Review
The first volume in Mark Abramson's
Beach Reading series pits a brokenhearted, barhopping Castro hero against a seething homophobe, set against the backdrop of a colossal dance party honoring 80s music legend Sylvester. Call it literary levity on overdrive, but it's also a sunny, campy, quick-witted gem, and a sheer delight.
Abramson, a Castro-area resident for 30-plus years, is among the newest local writers to emerge with books set in and about San Francisco. The storyline is a simple one. Tim Snow, a waiter and a regular fixture in Castro and South of Market bars, lives a semi-normal life in his beloved Upper Market abode, with the exception of getting stoned too often and attempting to circumnavigate his ex-boyfriend, who keeps popping up. The gay community is abuzz with anticipation for the star-studded Sylvester tribute party, but a nasty anti-gay organizer is planning a protest nearby that same night. Counterintelligence is carefully planned with Tim and Company, with a few subplot surprises thrown in.
Abramson knows well of what he writes. He migrated to San Francisco from Minnesota back in 1975, and enjoyed the friendship of John Preston, a former Advocate editor, as well as a livelihood comprised of bartending and dance-event producing. It was a completely different Castro back then, he says.
Forthcoming books in the series will focus on contemporary subjects such as gay marriage, the side effects of HIV anti-retroviral drugs, identity theft, and open relationships. But Abramson intends on keeping everything on the lighter side. --
Bay Area ReporterAbramson's first in a series of books to come, this charming tale takes place in that shining homo beacon in the bay--San Francisco. Whether it's celebrating disco queernery, battling homophobia or getting over that pesky ex, this book's got you covered. And who ever said that protests were unflattering? --
HX Magazine
About the Author
Mark Abramson was a Midwestern farm boy who joined the great gay migration to San Francisco in the 1970s. His writing has appeared in the gay press as far back as
Christopher Street, Fag Rag, Gay Sunshine, and more recently in Lethe Press' acclaimed anthology
Charmed Lives.
In addition to writing the
Beach Reading series, he is also editing a memoir,
Castro Street Diaries recounting true tales from the great gay Mecca before AIDS - including adventures with old friends such as John Preston, Rita Rockett, Randy Shilts and Al Parker.
