The Boys in the Brownstone
Kevin Scott
Paperback: 261 pages
Publisher: Haworth Press (April 21, 2005)
ISBN: 1560232951
There’s a lot more to gay life in the big city than Queer As Folk, Queer Eye,
and Will and Grace! A "gentlemen’s bar" on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the
Brownstone is a quaint oasis of Chippendale and Sondheim in a wasteland of
chrome and club kids. But the boys in the Brownstone aren’t all gentlemen. And
their lives are anything but quaint. This sparkling collection of witty,
affectionate—and disturbing—tales of the city will induce smiles, chuckles, and
chills as it weaves through a colorful assortment of characters linked together
in the most surprising ways. Join them at the Brownstone as they gather
together—some for the first time, others for the last—on the night before
Christmas Eve in this smart and funny first novel that’s not about
lifestyles—just lives with plenty of style.
At the Brownstone, you’ll meet: a soap opera writer who’s written a dozen
weddings but can’t get his own nuptials under control; a psychotherapist on
Prozac with a wicked crush on one of his patients; a college professor on the
tenure tightrope who falls in love with a cute young creep; an art dealer who
goes off his rocker when his lover is assaulted; a candidate for city council
who must assist in the suicide of his oldest friend; a bartender from Cuba, a
gay father from Brazil, a black American blue blood, a sexy Italian male nurse,
and more. "Who are all these people?" you may have asked yourself, some night,
as you looked around a crowded bar. The Boys in the Brownstone has the answers
for one bar on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on the night before Christmas Eve.
A richly detailed slice of gay life in the big city from screenwriter Kevin
Scott (Key Exchange), The Boys in the Brownstone is alive and kicking with the
ups and downs of the real world where gay men may be hot, funny, and fashionable
but are also real men with jobs, families, and fears. With humor, heart, and a
little bit of courage, they deal with the issues of gay marriage, gays in the
priesthood, AIDS, diversity, narcissism, consumerism, circuit parties, and
everything else that comes with the territory when you’re living in gay New York
City, circa 2004.
It is rare that a fictional book of this quality comes along. When it does, it’s
important that it be celebrated and made a model that other models strive to
reach. It is also important that consumers let publishers know the type of
quality fiction they demand to read.
Money Without Matrimony:
The Unmarried Couple's Guide to Financial Security
Sheryl Garrett,
Debra A. Neiman
Paperback, 288 pages
Dearborn Trade
ISBN: 1419506889
Love isn't always followed by marriage. While gay couples don’t have the legal
rights of marriage, there are also many straight couples that find themselves
making the choice to be together without the added benefit of the wedding ring
that symbolizes the promise of matrimony. Some of these people we know rather
well: Oprah Winfrey, Stedman Graham, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell. They, like gays,
are part of an unmarried couple. But that does not mean that they, and you can't
share financial and other obligations with your partner. Money Without Matrimony
answers the questions unmarried couples have when developing plans to secure
their financial futures including: the Pros and cons of merging your finances;
Determining ways unmarried partners should own property; Strategies to ensure
that your wishes will be carried out under all circumstances; The importance of
partnership agreements and other legal documents for unmarried couples
Authors and Certified Financial Planners™ Sheryl Garrett and Debra A. Neiman
guide you and your partner through the necessary steps to protect each other
from potential financial ruin in much the same way that federal laws help
protect married couples. If you are one half of an unmarried couple, you owe it
to you and your partners' financial future to read Money Without Matrimony.
Families of Value
Persona Profiles of Pioneering Lesbian and Gay Parents
Robert Bernstein
Paperback: 264 pages
Marlowe and Company
ISBN: 1560256389
Families comprised of same-sex parents are examples of "the ultimate triumph of
courage and integrity," argues Bernstein, author of Straight Parents, Gay
Children. To demonstrate this courage, he assembles a collection of real-life
stories of gay parents' struggles to raise their children in a society hostile
to their lifestyle. From a gay Protestant minister to two lesbian police
officers hoping to extend death benefits to each other, these narratives offer
insight into what motivates same-sex parents in their fight for legitimacy and
acceptance-namely, the wellbeing of their children. For example, Bernstein
chronicles the plight of Steven and Roger, foster parents to five children born
with HIV, who are fighting against the state's attempts to remove one of the
boys from their care. One of the most enlightening chapters, "Cherry-Picking the
Truth," debunks many of the myths about children of gay parents and reveals the
particular hardships that they endure. Unfortunately, however, the book focuses
too much on the parents' struggles for social change and not enough on their
family relationships. Thus, while this is an intriguing study of those leading
the movement for same-sex parenting, it lacks the passion and emotional depth
that would make these profiles truly resonate with readers.
