Common Sons: Common Threads in the Life [Paperback]

Ronald Donaghe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2000

Set in a small town in the middle of nowhere in the mid-1960s, Common Sons not only anticipates the coming gay revolution, but delineates its fields of battle in churches, schools and society, pitting fathers against sons, straight teens against gay teens, and self-hatred against self-respect.From the opening scene (where a reckless bout of drinking at a dance ends in a very public kiss between two teenage boys), the citizens of the small town of Common, New Mexico, become aware of the homosexuality in their midst. The two boys are unable to deal with their struggle in private as the story of their public kiss spreads through the small town. Some seek to destroy the relationship between the two boys, while others seek to destroy the two boys themselves. Common Sons is a moving tale of self-discovery, love and finding the courage to come out and come to grips with truth in the face of hatred and adversity. Reading some novels is like meeting somebody at a cocktail party, enjoying the chat and never seeing them again. Other novels become like friends whose company is enjoyed over and over. Such a book, for me, is Common Sons.Patricia Nell Warren, author of The Front Runner and The 'Wild Man

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In addition to the best-selling Common Threads in the Life Series, Ronald L. Donaghe is published in several anthologies. His new series, The Continuing Journals of Will Barnett, is comprised of three books: Uncle Sean, Lance and All Over Him. Donaghe is also the author of two autobiographical works, including a collection of essays entitled Letters in Search of Love and a full-length autobiography about being openly gay in the United States Air Force during the waning days of the Vietnam War, My Year of Living Heterosexually.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595097081
• ISBN-13: 978-0595097081
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and needed!, January 16, 2001

By 

Duane Simolke "author, The Acorn Stories, Deg... (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Common Sons: Common Threads in the Life (Paperback)

This book will upset people whose childhood included rejection by their parents or their classmates. It will upset people who think everyone should look, think, and act alike. It will even upset people who know the satisfaction of treating everyone with dignity and respect. In other words, this book will disturb countless readers. Why? Because Ronald Donaghe offers such an honest and detailed look at two boys who fall in love with each other in a staunchly anti-gay New Mexico town.

Despite the novel's many portrayals of negative and even violent responses to the love between Tom and Joel, Donaghe delivers an ultimately inspiring tale of how two people can overcome the obstacles that could deter their happiness and honesty. This book can give hope to the many gays who still fear being themselves, and it can give hope to the many older gays who worry that their young counterparts will always face nothing but hatred and violence. But its appeal isn't limited to gays; nongays might read it to understand people who are different from themselves, or just because they like reading a well-written and exciting novel.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Story for Adults as well as Teens, July 17, 2001

By 

Josh Thomas "Author of 'Murder at Willow Slough'" (West Lafayette, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Common Sons: Common Threads in the Life (Paperback)

A hundred people will find 100 different things when they read the same book, and that's the case with "Common Sons." Some see it as a coming-out book. That's true, but it features a mature relationship. Some say this book's a love story; that's true too, but it's also a humane and affecting commentary on the often negative role of religion in people's lives. Joel, the protagonist, has developed his own set of values and beliefs that go beyond a narrow code. Most people find this book well-written; at times it is, but it drags badly in the middle, as I lost all patience with Tom. When he gets his act together, the book takes off again and soars higher than before, with a reflective scene at a funeral that's plain writerly art. To me, what makes this book a must-have is the character of Joel, one of the most original and charismatic figures ever to appear in Gay literature. This young man is sturdy, physical, masculine (though he cries easily), determined, responsible, self-confident and full of love. Where else can you find such a quiet hero, but on a farm near the mountains in New Mexico, in "Common Sons"? He's unforgettable, a whole new kind of desert star.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars just magnificent, February 26, 2003

By 

pamela hayes (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Sons: Common Threads in the Life (Paperback)

This story was simple, yet the issue was quite complex. It focused on two young men, Joel and Tom, who fall in love. Naturally, two males falling in love is never simple, and the complexity stemmed from one's refusal to accept his sexuality. Plus, there was parental disapproval. And frowns from a close-minded, gossipy community.

The story unfolds in the town of Common, and Common is as much a character as its inhabitants. Writer Ronald Donaghe took readers to Common, giving them a tour of the city, and its beautiful scenery and fresh air, and introducing the narrow-minded citizens who would never accept two men loving each other.

Donaghe also does a delightfully fabulous job of torturing the reader, by keeping Tom and Joel apart for quite a stretch. There were missed phone calls and disapproving parents. And when the two guys finally came together, it took my breath away.

They deserved it. They suffered for it. And I rooted for them. The common sons were not characters, but they were people who became caught up in a situation that is far more common than some people realize or are even prepared to admit.

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