Self-Help & Practical Interests    15. Case studies   

Editorial Review

While hearing "faggot" yelled at you in a high school corridor would upset almost anyone, here is evidence that hearing "Your father's a faggot" isn't nearly as bad, and that you might find yourself levelheadedly retorting, "No, my father's a transgendered lesbian." This unprecedented collection of short memoirs by adult children of gay, lesbian, and transgender parents demonstrates once again that love cannot be policed or regulated, and that the bond between parents and children transcends petty categories. Kelley Conway's "My Mother and the Nun" describes the confusion a 14-year-old girl feels when her mother falls in love with another woman at the same time that Conway herself is beginning to recognize her own attractions to other girls. In Peter Snow's "Acting Lessons," a college boy returns home to find that his parents, who have always been unhappily married, are still together, and in fact are cozied up on the couch watching television with his mother's lover, Jackie. What is missing from this volume are essays by children who were born or adopted into same-sex families. Without this perspective, the memoirs are somewhat skewed, since almost every writer had to deal not only with a parent's coming out but with a wrenching divorce, often caused by that parent's sexuality. Nevertheless, this collection should prove helpful to therapists, youth counselors, and families with gay members, and contribute positively to the debates on same-sex parenting and adoption. Read more

Reviews (5)

A wonderful collection!
Out Of The Ordinary is a fantastic collection of essays dealing with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transexual parents. The level of reading can be hard at time and the book can be very descriptive but otherwise it's a fantasic book about growing up in a family were there is no mom and dad and if there is one of them is not entirly happy. A perfect book for anyone gay or kids with gay parents. A wonderful collection!

Out of the Ordinary lives up to its title
I bought this book for a class I am taking.I'm doing my project on same-sex parenting and wanted to get different points of view on it.This book was more than helpful and provided a good idea of the varying views of children of gay, lesbian, or transgendered parents.Not all of the essays think of their parents as the greatest in the world, which I was surprised at.As someone who was shocked to learn several years ago that someone very close to me was gay, the essays convay many of the emotions that I felt when hearing the "coming out" speech.I know that anyone who is close to somebody that's gay will be able to relate to much of this book.

Out of the Ordinary - gives me hope
As the bi-lesbian poly pagan mother of a small child, I know my daughter will soon encounter prejudice from her classmates at school. My daughter was 3 when I came-out. But she was old enough to remember the awful fights between her father & me before that time, and since my coming-out, she's seen how much happier I am and how much better her father & I get along. So she thinks that its perfectly wonderful that I'm out & proud, she hasn't any pre-conceived prejudices about my being gay, and she's thrilled that I have a good (non-sexual) friendship with her father still, as well as a happy long-term lesbian relationship with my wife, who's a MtF transwoman. (she & I were handfasted in a poly pagan ceremony last year) And even though my daughter knows that our family is far from "traditional" she's very happy that we haven't had to go thru the pain of divorce, nor has she had to be without either one of her parents. I hope that someday she'll read this book and see that there are other kids out there who do have GLBT parents but who suffered a lot more than she's had to because of it. (like my wife's kids did. They were all teens when she came-out and went thru her transition. It took them 10 yrs to mature enough to want to re-establish a new relationship with her) But I also hope my daughter can find some strength in knowing she's not alone. She already knows that she's well-loved by all of us and that we'll support her, no matter if she's str8, bi, gay or TG. (tho' it seems right now that she may be str8, I was much like her at that age too, and I wasn't str8) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Children of gay parents    3. Children of transsexual parent    4. Children of transsexual parents    5. Family relationships    6. Gay Studies    7. Gay fathers    8. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    9. Gender Studies    10. Homosexuality    11. Parenting - General    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Sociology - Marriage & Family    15. United States    16. Gay & Lesbian studies    17. Marriage, family & other relationships    18. Transsexuals   

Editorial Review

When Patsy Clarke and Eloise Vaughn brought together a group of North Carolina women mourning their sons' deaths of AIDS, they little realized that they would become political activists, and would found an organization to oppose the 1996 reelection of Jesse Helms to congress. Angry talk started to flow, someone wrote a check, and Clarke ran to get a clean pickle jar from the kitchen for donations: "We didn't really know what we were doing. We were just driven by primal emotions." Although Mothers Against Jesse in Congress failed to convince Jesse Helms to tone down his anti-gay rhetoric or alter his stance on funding for AIDS research, Patsy and Eloise did get to present their case to the 1996 Democratic convention, appear in Read more

Reviews (8)

A touching story that will move you to tears.. repeatedly
I first picked up this book at my university's library as a source for an essay, and I never realized how deeply the story of Patsy Clarke and Eloise Vaughn would affect me so deeply. Their story is so moving and personal, almost every chapter made me get out the box of tissues. I've read many books, and none of them have left me with the urge to seek out the authors and give them a tearful hug and a from-the-heart thank you. This book has broken that trend.

