American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics
2 journalers for this copy...
I found this good-condition ex-library hardcover at Better World Books. I've enjoyed Dan Savage's columns for years now, and loved his books The Commitment and The Kid.
This book contains a number of essays on a variety of topics, sometimes including banter between the author and other advice columnists, and often including debate - and sometimes outright wrath - between him and political figures.
It's not all heated, though; there are some lovely bits about his life with his husband, and about their experiences in raising a teenaged boy - whose "coming out" as straight made for an interesting variation on the usual coming-out story!
I like Savage's views on sex education, on ways for couples (and thruples and N-tuples) to cope with differing levels of kink, on his own old shame - a column in which he stated that bisexual men did not exist (he's since learned the error of his ways), and on his views of Death With Dignity legislation - that one especially heart-wrenching as he describes his own mother's last hours.
One of my favorite entries was "On Being Different," in which Dan, Terry, their son, two of his friends, and two other gay couples all shared a vacation rental in Hawaii. He often points out how homophobic fears - among others, that gay men prey on boys, or that being raised by gay parents will make a child gay - don't seem to be reflected in real life, especially among folk of good will...
I don't know whether this book would change the thinking of someone who was adamantly opposed to Savage's views, but I do think he makes a lot of good arguments!
This book contains a number of essays on a variety of topics, sometimes including banter between the author and other advice columnists, and often including debate - and sometimes outright wrath - between him and political figures.
It's not all heated, though; there are some lovely bits about his life with his husband, and about their experiences in raising a teenaged boy - whose "coming out" as straight made for an interesting variation on the usual coming-out story!
I like Savage's views on sex education, on ways for couples (and thruples and N-tuples) to cope with differing levels of kink, on his own old shame - a column in which he stated that bisexual men did not exist (he's since learned the error of his ways), and on his views of Death With Dignity legislation - that one especially heart-wrenching as he describes his own mother's last hours.
One of my favorite entries was "On Being Different," in which Dan, Terry, their son, two of his friends, and two other gay couples all shared a vacation rental in Hawaii. He often points out how homophobic fears - among others, that gay men prey on boys, or that being raised by gay parents will make a child gay - don't seem to be reflected in real life, especially among folk of good will...
I don't know whether this book would change the thinking of someone who was adamantly opposed to Savage's views, but I do think he makes a lot of good arguments!
Journal Entry 2 by 
GoryDetails
at City Hall book-swap shelf in Leominster, Massachusetts USA on Monday, March 20, 2017
GoryDetails at City Hall book-swap shelf in Leominster, Massachusetts USA on Monday, March 20, 2017
Released 7 yrs ago (3/20/2017 UTC) at City Hall book-swap shelf in Leominster, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the book-swap shelves inside the City Hall main entrance at around 3; hope the finder enjoys it![See other recent releases in MA here.]
*** Released for the 2017 Oh, the Places We Can Go release challenge. ***
I picked up this book to register with Bookcrossing, and possibly read or give to a friend (he's quite a writer.) Opened it up to discover that it's already a Bookcrossing book - one of only 3 or so that I have found in the wild! Very exciting, though certainly I know the prolific and enthusiastic reader, GoryDetails. I'll have to check out your review/essay on the book!
