 When I picked up Logical Family, I had never heard of Armistead Maupin, his transformative serial novels of the 1970s and ‘80s, or the 1993 “blockbuster miniseries” that “entranced millions around the world.” I stumbled upon Maupin’s memoir (2017) online, and was intrigued by the title. The idea is that we are not always born into a biological family that fits who we are, our authentic selves. So we must seek our “logical family.” Maupin was a gay man born into an arch-conservative southern family in the 1940s. He was a conservative activist and served in Vietnam before beginning to “find himself.” The book made me laugh out loud and ache with pain. One deftly navigated feat is Maupin’s depiction of his father as both raging bigot and loving dad. Maupin’s close friendships with people like Harvey Milk and Rock Hudson also add to the book’s wow factor. This is a superb slice of history as well as a compelling life story. My 60th year in 60,000 words Day 291: 162 words, TOTAL = 48,472; 11,528 remaining |
AuthorRobin Clifford Wood is a writer and writing teacher. She lives in central Maine with her husband and dogs, loves to be outdoors, and enjoys ever-expanding horizons through her grown children and their multi-species families. Archives
October 2021
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