Love Conquers All
Patsy Clark and Eloise Vaughn would probably be the first persons to say that they are not professional writers; yet theirs is a story that touches our hearts. After the deaths of both their sons from AIDS, they took on Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina in an effort to upseat him. We all know they did not succeed in their efforts; nevertheless, they are winners of the highest sort. Althought the two women had led very different lives-- one was a Democrat, the other a Republican, they found they had much in common. In the words of Patsy Clark after these women's first meeting: "Both of our sons were named Mark--and that seemed huge to us. . . Both of us had led very mainstream, privileged lives. . . Each of us were widowed before our sons died, so each of us had to deal with that trauma alone. Neither of us had known that our sons were gay. . ." Another thing that they had in common was unconditional love for their sons and a consuming belief that no one, including the mighty Helms, would treat their sons as second class citizens because they were gay. Misplaced Energy?
Although one's heart breaks for the grief these two mothers have had to endure, it seemed to me that their vision had become somewhat clouded, and their energies cry out to be used in more producive ways. By all accounts, federal spending on AIDS is far above the levels spent on several other diseases which kill many more people, and which....in the case of cancer....the causes are not even very well-known. Surely, it is only humane to assist in the care and research of these other diseases in a more equal parity to HIV/AIDS. Even Sen. Helms was misrepresented, since Mrs. Clark claims he actually said "AIDS sufferes deserve what they get"...and that is a lie. He never said such a thing...nor has anyone else who objects to the over-funding of AIDS efforts vs the funding of other diseases. He merely pointed out that what causes a person to become infected with HIV/AIDS is very well-known...exactly as we know why smokers get lung and throat cancer. So...while these two grieving mothers (and their sons who suffered) engender much-deserved sympathy, one can only wish their considerable energy could be focused more on prevention efforts, and less on sill more increased...and unfair...federal funding. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Case studies    4. General    5. Homophobia    6. Motherhood    7. Parents of AIDS patients    8. Parents of gays    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Practical Politics    11. Social Policy    12. United States    13. Clarke, Patsy    14. Helms, Jesse    15. Political activity    16. Vaughn, Eloise    17. Views on AIDS (Disease)    18. Views on gay men   

Features

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Reviews (3)

Finally!
I, personally, found this book to be exceptional. It is refreshing to find a book that has humor and real-life experience enmeshed with everything the GLBT parents needs to know in this day and age. These are scary times, and with all the gloom and doom we face as gay parents it is nice to find a book that can be enjoyable AND informative.
REVIEWS OF THE COMPLETE LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTING GUIDE
Prepublication Reviews
Funny & inclusive, with a few big drawbacks
This book is one of the most inclusive queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, etc) parenting manuals out there. I highly recommend it for LGBT parents and anyone thinking about starting a family. It is an engaging read, full of funny stories and information. It is also one of the only books I've read that has been truly inclusive of bisexual, transgender, genderqueer and gender-variant families as well as talking about butch-femme family dynamics. This makes it a far more relevant, inclusive and current books out there... Especially for trans and bi parents and prospective parents who have been completely disregarded by most queer parenting resources, books, and groups.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Family    3. Family & Relationships    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Family/Marriage    6. Gay parents    7. Parenting    8. Parenting - General    9. United States    10. Family & Relationships / General    11. Bargain   

Editorial Review

"Young man finding his way in a new sexual world" is a common theme in gay male fiction. But what about "young man finds himself working as a stripper, playing a featured part on a nighttime soap opera, and then dating his mother's boyfriend." Hugo, the hero of Read more

Reviews (18)

Ahead of its time; worth it to pick this up a decade later
This book came out in 1996, way ahead of its time.Mainstream literature readers weren't ready for an in-depth look at the gay scene in Miami Beach, where everyone is self-centered, body-obsessed, monogamy is unheard of, and bisexual men are creeps to the men and women around them.This was when having one token gay character on a TV show was titillating.Now we see these types of men all over the place in shows like Queer As Folk and mainstream America is begininning to get a glimpse of gay culture.
Most accurate depiction of South Beach
I came to Amazon to buy a copy of this book for a gift, and read some AWFUL reviews about it, and yet to MY view, there's no question that this is ABSOLUTELY the best book ever written about South Beach. OK, our main character Hugo is a bit "wise" for a 16-year-old, and his references, allusions, etc., are over the head of most kids his age today (or in '93 when this was written), but for quality of tone, an on-the-mark conceit about South Beach and characters that ring true for South Beach, no book written before or after this one comes close to capturing what the environment (and the people) are really like down here. And who says you have to "like the characters" to have a "good book"? Any of these reviewers ever read a guy named Shakespeare? I'll stick with Hugo.

