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December 12 Kate Bornstein - Transsexual writer!Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws (Paperback)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description Celebrated transsexual trailblazer Kate Bornstein has, with more humor and spunk than any other, ushered us into a world of limitless possibility through a daring re-envisionment of the gender system as we know it. Here, Kate bravely and wittily shares personal and unorthodox methods of survival for navigating an often cruel world. A one-of-a-kind guide to staying alive outside the box, Hello, Cruel World is a much-needed unconventional approach to teenage suicide prevention for marginalized youth who want to stay on the edge, but alive. Hello, Cruel World features a catalog of 101 Alternatives to Suicide that range from the playful (Moisturize), to the irreverent (Disbelieve the Binary), to the highly controversial (Get Laid. Please). Designed to encourage readers to give themselves permission to unleash their hearts' harmless desires, the book has only one directive: "Don't be mean." It is this guiding principle that brings its reader on a self-validating journey, which forges wholly new paths toward a resounding decision to choose life. Tenderly intimate and unapologetically edgy, Kate is the radical role model, the affectionate best friend, and the guiding mentor all in one kind and spirited package. A celebrated pioneer for the LGBTQI community, transsexual author and performance artist, Kate Bornstein is the author of the wildly successful books My Gender Workbook and Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and The Rest of Us. About the Author A celebrated pioneer for the LGBTQI community, transexual author and performance artist,Kate Bornstein, offers a pivotal critique of the gender binary that has become a staple in the study of Gender and Sexuality. Kate currently lives with her partner Barbara Carrellas in Spanish Harlem, New York City. November 18 Parents want children's book about gay penguins restrictedParents want children's book about gay penguins restricted
Friday, November 17, 2006
A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is facing a chilly reception among some parents in an Illinois village who worry about the book's availability to primary school students - and the reluctance of administrators to restrict access to it. The concerns are the latest involving And Tango Makes Three, an illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins - Roy and Silo - in New York City's Central Park Zoo who adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own. Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book - available to be checked out of the school's library in the 11,000-resident town 30 kilometres east of St. Louis - tackles topics their young children aren't ready to handle. Their request: move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before their child can check it out. At least for now, the district's chief isn't budging. Though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission before it is checked out, Supt. Jennifer Filyaw said And Tango Makes Three will stay put - at the advice of the district's attorney, who says moving it might be legally challengeable censorship. Filyaw considers the book "adorable" and age appropriate, written for children ages four to eight. "My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," Filyaw said. "It means you represent different families in a society - different religions, different beliefs. That's the role of a school library." Lilly Del Pinto thought the book looked charming when her five-year-old daughter - a kindergartner at Shiloh Elementary - brought it home in September. Finding the watercolour illustrations "pretty and beautiful," Del Pinto said she was halfway through reading the book to her daughter "when the zookeeper said the two penguins must be in love," jarring Del Pinto. "That's when I ended the story," she said. Del Pinto said her daughter's teacher told her she was unfamiliar with the book and the school's librarian directed the mother to Filyaw. "I wasn't armed with pitchforks or anything. I innocently was seeking answers," Del Pinto said, agreeing with Filyaw's belief that pulling the book from the shelves could constitute censorship. "I've not spoken with anyone who says to get rid of it," Del Pinto said. "Of course, we know the kids eventually are going to learn about the homosexual lifestyle. That's not the issue." "Please let us decide when our kids are ready. Please let us parent our kids." The book has created similar flaps elsewhere. Earlier this year, two parents voiced concerns about the book with librarians at the Rolling Hills' Consolidated Library's branch in the northwest Missouri town Savannah. The book was moved to the library's non-fiction section at the Savannah library and another branch near St. Joseph, Mo. Barbara Read, Rolling Hills' director, has said she consulted with staff at the Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City zoos and the University of Oklahoma's zoology department before moving the book, saying the experts all told her adoptions aren't unusual in the world of penguins. She said the book was moved to the non-fiction section because it was based on actual events. In that section, she said, there was less of a chance the book would "blindside" someone. © Associated Press 2006 http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=4ba61e24-3f69-4ce8-b5c7-a71e88b30d40&k=33858 September 27 Celebrate your American rights to read this week
Morgan Kriz September 11 Planting flowers and speaking up
August 28 Cherry Grove For ChildrenNEW CHILDREN'S BOOK
"The Adventures of Baby Cat in Cherry Grove"
By Tim Steffen and Susan Ann Thornton
Illistrated by Susan Ann Thornton
$15, Ages 7-adult
Follow Lily, "the Baby Cat", as she explores the dunes and meets other "four-leggeds" as well as "two-leggeds" in Cherry Grove, the popular gay beach resort on Long Island, New York. The book's gay setting is fun to read as Lily learns the houses in Cherry Grove have names such as Golden Griffin, Toucan Tango, and Silver Bell, No Strings, International House of Pink, Babes in Toyland and Sunset Boulevard.
