by George Hodgman Library Journal This is a superior memoir, written in a witty and episodic style, though at times it's heartbreak-ing. It's also, though just under 300 pages, an especially dense one, filled with a lifetime's worth of reflection and story after fascinating story. Starting out rather conventionally as the tale of a son's return home to rural Paris, MO, to take care of his ailing mother (the "Betty" of the title), the narrative slowly begins to delve into Hodgman's difficulties accepting himself for who he is, particularly as a gay man. Though his relationship with his mother is close it quickly becomes clear that his sexual orientation is just the most significant of many things that he and his family do not discuss. Hodgman is also very good at detailing how much rural America has changed, almost never for the better, in the last 30 years.VERDICT Readers from many backgrounds will be able to identify with the author because his book is really a plea for us to accept everybody for who they are, no matter what their story may be, or what kinds of lives they may lead. [See Prepub Alert, 9/21/14.] (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. (c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
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