Not so hot
If you're interested in this-- read the books from Christian McLaughlin, Robert Rodi and Doug Guinan before you read this. It's not very well written and the story isn't especially exciting... the others are much better examples of the "gay beach novel" genre... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American First Novelists    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Gay    5. Gay youth    6. Mothers and sons    7. South Beach (Miami Beach, Fla    8. South Beach (Miami Beach, Fla.)    9. Literature of special Gay & Lesbian interest    10. Modern fiction   

Reviews (1)

A great collection of stories
This book is a collection of stories about mostly straight people who had friends or relatives come out. One thing that happens to straight friends and relatives at someone's coming-out is that the gay person is out and thefamily or friends go into the closet. This book explores how family andfriends deal with gayness and how they come out of their closets, too.There is a briefest of brief introductions that summarizes the stories tofollow, and there is a fairly extensive resource guide in the back full ofaddresses and organizations of every kind for information, support, andadvice. If you are a straight friend or family member of a gay person, thisis a great resource--although I think you might also profit from books suchas:Read more

Subjects:  1. Coming out (Sexual orientation    2. Coming out (Sexual orientation)    3. Counseling - General    4. Education    5. Family relationships    6. Gay Studies    7. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    8. Gays    9. Gender Studies    10. Lesbian Studies    11. Parents of gays    12. Sexual orientation    13. Family & relationships    14. Gay & Lesbian studies    15. Sexual behaviour    16. Social Science / Lesbian Studies   

Reviews (4)

Golden touch with a heart
Midas touch was a little slow to start but after a while, I caught myself not wanting to put it down.You want to see Sandra happy and you will fall in love with Cory.You will enjoy most of the characters in this book and pity a few for not knowing what makes a person truly happy!I enjoyed this book and I am very glad I gave it a chance.In the end it is a good read. There is humor, love, friendship, and lots of sex! Almost makes me want to go out and buy a bike!

Implausible butfun to read
I didn't want to put the book down.The storyline was farfetched but still so well done.It was a welcome relief, with plenty of stuff to make you laugh - and enough sex to keep you satisfied.

Money doesn't solve all the world's problems
Sandra Tate is a gifted architect.This gift allowed her to move up from an underpriviledged to a wealthy lifestyle.However, she's overstressed, her girlfriend is cheating, and she's miserable.After her health takes a turn for the worse, she listens to her doctor and takes a leave of absence from her company.Meaning to relax, she finds herself washing dishes for Cory.
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Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. General    3. Literature of special Lesbian interest    4. Modern fiction    5. Lesbian    6. Fiction    7. Mothers and daughters    8. San Antonio (Tex.)   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (3)

Last review is not accurate
Now to be fair I did not read the book The Gay Baby Boom, I have only read reviews both from this sight and from others. The review from Reader claimed that the statistic from The Gay Baby Boom book was bogus.
Excellent treatment of subject � minor flaws forgivable
Johnson and O�Connor are to be congratulated on providing such an accessible summary of the psychological research on gay and lesbian parenting. Included is both a reasonably reliable summary of the work done by their predecessors, but more importantly, they provide a report on their own recent research, The National Study of Gay and Lesbian Parents. OK except for the Big Lie on page one and the Title.
Psychologists Susanne Johnson and Elizabeth O'Conner, a lesbian couple with parenting experience, provide an easy-to-read, supportive book to promote good parenting by those gays and lesbians who find themselves to be parents or who wish to be parents.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Children of gay parents    3. Gay Studies    4. Gay parents    5. Gender Studies    6. Human Sexuality    7. Lesbian Studies    8. Parent and child    9. Parenting    10. Psychology    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Family & Relationships / Alternative Family    14. Gay & Lesbian studies    15. HOMOSEXUALITY_PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS   

Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Children of gay parents    3. Family Relationships    4. Fathers and sons    5. Gay Studies    6. Gay fathers    7. Gender Studies    8. Parenting - Fatherhood    9. Psychology    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Lesbian studies   