Lily lives with her two-legged moms, Susan and Nancy in a house called Casita and absolutely loves Cherry Grove. The Adventures of Baby Cat in Chery Grove is wonderfully well-written and based on a real life cat named Lily belonging to the book's co-author and illustrator Susan Ann Thornton.
Co-author Tim Steffen is a second grade teacher in New York City and a writer and illistrator of children's books, Steffen was a "dog kind of guy" until he met the real life Lily, and then he too fell in love with "The Baby Cat".
Susan Ann Thornton is a painter, photographer, and digital artist. This is Thornton's debut as an author and illustrator. She lives between homes in Cherry Grove and New York City with Nancy, Spike, and "the Baby Cat" Lily.
Visit www.baby-cat.com to order and to hear THE BABY CAT SONG sung by Susan Ann Thornton.
August 22 Just OUT: a recent book of 100 college campuses friendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studentsBook: ISU, Grinnell friendly to gay students
By ERIN JORDAN REGISTER STAFF WRITER August 22, 2006
July 15 New Book OUT!Check out Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son By Kevin Jennings (Beacon Press, $24.95)
"Tormented and teased as a "faggot" in his North Carolina junior high school, Kevin calls on his feisty mother to help him switch to a school where he excels. But is then uprooted again when he and his mom move to live with family in Hawaii." Biography July 13 Nonbiological lesbian moms confess all in new book
Essays address issues heterosexual families may take for granted. Vanessa E.Jones / Boston Globe There was a time when nobody questioned where the offspring of a lesbian couple came from: The child was usually the result of a previous, heterosexual relationship. But in the 1980s, lesbians began having children through artificial insemination. Only now is the social impact of this option seeping into the public consciousness. First came media stories about the court battles between lesbians over the custody of the children when the relationships failed. What was missing were articles about the women who stuck together and raised a family. There was little talk about the emotional challenges that arise as nonbiological mothers struggle to find a comfortable space in a new type of relationship. "The only thing society offers in the way of reflection of your experience is the situation where (the lesbian relationship) is not working. ... That's, I think, the ways in which our society is subtly divisive," says Harlyn Aizley, 44, of Roslindale, Mass., who remembers her rage when her partner, Faith Soloway, called herself "Mommy" after Aizley gave birth to their daughter, Betsy, now 4. "We're accepting in some ways, but, 'Oh, look, here's what happens when it doesn't work!' I think that's sensational stuff, and the general public wants to hear about that: 'Oh, what happens when these two women break up?' It's more threatening to hear (about) when everything is going well." Almost two years ago, Aizley began gathering stories about the families who stay together. She contacted editors of parenting magazines, medical professionals, academics and users of lesbian parenting Web sites, looking for writers who could describe the myriad issues nonbiological mothers face. The result, "Confessions of the Other Mother: Nonbiological Lesbian Moms Tell All!" was published this spring. The 18 contributors explore their experiences, unveiling a variety of feelings. They range from Brookline, Mass., resident Mary Cardaras, who became a mother to the sons her partner had in a heterosexual marriage as naturally as her adoptive parents had embraced her as their daughter, to the feelings of jealousy that Soloway, a singer-songwriter, developed while watching Aizley breastfeed Betsy. The essays address a number of issues faced by nonbiological mothers: In a family headed by two women, how does the person who didn't give birth carve her own space as a parent to the new child? What feelings roil in the mind of the parent who chooses -- sometimes because of infertility, sometimes for other reasons -- not to give birth? And how do the nonbiological mothers deal with having to explain their position in the family? While lesbian parents can look to friends going through the same situation for advice, Aizley says, "there's no literature out there, no support groups" for nonbiological mothers. Sure, lesbian parenting Web sites exist, and there are a few recently released books on the subject. But for many years, nonbiological mothers were left to peruse unhelpful books for expectant fathers. "The interesting thing about lesbian couples and gay families in general is it's not a given that you're going to have kids," says Cassandra McIntyre, 41, of Roslindale, Mass., who contributed an essay to "Confessions." "With heterosexual people, if they get married, if they are not going to have kids, they have to carve out that territory for themselves. ... With gay families, you have to deal with