I got this book at a local charity shop, for another release copy.

I first "read" the book on audio (read by Maupin himself), and then in text form, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a wonderful story that wasn't about what it was about - or was it? I found my heart wrenched by the narrator's breakup with his longtime lover, and was intrigued by the question of young Pete's existence - and tantalized by the twists that the story took. A good, involving read. (The 2006 film adaptation starring Robin Williams was pretty good, though the visual format made it harder to maintain the is-he-or-isn't-he aspect of the story.)

While the story is fiction, it's based on many true incidents, including aspects of Maupin's personal life. And the key plot point is based on the real-life incident of Anthony Godby Johnson - Maupin and many other people became friends via phone and e-mail with a child whose horrible experiences had been published in a book, and later it was strongly suggested that the child may not have existed at all and that the author was the woman who claimed to be caring for him. Some of the people who befriended the "child" maintain that the story was true, but there's been convincing evidence that it wasn't; in any case, Maupin's spin on the story leaves room for the reader to believe as they wish...

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

** Released for the 2023 Movie challenge. **