Editorial Review

Journalist Jesse Green's delightful memoir makes it quite clear that the pleasures and perils of parenting are always the same--even for a gay 37-year-old man who stumbles into it by falling in love with a person who has an adopted son. As Green puts it in a typically well-turned phrase, "fatherhood trumps gayness," which is to say that heterosexual parents at the playground sometimes find it easier to relate to Green, his boyfriend, Andy, and son, Erez (soon joined by baby brother Lucas), than do the well-buffed, perennially youthful male guests at a Fire Island party--they flinch at the sight of diapers and baby bags. As the author searchingly and intelligently considers what it means to gay people to become parents, and the ways in which it does and does not pull them closer into the mainstream, his narrative is often extremely funny. (Joking about Erez's apparently heterosexual inclinations, Green deadpans, "We tried our best: We played him Judy Garland records and showed him tapes of Read more

Reviews (33)

Have a dictionary handy
As a prospective gay dad (waiting 2 years now), I looked forward to reading this book, in a melancholic way, and I must say, at most points it truly hits home with my experience of adoption by gay men. An Unexpected Joy
As a prospective gay parent, I found Green's little book impossible to put down. His honest account of his emotions (and those of friends and family), combined with a most agreeable style makes this a wonderful book for parents-to-be of any sexual orientation.

Rich portrayal of a journey to parenthood
This book creates the most vivid portraits of the author and his partner and both of their journeys to parenthood. I liked that it was not falsely sentimental--I believed every word. I didn't want it to end. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adoptive parents    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Case studies    5. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    6. Gay Studies    7. Gay fathers    8. General    9. Parenting - Fatherhood    10. Parenting - General    11. United States    12. Family & Relationships / Parenting   

Editorial Review

More than 20 years have passed since Ellen DeGeneres came out to her mother on a beach in Mississippi. Stunned, Betty DeGeneres could only think of her own disappointed expectations. As she put her arms around her daughter, she was struck by the realization that she would never see Ellen's picture on the engagements page of the Read more

Reviews (26)

Unconditional love
What is it like to have a child who is gay?In this book, Betty DeGeneres describes the moment that her daughter Ellen came out to her and admitted the secret which she kept from her mother for 20 years.After learning that her daughter was gay, Betty herself was forced to keep this secret for 20 more years, before Ellen came out to the world.This is a book about a mother's unconditional love for her daughter and about how her daughter's sexual orientation caused a complete change in her life.It is also about Ellen's family and how she went from being a sweet, funny little girl from New Orleans to being one of the top actess/comediennes of our times.It is also about how mother and daughter went from keeping Ellen's homosexuality a secret to how they became activists in the gay/lesbian movement.Throughout the book, the loving and positive spirit of both Ellen and Betty become very evident.

Love, Betty!
It's simply one great book!
what I've been looking for
This is the book I've been wishing Ellen herself would write!!! Ellen's mom tells pretty much the whole story here! But it's far from an E! True Hollywood Story type EXPOSE. Its a warm, human, family story that makes you laugh and cry! Betty tells not only Ellen's life story but her own and her son's and her sisters' and basically the entire family is touched on here. And it really is a beautifully written very real story. Betty is most definately a gifted writer. If you're an Ellen fan this book is definately for you. But you really don't have to be to enjoy the wonderful collection of personal stories that Betty shares. They could be stories from anyone's family, not just a celebrity's. I think that was the best thing about this book: where other celebrity biographies are usually sensationalistic and extraordinary this book humanizes Ellen and her family and her story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Case studies    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Lesbians    9. Mothers and daughters    10. Parenting - Parent & Adult Child    11. Parents of gays    12. Specific Groups - Lesbians    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Women    15. Biography: film, television & music    16. Television   

Reviews (11)

Pleasant to read, yes, but sophisticated and compelling, too
I agree with the reviewer who said that this book was "pleasant" to read--it *is* very easy and accessible. But just don't confuse that with simplistic, either in the ideas it offers or the way it presents them. The way in which the main character wrestles with fidelity, with contentment, really, is very believable as it is sketched out. The supporting characters are well-executed, and the arc of the plot is satisfying and illuminating. You're left hanging a bit by the conclusion, but it works. I promptly went out upon reading this and got another of her books--it's that good. (Don't be put off by the cover, which makes the story look flaky and light, a la Diane Johnson/Le Divorce; there's real life between *these* covers.)

Impersonations of sane
Fern's relationship with her mother Nora has always been strained, ever since the messy divorce due to Nora's affairs with women. Nora has eventually settled down with Jeanne, but the tension between mother and daughter remains. Fern's best friend drops her baby into Fern's lap and slowly drifts from the picture, and Fern's most stable relationship is with her dog Lucky, but with the dog's health waning, this seems to be ending as well. And when Nora begins another affair, Fern is first to figure it out and leaps at the chance to judge her mother, but as events progress, she begins to realize her mother is human after all. And with Lucky dying, both mother and daughter come to better understandings about themselves and their relationship with each other. "Lucky in the Corner" is full of glorious complexities about us humans, and Anshaw has written this tale in a tidal mosaic, where episodes from the past and present interweave, blessing the reader with all aspects of these fascinating characters and leaving us with a sense of what family (especially those extended families of non-blood relatives) means.