the fact that you do want kids." In her "Confessions" essay, Dawn Beckman, 50, of Cambridge, Mass., takes readers through the considered decision that she and her partner, Susan Sommer, 51, made to have children. Beckman describes Sommer giving birth to their son, Benjamin Beckman Sommer, now 17; her own battle with infertility; and the couple's decision for Sommer to give birth to a second child, Maya Beckman Sommer, 11. Beckman, who married Sommer two years ago, writes about the "deep sense of loss" she experienced over her own inability to have a child. She bluntly details her awkward place in the family after Benjamin was born. Beckman felt left out because she couldn't breastfeed. In public, she had a deep desire to be validated as the mother. Some nonbiological mothers find that there's a strong similarity between their roles and those of grandparents, friends and other relatives who take on the job of parenting a child when the birth parents aren't around. These days, that need to be recognized as a mother no longer occupies Beckman's mind. "That issue," says Beckman, "is really big when you're deciding to have children, when you're first having children, when you're figuring that out. Then you have children and you're on to other things." The theme that everything will sort itself out runs through "Confessions." As nonbiological mothers go through the process of child-rearing, the question of who the mother is fades. "As I functioned in the role of his parent in the world," says Beckman, "I got the feedback that, 'Yes, you are the mom.' People interacted with me like I was his mom. It strikes me that people need that. People need that feedback to move into a new social role." "Confessions" also touches on the difficulties some nonbiological mothers have developing a bond with their newborn child. In her essay, McIntyre, who had given birth to her daughter, Lily, 5, before her partner, Amy Madanick, gave birth to their son, Harry, 15 months, writes about the difference between the instant love she felt for her birth daughter and the relationship she had to develop with her son. A lot of her own remove from Harry had to do with her respecting the boundaries of Madanick's role as the nurturer, or as McIntyre puts it, "the original and ultimate comforter," of their newborn son. "Amy is his birth mother," says McIntyre. "How do I fulfill the role of being a mom if Amy is right here?" She continues: "I remember feeling guilty about that -- 'Why haven't I had this instantaneous thing with Harry?' And, you know, maybe some of it is just biological. I didn't carry him around inside my belly for nine months. ... And I think nursing has a lot to do with it. I wasn't nursing him, and, in fact, I held him much less I think partly because I wasn't nursing. That natural extension of holding him was not a part of our relationship." The situation seems similar to what fathers experience after their partners give birth. But it contains a twist, since this is unfamiliar territory. "I think that there's a clearer road map for fathers," Beckman says. "There's some sort of role laid out for them, it seems to me. If you're a nonbiological mother, you sort of need to create your own road map." Other nonbiological mothers feel an immediate emotional connection to the child of their partner. In her "Confessions" essay, Hillary Goodridge, a Jamaica Plain, Mass., resident who was a plaintiff in the case to legalize gay marriages in Massachusetts, tells the story of her partner giving birth to their daughter, Annie, 10. Although a hospital nurse refused to accept Goodridge as Annie's mother, Goodridge never questioned her position in her child's life. Their relationship formed under the stressful circumstances of Annie's cesarean-section birth, which ended with Annie being rushed into an intensive care unit. "Motherhood brings out the most primal emotions," says Goodridge, who married her partner in 2004. "It's almost as if we built this relationship forged out of adversity. Really, I had never felt feelings like that before, of how protective (I was), and how I would die for this 8-pound infant." Cardaras, 51, describes a similar strength of feeling developing when her parents adopted her in Greece and brought her home to the United States. Cardaras developed as strong a bond with her sons, Nicholas, 16, and Harrison, 17, once she became involved with their mother, Fran, after Fran's marriage failed. It helped that Cardaras took a year off to take care of the boys when they were toddlers. "When I came into [my sons'] lives," says Cardaras, "I did what any mother would do in caring for them and loving them. There was really no problem." As Cardaras writes in her "Confessions" essay, "Family, as I know it, is a creation, a product of someone's deliberate choosing." It's a lesson many lesbian couples learn as they step into this uncharted territory of parenthood. June 29 BOOK: "Confessions of the Other Mother: Nonbiological Lesbian Moms Tell All!"
