My Two Wives and Three Husbands

"Loud activists may command the news, but it is the everyday gay people living openly who bring about real change and acceptance."
~My Two Wives and Three Husbands,
S. Stanley Gordon

Many present-day memoirs are dark and difficult to get through. They may be interesting, but let's face it, all that honesty can become rather dismal and depressing. I know that life is not always rosy, but I battle daily to retain a degree of optimism in my thinking and outlook, and I sometimes grow weary from reading about relentless misery and pain.



Although My Two Wives and Three Husbands by S. Stanley Gordon is candid, it is--whew!--also upbeat and positive. Published in 2011, the author wrote his book as he was approaching his eighty-eighth birthday. In this memoir, the author tells his life story, with more than a touch of humor and an infinitude of zest. The book chronicles the events in his life, including his career in optometry and as a theatrical producer in NY and London, and his marriages to two women and three men.

From a young age, even perhaps before he knew he was gay, the author thought that same sex marriage should be permissible. He openly discusses his feelings as a boy who realized that he was attracted to boys, and describes how he went from leading a double life to being honest about his sexual identity. Although the author struggled at times with his sexuality during a period when there was much less acceptance of gay people, ultimately the book conveys the author's great energy, happiness, and joie de vivre, as well as his strong belief in love and marriage. In fact, this book is primarily a story about love, both platonic and romantic. Despite the difficulties he encountered--and maybe to some extent because of them--the author seems truly grateful and content with his life. S. Stanley Gordon's zest for life is genuine and charming, and I read My Two Wives and Three Husbands in just a few sittings.


I've wanted to participate in Amanda's GLBT reading challenge since I first read about it, but it required a larger commitment than what I had time to read--until now. Thankfully, you're no longer required to read a certain number of books, and can join the challenge at any point during the year; it's become a reader-friendly challenge. The GLBT reading challenge was created by Amanda from The Zen Leaf in 2009, but is currently hosted by Christina from Reading Thru The Night, and co-hosted by Natazzz from For the roses. Next, I hope to read Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin for this challenge.

Special thanks to S. Stanley Gordon and Bostick Communications for sending me this book to review.

(For some reason, the comments to this post were lost while Blogger was not working. This is upsetting, and I hope they will be restored.)

Update, May 24: Yay! The lost comments have been restored.

Mom ~ A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps: Review and Giveaway

Why hadn't I heard about this before?

Are you familiar with StoryCorps? Prior to reading the introduction to Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay, published in 2010, I was completely unaware of StoryCorps. Even though I listen to NPR on a fairly regular basis, I didn't recall listening to any StoryCorps interviews on the air.

Launched in 2003 in Grand Central Terminal in NYC, the basic idea of StoryCorps is that pairs of people interview each other and have their stories recorded. Since its inception, StoryCorps has recorded many thousands of interviews with people at recording booths throughout the United States. Participants receive a DVD of the interview, while another copy goes to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In this manner, Americans across the country tell their stories in interviews that have been recorded for present and future generations--and given some permanence.

When I picked up this book of interviews and started reading it, I discovered two things. The first thing was that I have another book in my bookcase by StoryCorps, Listening Is an Act of Love, waiting to be read (which I would've neglected for a lot longer, most likely, had it not been for "the Mom book").

The second surprise was my unexpected emotional reaction to the interviews and stories in this book. I was extremely affected by them, and many of them brought me to tears. Each interview is unique, and the relationships in this book are varied, which make the book textured and original. The book features interviews such as:

A mother talks to her son
A son interviews his mother
A sister talks to her sister about their mother
A sister talks to her brother about their mother
A daughter interviews her father about his mother
A woman talks to her same sex partner about her mother

I didn't list names here, but the names of the participants--real people--are given in this book. Different people tell different stories. The interviews feel like heart-to-heart talks, and the book goes beyond stereotypes and features Americans from all walks of life, creating a truer, broader picture of motherhood and related relationships. Personally, as a mother I cannot stand being stereotyped, and some of the appeal of this book to me is precisely because it presents a myriad of mothers and relationships.

The focus is on the numerous, dynamic roles of mothers, on capturing some (no longer) fleeting moments, of sharing memories and feelings and stories of "ordinary" American people. Each interview is dated, and includes the city where the interview took place. Interviews are short, just a few pages, and feature a small photo of the participants at the conclusion.

To say that I enjoyed reading Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps would be an understatement. I loved this book, marvel at the concept of StoryCorps, and plan on reading my other StoryCorps book soon.

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, Penguin, the publisher, is graciously offering a giveaway for Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps (U.S./Canada only), in celebration of this holiday!

• To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
• For yet another chance, answer this bonus question: If you were to do a StoryCorps interview with someone (not necessarily a mother), who would you choose? Or would you want to be the one interviewed?

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 16. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 17. Good luck!



Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of it please visit the other stops on TLC's Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps book tour.