Magnificent!!
I found this book at my local library under new fiction and decided to try it out as I'm always looking for new authors to read.I'm so lucky that my fingers happened to pick up this book!What a treasure! Anshaw is a funny and sensitive writer.The only problem is that you've got to read this book slowly because there is so much to absorb!I ignored my husband and children for three days!!I can't wait to read her other two novels....... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Domestic fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Gay    5. Lesbian mothers    6. Mothers and daughters    7. Fiction / Gay   

Reviews (1)

A must read for family therapists and counselors!
This book is a must read for family therapists.Most therapists marginalize the experience of homosexuals in their practice.This book gives them the opportunity to learn how to treat these clients equitably ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family relationships    2. Gay Studies    3. Gay couples    4. Gay parents    5. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    6. Gays    7. Homosexuality    8. Lesbian Studies    9. Psychology    10. Psychotherapy    11. Psychotherapy - General    12. Social Science    13. United States    14. Family & relationships    15. Family welfare    16. Gay & Lesbian studies    17. Psychology & Psychiatry / Human Sexuality   

Reviews (2)

Disappointing Reading
When I first read this book I was expecting a story about "a lesbian mother's fight for her son." In reality, very little of this book deals with the author's family situation and relationship with her son. Most of the book chroncicles the author's political activism and there is compartively little dealing with her partner or child. A profound disappointment

I loved this book.
This book tells two parallel stories: the author's struggle to adopt and raise the son she had with her partner, and the story of Queer Nation - San Francisco from about 1990 to 1992. It's an excellent documentary of both her personal story and the historical events of those years: protests against the Gulf War, christian evangelists, and the film "Basic Instinct." I participated in the protests and am mentioned in the book, but that's not why I like it. It's funny, accurate, touching and dramatic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. California    3. Children of gay parents    4. Lesbian couples    5. Lesbian mothers    6. Parenting - Motherhood    7. San Francisco    8. Sociology    9. Women    10. Non-Classifiable   

Editorial Review

Among the watershed books for lesbians in past fifteen years, Louise Rafkin's Read more

Reviews (3)

A Disappointment
I suppose it may be helpful for some mothers to simply know that they're not the only moms whose daughters are gay; however, I was disappointed that not one of the essays actually went into exactly why these women were allso initially distraught. Most wrote about how they came to terms with"the myths and misconceptions," but nobody actually says whatthey are and how they delt with them! Overall, I didn't find this book tobe helpful at all.

An excellent and worthwhile resource
This book is intimate and open and extremely valuable. While many lesbians are "out" and have been "out" for what seems like forever, this book is for those who aren't yet there, and the people whocare about them. While it may seem fairly repetitive, (my mother certainlythought so)the recurring themes are a lesson; we are not alone, we are notthe only ones, and what we are going through IS survivable. This bookincludes many stories similar yet different in their own way just as eachwoman's "coming out" story is hers,and hers alone. This book canbe a great "jumping off place" for discussion between a motherand daughter, a teacher and student, coach and player.... there are manymentors out there who can reach out and help young women searching for away out of the closet. This book is an honest map of the ways these womenstayed on the path of life with their daughers. Their writing is sometimesamateur, and reflects that some are still trying to find acceptance withintheir hearts, and a road back to love for their daughters, but they aretrying, and in this book, they've put themselves out there for others tosee and from which to find comfort. Friends have told me that now they areaware this book exists, they will retain it in their libraries to call onwhen a friend or colleague says, "I think my daughter is gay.."or "I'm a lesbian, how do I tell my mom?" and if you haven't yetcome out to your mother, this may be the book you should read. If it's beenyears and your mother is no longer here to talk, read it anyway and shareit with friends or relatives in her place. It's a wonderful collection, anda wonderfully powerful book.

A wonderful collection of understanding!
I came out to my mom and then read the book, and gave it to her also. I loved it, so did she! The diversity of the contributors is one of the best things about the book, as well as the updates to some contributors to the first edition. Every lesbian should read this book, and give it to her mother! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family relationships    4. Lesbian Studies    5. Lesbians    6. Mothers and daughters    7. Parenting - Motherhood    8. Parents of gays    9. Sociology    10. United States    11. Parenthood