"Confessions of the Other Mother: Nonbiological Lesbian Moms Tell All!"edited by Harlyn Aizley 208 pp., Beacon Press, paper, $16 It's probably mathematically impossible to pack this much hilarity, heart-squeezing moments and life-with-baby reality into a couple hundred pages, but editor Harlyn Aizley manages. Some things are universal: Whether we're talking two mommies or one, nothing rocks a couple's world like a new baby. Almost every one of these 19 short essays winningly explores common joys and terrors, and provides excellent entertainment holding forth on unique challenges facing the "other mother." The book isn't a political rant; far from it. Nonetheless, it is tempting to buy a pile of 'em to airdrop on areas where voters or judges try to keep same-sex couples from marrying, adopting or being foster parents. Book Review: Raising Boys Without MenRaising Boys Without Men : How Maverick Moms are Creating the Next Generation of Exceptional Men by Peggy Drexler, Ph.D., with Linden Gross The research behind this book aims directly at the heart of the long-time myth that boys must be raised by men in order to be a “successful” man. Along with other fallacies such as “Too much time with women turns boys into sissies” and “No men in the house creates momma’s boys”, these myths are quickly dispelled as the reader meets the mothers and sons of this long-term research project. There are two aspects of this book that make it unique in terms of published research studies. First, Dr. Drexler is careful to explain her personal interest in this study and the purpose behind the study. Second, rather than simply spout statistics and draw conclusions, Dr. Drexler allows the reader to meet the subjects of her study and uses her interactions with them to illustrate support for her findings. While the study began as a look at boys raised by lesbian couples, it quickly evolved into a look at all women who are raising boys without men in the home – single mothers by choice, single mothers by divorce or death and lesbian couples. This focus on how women raise boys and how boys react to being raised by women only results in findings that should set typical parenting circles into a spin, crushing long held beliefs that these boys are somehow lacking in their upbringing. In fact, it seems that these boys, raised by women, actually become better-rounded, more compassionate, and more thoughtful, while retaining all their “boy characteristics.” Drexler calls them “head and heart boys” because they have the best characteristics of an individual, regardless of gender. In fact, Drexler’s study shows that all the “boyishness” of a typical boy – the rough-housing, the curiosity, the typical boy interests – seems to be stored in the genes. In the argument of nature vs. nurture, this study shows that nurture cannot undo what nature intends. Instead, nurture adds to the already inherent qualities to produce a better (or worse, as the case may be) “finished product.” Does this study state that boys (or girls) don’t need male influences in their lives? No. What it does state is that maverick moms are so dedicated to their children that they find the sources of influence needed for their children and incorporate them into their children’s lives, whether or not they exist in the home environment. Another interesting quality of maverick moms is that they are more willing to take the chance to break out of their own molds in order to make sure that their children have the support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. This book is full of examples of how maverick moms have gone the extra mile to make sure that their sons have the experiences and role models they need in order to be the best boys (and best future men!) they can possible be. I can honestly say that I hope that my daughters meet one of these boys after they become men, because they will make exceptional husbands and parents! If you are a single parent, especially a single mom, you will want to read this book and celebrate in the triumphs of the other single mothers successfully raising their children. If you are the single mother of a son, you will be especially joyful to find that the old clichés need to be thrown out the window and that life raising your son can be embraced. After all, that is what maverick moms are all about. Raising Boys Without Men is currently available in hardcover and will be available in paperback on October 3, 2006. For your copy, go to www.Amazon.com and enter ISBN 1-57954-881-4 in the Books section. This is an excellent and enlightening read!
