"America's Boy" by Wade Rouse

[terrya]

Has anyone else read this wonderful, funny, sad, heartwarming memoir? I was up all night reading it. Yes, I read it all in one sitting. It's just...wonderful. He's a journalist/public relations director....and gay man...who writes about his memorable family, his feeling "different" from everyone in his hometown (a small town in the Missouri Ozarks). And his experiences trying to deny and conceal his homosexuality from his family for most of his life.

I just...loved this book. I wrote Wade Rouse an email telling him how much I liked his book. I don't expect to get a reply or anything. But I just wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed it.

If you have a chance to read "America's Boy", please do so. You'll like it.

[Fridays Child]

1. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'll check it out. :hi:

[Richardo]

2. Always looking for recommendations from well-read people like yourself

...terrya. :thumbsup:

I'll keep an eye out for it.

[Democrats_win]

3. This book is really good. Glad you started this thread.

Wade provides wonderful memories of his grandparents and his experiences with life as a gay person. Wade has an affinity for beauty contests and food. As a young boy he eats and allows himself to gain weight to hide the fact that he's different i.e. gay. His experiences with his four honorable grandparents shows that he's a very typical American boy even though he's gay and fat. He struggles with the role of religion in his sexuality which, like many religious gay people, has made his life a "living hell." It's ironic that his greatest regrets are related to hiding that he's gay. To me it seems that the religion that should make us all better people, keeps us from being just that.

I really enjoyed reading Wade's story and thank him for writing such an enjoyable and fun book.