 by Zach Wahls A resounding testament to individuality and the power of family in all forms from the young man who “lit up the Internet” (Ellen DeGeneres)??On January 31, 2011, Zach Wahls addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public forum regarding full marriage equality. The nineteen-year-old son of a same-sex couple, Wahls proudly proclaimed, “The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character.” Hours later, his speech was posted on YouTube, where it went viral, quickly receiving more than two million views. By the end of the week, everyone knew his name and wanted to hear more from the boy with two moms. Same-sex marriage will be a major—possibly the defining—issue in this year’s election cycle, and Wahls speaks to that, but also to a broader issue. Sure, he’s handsome and athletic, an environmental engineering student, and an Eagle Scout. Yet, growing up with two moms, he knows what it’s like to feel different and to fear being made fun of or worse. In the inspirational spirit of It Gets Better edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, My Two Moms also delivers a reassuring message to same-sex couples, their kids, and anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider: “You are not alone.” Victory by Linda R. Hirshman A new history of the LGBT movement Rich Benjamin reviews “Victory,” a new book by Linda Hirshman that chronicles the American LGBT movement's remarkable progress from radical to mainstream. “Hirshman’s book, drawing from an arsenal of archival records, firsthand interviews, court documents and previous histories, is a sprawling account of juicy trysts, hushed political meetings, internecine movement skirmishes, sudden mutinies and activists turning personal humiliation into rocket fuel,” Benjamin writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (6/21)  Retirement Plan by Martha Miller (2011) What do you do when you fall through the loopholes in the system and all you have to rely on are your own wits? Lois and Sophie have scrambled and saved for years, planning for their retirement in Florida. But now they've lost it all, and Lois's sniper training from her long-ago service as an Army nurse leads to a desperate career choice. When Detective Morgan Holiday is assigned to investigate a spate of sniper killings, it's just one more stress point in her already overburdened life. But as she grows increasingly solitary—coping with an Alzheimer’s-plagued mother who refuses to be confined to a nursing home, and a police partner counting the days to retirement—she comes to realize that these murders may cut close to home. A modern morality tale of justice, retribution, and women who refuse to be politely invisible. The Purple Golf Cart: Stories of an Unconventional Grandma By Ronni Sanlo  |  The new book "How to Be Gay," by David M. Halperin, a professor of the history and theory of sexuality at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is reviewed by The New York Times and The Guardian. "By teaching the young to adore old-time divas like Crawford and Garland, Halperin hopes to persuade them that gayness is about culture not sex, about solitary, subjective taste not shared identity," writes Peter Conrad in The Guardian. The Guardian (London) (8/16), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/7)Find Books of Interest to YOU at these sites!       Now Appearing in The Perfect Family Movie - The Butch Cook Book by Lee Lynch (Author, Editor), Nel Ward (Author, Editor), Sue Hardesty (Author, Editor, Illustrator), Marion Moir (Illustrator)  Review From Booklist Prepare to disabuse yourself of the notion that the butch half of a lesbian couple is not the cook. Divided into chapters with punny headings—“Warm Thoughts” for the soup course and “Hot ’n’ Heavy” for entrees—this collection of recipes (contributed by butch friends of the editors from around the world) offers both beginners and experienced cooks plenty to enjoy, with an emphasis on comfort food. Take the cheese grits, in a recipe submitted by “a tough lesbian attorney who recognized the dynamics of illegitimate power when she confronted it, and she always confronted it.” Dinner? Try “Chicken for Emily,” which is both a recipe and a love letter. But, above all, don’t forget the “Butch Basics,” which include macaroni and cheese from a box and a mayo sandwich (easy enough with only three ingredients: bread, pickles, and mayo). But this is more than just a witty cookbook. The editors envision the volume as a “validation of who we are,” and the personal stories that accompany the recipes (as well as the forays into lesbian history) are as comforting as the food. --Ilene Cooper |   Small press Seventh Window Publications is releasing some of the best new gay fiction, especially dark romances, in an effort to place LGBT-themed love stories, mysteries and thrillers on the same shelves as straight fiction. "Having gay sections in bookstores gives the impression I Was Born This Way: A Gay Preacher’s Journey Through Gospel Music, Disco Stardom, and a Ministry in Christ By Carl Bean with David Ritz Simon & Schuster   |
