This author's lifelong passion for books, sparked in second grade, has led to a diverse literary career spanning multiple genres. With a body of work that includes memoir, mystery, short stories, and children's literature, they explore various narrative forms. Beyond writing, they actively engage with the literary world through regular columns, blog posts, and radio reviews, often championing overlooked works from smaller presses. Their dedication to their craft is further evident in their energetic public readings, which they approach as performances honed through extensive practice across three continents.
Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War era, the story explores the struggles of the Borowski family, particularly focusing on Stefan, their American-born son. As Stefan uncovers painful family secrets, he confronts the divisions and isolation caused by their past. This journey of self-discovery not only impacts his relationship with his family but also helps him navigate his uncertainties about his sexual identity, ultimately guiding him toward a hopeful future.
This title discusses problems facing young people such as making choices, learning about and liking oneself, and solving problems.
The narrative follows professor Nick Hoffman as his idyllic life is shattered by a traumatic encounter with police, leading to a relentless campaign against him. As he grapples with the fallout, the story delves into the psychological effects of slander, harassment, and police brutality, highlighting the profound loss of personal safety. The book explores themes of vulnerability and resilience in the face of relentless adversity.
Haunted by his parents’ horrific suffering and traumatic losses under Nazi rule, Lev Raphael grew up loathing everything German. Those feelings shaped his Jewish identity, his life, and his career. While researching his mother’s war years after her death, he discovers a distant relative living in the very city where she had worked in a slave labor camp, found freedom, and met his father. Soon after, Raphael is launched on book tours in Germany and, in the process, redefines himself as someone unafraid to face the past and let it go. Bookmarks, “Top Ten Nonfiction Titles of 2009”
Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives
Most gay men and lesbians grow up learning that to be gay is to be sick, to be unnatural, to be a sinner. By adolescence, such negative attitudes have produced and reinforced a single, powerful emotion: shame, the feeling that you’re inferior and judged as “bad,” for what you are—gay. In Coming out of Shame Gershen Kaufman and Lev Raphael expose the role shame has come to play in gay and lesbian lives. Rarely discussed but vastly important, shame powerfully shapes each individual’s development of self-esteem, identity, and intimacy—three areas in which gay men and lesbians have been extremely vulnerable to the crippling effects of shame. Tracing the historical and cultural sources of gay shame, Kaufman and Raphael reveal how gay men and lesbians have internalized shame, resulting in self-loathing and destructive behaviors. The hallmark of shame is silence, and by breaking the silence around the dynamics of gay shame, Kaufman and Raphael offer a way to “come out” of shame and begin the journey toward wholeness and self-acceptance. Filled with the experiences of those struggling to overcome shame, Coming Out of Shame includes strategies for: • Storing self-esteem • Creating a positive gay identity • Healing scenes of shame • Developing partnerships in intimacy Self-affirming and inspirational, Coming Out of Shame guides the transformation of gay shame into gay pride and empowers gay men and lesbians as no other book has done.