June 14 Gay-friendly Story of Creation Celebrates Evolution, Embraces DiversityGay-friendly Story of Creation Celebrates Evolution, Embraces Diversity; Praised by Internationally syndicated Gay Columnist; Author, Artist to SpeakMon Jun 12, 8:00 AM ET Chicago (PRWEB) June 12, 2006 -- “One Spirit: A Creation Story for the 21st Century,” gives our pluralistic, postmodern society what it needs ¬– its own tale of how we came to be, and a non-judgmental, upbeat theory of where we might be going. “One Spirit” is for everyone in its celebration of diversity – “male and female, human, plant and animal, black, white, brown, red and yellow, gay and straight.” Rex Wockner, internationally syndicated gay columnist, had this to say about the book: “The eternal god-like thing was bored with itself, so it initiated the Big Bang, and that’s why there now are dragonflies, gays and redwood trees. It’s as good of a theory as any!” “One Spirit” is indeed a grown-up picture book in which One Spirit becomes bored, decides to explode into Creation, and sends evolution on its merry way to eventually create the universe we know today. Although not technically a children’s book, it can be used by parents to gently introduce their children to creation, life, death and eternity. It will also be helpful for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one or facing death. Jean Latz Griffin, a former Chicago Tribune reporter who started the first gay and lesbian beat at the Tribune in the late 1980s, wrote the book seven months after her mother died when she realized that when we lose someone that close, we cling to whatever belief system allows us to see that person again and know them as we knew them on Earth. Griffin and her sister-in-law Jane Gaunt, an addictions counselor at the Betty Ford Center, collaborated over the past several years to make the story come alive through Gaunt’s amazing ability to create magical wonder and give form to even the most abstract concepts. Griffin and Gaunt are available for interviews and workshops. Griffin and Gaunt are appearing at Transitions Bookplace, 1000 W. North Ave., Chicago for a talk and book signing on June 14 at 7 p.m. All are invited. http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20060612/bs_prweb/prweb397367_1 June 13 Children's books: Reading for the New American FamilyDeborah Lashman While a number of publishers, both large mainstream houses and the smaller lesbian and gay presses, have printed an occasional title, the leader in "alternative" children's publishing is Alyson Press in Boston. Alyson has established an entire division, Alyson Wonderland to handle and promote children's titles. Among their titles are books for kids of lesbian and gay parents, as well as stories in which a variety of family alternatives are presented. Leslea Newman's "Heather Has Two Mommies" (originally published by In Other Words) and "Gloria Goes to Gay Pride", feature preschool daughters of lesbian couples. In another Newman title, "Belinda's Bouquet", the title character's friend has two lesbian parents whom we meet naturally in the course of the story. Other Alyson Wonderland titles include "How Would You Feel if Your Dad Was Gay?", "Daddy's Roommate", and "The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones", all featuring kids with gay fathers. One of their newest titles, "The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans" by Johnny Valentine, is a collection of original fairy tales, featuring kids with lesbian and gay parents and a variety of racial backgrounds. The title story revolves around what happens when a Duke outlaws all families that aren't like his: the traditional mother/father set-up. Alyson even publishes a coloring book, "Families: A Coloring Book", showing a variety of families and their activities. There are a number of books showing that families come in all types; one of the earliest still in print is Little Brown's 1981 title "Families" by Marylin Hafner. The lead character, Angie, describes the different types of families her friends have, including Susie who "lives with her mother and godmother. When I asked where her father lived, she said she didn't have any father." While most of the newer books are aimed at younger children, preschool through 6th grade, there are some titles for teenagers. Betty Greene, perhaps best known for her first teen book, "Summer of My German Soldier", has written a novel loosely based on the gay bashing murder of a gay man in Bangor, Maine, by a gang of teenage boys several years ago. "The Drowning of Stephen Jones", pub- lished by Bantam, is told through the eyes of the girlfriend of the leader of the gang. Another new teen novel "Bad Boy", by Diana Wieler (Delecorte), describes what happens when one of the players on a high school hockey team discovers that his best friend and one of the star players is gay. Among the non-fiction titles describing diverse families are "Families: A Celebration of Diversity" from Houghton Mifflin, based on an exhibit at the Boston Children's Museum and Tabor Sarah's "Chag Sameach (Happy Holidays)", which is an introduction to the Jewish holidays featuring diverse family backgrounds, including a family with two lesbian parents. There are any number of children's books, fiction and non-fiction about AIDS. One of the most sensitive I've read is "Losing Uncle Tim" by Mary Kate Jordan, Albert Whitman Co. While it's not as easy to find as the mainstream literature, there is a growing wealth of books out there for our kids. Ask your bookstore, school, and local library to carry these titles and more like them. For more information on these titles you can contact the publishers or: Alyson Wonderland, 40 Plympton St, Boston, MA 02118, (617) 542-5679 Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International, PO Box 50360, Washington, D.C. 20091. Book Review "Two Moms, The Zark and Me" By Johnny ValentineBook Review "Two Moms, The Zark and Me" By Johnny Valentine
Had the pleasure to enjoy this book for the first time over the weekend with my nine year old son, while on a camping trip. The story is about a young child with two moms, and a playful prehistoric fun animal called the Zark. The child gets Lost and has to work his way back to find his Moms. Is in a situation having to discribe his Mother and FATHER to a unaccepting couple.
The story is fun to read in a Dr. Seuss fashion, a whimsical story that looks at just what a family is really all about.
Johnny Valentine is my childrens favorite same sex parent story author. He has written the Duke Who Out Lawed Jelly Beans, which we own and we really enjoy.
We don't own Two Moms, the Zark and Me, but we would like to, we borrowed it from out local library via the inter-libary lending system! My son has read this book about 4 times in the last three days!
Jill May 15 Book Review - How It Feels To Have A Gay Or Lesbian Parent - Judith Snow
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