Book details

Conversations and Cosmopolitans

Awkward Moments, Mixed Drinks, and How a Mother and Son Finally Shared Who They Really Are

Author: Robert Rave and Jane Rave

Conversations and Cosmopolitans

Conversations and Cosmopolitans

$22.99

About This Book

Part Augusten Burroughs, part Robert Leleux, Conversations and Cosmopolitans is a hilarious and touching memoir written by a mother, Jane, and her son, Robert, as they navigate their...

Page Count
304
On Sale
11/08/2011

Book Details

Part Augusten Burroughs, part Robert Leleux, Conversations and Cosmopolitans is a hilarious and touching memoir written by a mother, Jane, and her son, Robert, as they navigate their new relationship together after Robert announces in a hand-written letter that he is gay.

After moving from the Midwest to New York City at the age of twenty-one, Robert Rave finally found the resolve to mail a letter to his parents informing them that he was gay. Once Robert was "out," both he and his mother Jane felt a newfound freedom to be more honest with each other. From the discrimination Jane experienced as a pregnant teenager in a small town, to Robert's "manscaping," almost no topic was off-limits in their conversations. Soon, Robert was creating a "gay glossary" so that Jane could understand the lexicon and Jane was giving Robert the same dating advice that she used to give Robert's older sister ("men are jerks").

CONVERSATIONS AND COSMOPOLITANS is a frank, funny, and heartfelt look at coming out from both a mother's and son's perspective, and an inspiring memoir about building family relationships based on honesty, openness, and acceptance.

Imprint Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN

9780312554231

In The News

“Robert is snarky without being bitchy, Jane dry but not drab, and this creates a balanced and infectious humor in the book that plays nicely with the moments of poignancy that pop up time and again. Read this book, grab a drink, start a conversation about it. You might cry some, you'll probably laugh more, and you'll realize that it's really not that complicated.” —Elle

“The voices of mother and son alternate in the brief segments of this book, advancing a story arc and commenting on one another's reflections and memories in a dialogue 'written to both entertain and enlighten in the hope that other families will begin discussion in their own homes' and discover how 'enormously empowering living in the truth can be.' Robert's coming-out letter to his parents sets the scene as he and his mother strive to interact authentically, learning about each other and learning of previously undiscovered aspects of themselves. Both are scarred from having been ostracized, he for his homosexuality, she for becoming scandalous as an unwed, pregnant high-school student. Zippy one-liners, ironic observations, and laugh-out-loud situations abound; for instance, Robert teaches his mother a gay vocabulary wholly new to her (no, Mom, B&D does not mean big and dumb). Mother-son bonding à la a progressive new Hallmark holiday movie.” —Booklist

Conversations and Cosmopolitans tells the story of a gay novelist's unique, seemingly-nothing-is-off-limits relationship with his mother. From Robert's manscaping adventures to Jane's experiences as a small-town pregnant teenager, Conversations tells the funny, heartfelt inside story of a relationship that became stronger after a gay son and his mother let down their guards and opened up to each other.” —The Advocate

“As a mother of boys I hope one of them is gay so I can have this much fun with him.” —Heather McDonald, writer and story producer for Chelsea Lately and the New York Times bestselling author of You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again

“A heartfelt look at a mother and son's relationship from both points of view. [L]augh-out-loud funny, touching and poignant...” —Lance Bass, Grammy-nominated singer, former member of *NSYNC, and author of Out of Sync

“CONVERSATIONS AND COSMOPOLITANS is the most endearing, inventive memoir I've read in ages. Robert Rave and his mother Jane have managed to capture their beautiful relationship on the page, in a heartfelt, hilarious manner that never shies away from revealing awkward moments. Aside from being a charming work of literature, CONVERSATIONS AND COSMOPOLITANS is a necessary book, a book we've all been waiting for, as it deals honestly, affectionately, and originally with an experience that's central to our contemporary lives--the struggle to know and love your parents and children exactly as they are.” —Robert Leleux, author of The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

“Totally delightful. A reminder of what it's like to be the new kid. If being the new kid was being gay and the new school was a hierarchy of too-fab cliques and temperamental queen bees -- pun intended. The main character is really Manhattan. And as Robert struggles to get a life in Gay New York, Jane coaches him through the rough patches with her no-nonsense maternal charm.” —Mishna Wolff, author of I'm Down

“I loved this book, funny, honest, and moving! Who could ask for more?” —Bryan Batt, actor on AMC's Emmy Award-winning drama "Mad Men" and author of the memoir She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother

About the Creators

Conversations and Cosmopolitans

Conversations and Cosmopolitans

$22.99