Customer Reviews

Born Gay: Mom Should Have Known When...

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was not impressed! A bunch of juvenile ad libs make up this attempt at a novel. He says it is drawn from the experiences of many, but if so, then these people must be a lot alike. Most of the comedy can be found in any TV sitcom depicting gays or campy film. Next time, try to be more well rounded in your styles.

I was very disappointed with this book. Quite frankly, I expected a better composition of fresh humor and life tales, not over used, worn out quips that we all see and hear on every other TV show. The editor seems to embrace modern stereotypes of gay man, rather than looking at the diverse population that actually exists.

While reading this I felt as though I was watching a stereotypical primetime sitcom about gay men. The author seems to follow the theory that gay men all act the same, like the same things and go through the same experiences but in reality do not. As a gay man, and as a Latino, I and my brothers have not been privy to his experiences. Rather, we usually live in fear, hiding our true feelings and experiences. We do not all go to circuit parties, watch broadway shows, listen to Barbara; rather there are many more varying experiences out there and the author should have looked for others rather than relying on Will & Grace wanna' be's.

Try again Mr. Z. Although many of us were born gay, it was not as fun and carefree as described. There are other cultures, mine in particular, where it is a moral sin and very dangerous to even think about the feeling you took for granted. Many people, to this day, do not have the luxurary of growing up in an upperclass environment where such things are taken for granted. I think this author just asked his friends some of their cutest stories and combined them all in this book as it is lacking in serious research.

I enjoyed Zambotti's book. It clearly is not intended as serious research, nor a complete scan of the spectrum of experiences, but a collection of observations drawn over time. I found moments I could identify with, and some I could not. And many moments that caused a chuckle. Because each person's recounting is only a paragraphy or so, it is an easy book to pick up and put down - i.e. read during TV commercials, while on a bus or subway, or even while stuck in rush hour traffic. Thanks, Mr. Z.

I suspect this author writes for the comedy series as most of what he writes here is fairly sterotypical of media presentations of gay men. No one I know ever lived through the delightful, fun times he did. He fails to mention rejection from family and friends, and the other problems of coming out.

Enjoyable book with powerful stories of childhood that were taken from 11 countries in the Developed Western World including USA, Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Brasil, New Zealand, Costa Rica, South Africa and many others. This book brought back many memories of growing up. This was a fun comical read and great for a trip or a weekend getaway to laugh and share with friends. Since all the hundreds of stories are from different people they are all humorous and unique. All classes and ethnic backgrounds are included in the book. This was a great book of recollections of memories compiled and illustrated by famed bear-cartoonist Frisch. Screwy and hilarious things they did as children that should have made their eventual sexual identity clear to their parents. This book clearly verifies that gay identity is inborn, not a choice. Whether marching around in Mommy's heels, giving sister's Barbies a new hairstyle or innocently seducing the boy next door, the stories are incredibly funny and reported just as they were remembered.

a book of recollections of childhood memories compiled by Michael Zambotti and illustrated by famed bear-cartoonist Frisch. Gay men share the screwy and hilarious things they did as children that should have made their eventual sexual identity clear to their parents. This book clearly verifies that gay identity is inborn, not a choice. Whether marching around in Mommy's heels, giving sister's Barbies a new hairstyle or innocently seducing the boy next door, the stories are incredibly funny and reported just as they were remembered.