Out of the Ordinary
Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents
ISBN10: 0312244894
ISBN13: 9780312244897
Trade Paperback
240 Pages
$19.99
CA$21.99
Winner of Lambda Literary Awards for "Non-fiction Anthology" and "Children's/Young Adult Literature"
Out of the Ordinary is a groundbreaking collection of essays by teen and adult children of gay, lesbian, and transgender parents. Though there are hundreds of thousands of people in this group, this book is the first of its kind. Written expressly for the children of gay parents but also important for the parents themselves, this will be the first step for many in feeling a connection with others who have had similar experiences. The essays range from humorous to poignant and provide insight into topics such as dealing with a parent's sexuality while figuring out one's own; coping with homophobia at school and at family gatherings as well as within conservative ethnic or social communities; and defining a "normal" family in a changing world.
The book features a preface by Dan Savage, author of The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant: An Adoption Story, and an introduction by Dr. Margarethe Cammermeyer, author of Serving in Silence, her story of being a lesbian mother in the military.
Reviews
Praise for Out of the Ordinary
"Groundbreaking, long overdue, thoughtful and moving—an impressive collection not only of remarkable stories, but of remarkable writing."—Lisa Miya Jervis, editor, Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture
"One of the best collections I've read in 20 years . . . [these] remarkable essays will educate and entertain."—Ritch Savin-Williams, author, And Then I Became Gay
"These are voices we have not heard. There is gold in these pages."—Riki Wilchins, author of Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender
"Out of the Ordinary succeeds in putting words to the strange, often difficult realities of a peculiar type of growing-up. In doing so, it becomes a rare gem, a book that is as compelling as it is important."—Chelsea Cain, Ms.