A resounding testament to individuality and the power of family in all forms from the young man who “lit up the Internet” (Ellen DeGeneres)
On January 31, 2011, Zach Wahls addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public forum regarding full marriage equality. The nineteen-year-old son of a same-sex couple, Wahls proudly proclaimed, “The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character.” Hours later, his speech was posted on YouTube, where it went viral, quickly receiving more than two million views. By the end of the week, everyone knew his name and wanted to hear more from the boy with two moms.
Same-sex marriage will be a major—possibly the defining—issue in this year’s election cycle, and Wahls speaks to that, but also to a broader issue. Sure, he’s handsome and athletic, an environmental engineering student, and an Eagle Scout. Yet, growing up with two moms, he knows what it’s like to feel different and to fear being made fun of or worse. In the inspirational spirit of It Gets Better edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, My Two Moms also delivers a reassuring message to same-sex couples, their kids, and anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider: “You are not alone.”
Price: $13.92
Jeanette Winterson’s novels have established her as a major figure in world literature. She has written some of the most admired books of the past few decades, including her internationally bestselling first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents that is now often required reading in contemporary fiction.
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a memoir about a life’s work to find happiness. It's a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser, waiting for Armageddon; about growing up in an north England industrial town now changed beyond recognition; about the Universe as Cosmic Dustbin.
It is the story of how a painful past that Jeanette thought she'd written over and repainted rose to haunt her, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother.
Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded search for belongingfor love, identity, home, and a mother.
Price: $14.80
Coming Out, Then Coming Home
Christopher Yuan, the son of Chinese immigrants, discovered at an early age that he was different. He was attracted to other boys. As he grew into adulthood, his mother, Angela, hoped to control the situation. Instead, she found that her son and her life were spiraling out of control—and her own personal demons were determined to defeat her.
Years of heartbreak, confusion, and prayer followed before the Yuans found a place of complete surrender, which is God’s desire for all families. Their amazing story, told from the perspectives of both mother and son, offers hope for anyone affected by homosexuality.
God calls all who are lost to come home to him. Casting a compelling vision for holy sexuality, Out of a Far Country speaks to prodigals, parents of prodigals, and those wanting to minister to the gay community.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” - Luke 15:20
Includes a discussion guide for personal reflection and group use.
Price: $8.25
Betty DeGeneres tells her story: the complicated path to acceptance and the deepening of her friendship with her daughter; the media's scrutiny of their family life; the painful and often inspiring stories she's heard on the road as the first non-gay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project.
Price: $19.44
Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together.
Shares the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.
Price: $3.59
Dan Savage's nationally syndicated sex advice column, "Savage Love," enrages and excites more than four million people each week. In The Kid, Savage tells a no-holds-barred, high-energy story of an ordinary American couple who wants to have a baby. Except that in this case the couple happens to be Dan and his boyfriend. That fact, in the face of a society enormously uneasy with gay adoption, makes for an edgy, entertaining, and illuminating read. When Dan and his boyfriend are finally presented with an infant badly in need of parenting, they find themselves caught up in a drama that extends well beyond the confines of their immediate world. A story about confronting homophobia, falling in love, getting older, and getting a little bit smarter, The Kid is a book about the very human desire to have a family.
Price: $3.87
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
What do you think about when you are alone?
What's the best ladies room you've ever been in?
Whether you are an idolized celebrity or a struggling single mother, the ladies room is where you create your make believe, and where you face your reality. Join 68 brave women from around the world for an empowering look in the mirror and a meeting in the ladies room.
Featuring Jann Arden, Amanda Palmer, Rosie O'Donnell, Jen Foster, Sarah Bettens, and SHeDAISY
***This special coffee break version of Meeting In The Ladies Room features 13 of the 68 women who are featured in the original version. It has been modified from its original design and format for viewing in your e-reader. Included in this edition are Sara Kamin, Ngaire Bartlam, Jen Foster, Marnie Woodrow, Lucy Browne, Jann Arden, Carrie Jackson, Rosie O'Donnell, SheDaisy, Suzi Finer, Sarah Bettens, Amanda Palmer, and Tamara Morrison. All 68 women are included in the print edition.***
Reviews:
"Meeting in the Ladies Room is one of the most thought-provoking books I've read all year. Throughout its pages, authors Linda Woods and Karen Dinino and dozens of other women embrace and confront the vast array of ideas, hopes and dreams that catch one's inner voice unaware in this private space. The photos and short essays are fascinating."
~Shannon Okey, Author/Editor, knitgrrl.com
"Meeting in the Ladies Room is an insightful, exciting, playful - sometimes naughty - peek at what goes on behind the door and in front of the mirror. This is a book that will make you stop and really think about who you are and what you stand for. And after soaking up every page and photo, you'll want to embrace your own ladies room and create your own I AM ART statement!"
~Kathy Cano-Murillo, Artist and Author of Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul
"A book that is bold and brave and reminds us just how complex, challenged, strong and amazing we are as women. "
~Alisa Burke, Artist and Author of Canvas Remix
"The candid photos and courageous women that populate this marvelous book remind us that each moment can become art. No matter what your gender, you will find yourself reflected in these compelling pages."
~Michael Sean Kaminsky, Author of Naked Lens
"It's filled with luscious photographs with yummy colors and textures and visuals...It makes you think. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry."
~Kelly Kilmer, Mixed-Media Artist
Price: Too low to display
Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family and her best friends and, most important, she had Sarah. Sarah, her girlfriend, with whom she dreamed about the day they could move far away and live out and proud and accepted for themselves, instead of having to hide their relationship.
Alyssa never thought she would have to make that move by herself. But disowned by her father and cut off from everyone she loves, she is forced to move hundreds of miles away to live with Carly, the biological mother she barely knows, in a town where everyone immediately dismisses her as "Carly's girl." As Alyssa struggles to forget her past and come to terms with her future, will she be able to build a new life for herself and believe in love again? Or will she be forced to relive the mistakes that have cost her everything and everyone she cared about?
National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters has written a compelling novel about coming out, finding love, and discovering your place in the world. Alyssa's story will speak to anyone who has known the joy and pain of first love and the struggle to start over again.
Price: $4.90
The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians covers everything you need to make the thrilling and challenging journey to motherhood: from choosing a donor to tracking fertility to signing the right papers on the dotted lines. Rachel Pepper's lively, easy-to-read guide is the first place to go for up-to-date information and sage advice on everything from sex in the sixth month to negotiating family roles.
Why a second edition? When the acclaimed first edition appeared, the author's daughter was only a few months old. This new edition takes into account the parenting know-how Pepper has developed over the intervening six years, as well as the evolving legal status of lesbian parents, and the increasing importance of the Internet for information on fertility, sperm banks, and donors. The resource section is greatly expanded, as are the sections on each trimester of pregnancy, on childbirth, and on life with a newborn. And Pepper provides more insight into preconception planning for both single lesbians and couples. An indispensable resource, The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians is now bigger and better.
Price: $9.90
Since her husband's untimely death, Rachel Weston has had little time to think about anything except the needs of her two young children and her growing landscaping business. But for reasons she could never understand, she sometimes thought of Quinn Farrelly...
A survivor from the wrong side of the tracks, the roguish Quinn had reveled in the role of the town's lovable black sheep. Until that day 12 years ago when she was sentenced to prison for a tragedy she may, or may not, have caused.
Released on parole, Quinn needs a job - and Rachel needs a hired hand. Rachel knew that helping Quinn would cause an uproar among her neighbors, but she never expected the dizzying upheaval in her own heart... or that Quinn's wild yearnings would change her life forever...
Price: $33.61
