It's Not Mean If It's True [Paperback]

Michael Thomas Ford (Author)

Book Description

Series: My Queer Life | Publication Date: September 1, 2000

With two best-sellers and a Lambda Literary Award under his belt, Michael Thomas Ford is still cranky. Lucky for us. The author of Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and That's Mr. Faggot to You returns with more skewed observations on the strange state of the queer union. As fans of his previous collections have happily discovered, little escapes his attention, and no topic is too controversial or sacred to be tackled. "The Condensed History of Gay Pride" is enough to send any politically correct gay leader shrieking into the streets. But Ford's favorite target remains himself. The fact that Cher's butt is more famous than he is really irks him, and he is willing to pretend to be straight in order to get help while shopping for clothes. He murdered his rival's "egg baby" in high school to secure a good grade, and he sacrificed his own to a chocolate cake. Whether he is equating becoming a man with buying a barbecue in the very moving "Rite of Passage" or considering the state of parenthood in the unforgettable "Cheaper by the Dozen," Ford continues to observe life in ways that help us more closely observe ourselves-while never, never forgetting to make us laugh.

"In Ford's hands, pretty much anything can yield a laugh. He is an idea humorist-genially misanthropic, suspicious of ideology and convention, cynical or passionate depending on the occasion. And he is something else: a good read.-Lambda Book Report

Michael Thomas Ford's previous essay collections, Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me

and That's Mr. Faggot to You

remained on best-seller lists for months, earning him unanimous critical praise and a Lambda Literary Award for humor. His syndicated column, My Queer Life, runs in dozens of papers nationwide, and his weekly radio program of the same name can be heard on Stellar Networks at www.gaybc.com. He lives in Boston, where he is finishing his first novel.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The third collection of Michael Thomas Ford's syndicated humor pieces from his column "My Queer Life" more than lives up to its sparkling predecessors, Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and That's Mr. Faggot to You. Revel in Ford's tart summary of the suppressed all-gay season of MTV's Real World, with its outbreak of crabs and a heart-rending incident involving the impossible-to-find Julie Andrews recording Live in Japan. Ponder in pity or solidarity Ford's brave revelation that he has no style sense whatsoever and is taken for a hopelessly muddled straight man whenever he wanders into a J. Crew or a Gap. The best essays here are often not the topical ones, in which Ford responds to recent antigay news, but the most whimsical. In "Ah-Choo," he proposes a useful new hanky code, based not on sexual proclivities but on personality traits, such as Orange Hanky for "Tanning booth aficionado and gym bunny" or Green Hanky for "Eats only organic produce." Don't miss his mordant reflections on the outing of Tinky Winky in "Et Tu, Po?" or his "Condensed History of Queer Sex," beginning with God's anger at Adam and Steve for eating forbidden fruit: "As punishment, Steve's name and penis are both severely shortened, forever altering history." --Regina Marler

From Publishers Weekly

Ford continues his winning streak (following Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and That's Mr. Faggot to You) with this collection of astute, acerbic and endearingly grumpy essays about his life as a new millennium gay man. Unlike some humoristsAthink David Letterman and David SedarisAFord isn't afraid to forgo quick punch lines when he comments on more serious topics, such as the shootings at Columbine High School and the sexism of a medical profession that heralds cures for impotence and balding, but drags its feet on breast cancer. Ford is at his neurotic best when dealing with his new boyfriend, Dave. In "Green-Eyed Monster," Ford is set on edge by Dave's trusting nature and lack of jealousy; in "Runaway Train," his mind begins to race when he hasn't received his daily call from Dave by the time midnight rolls around. Ford mines gold with his quirky theory that Stevie Nicks CDs can cure homosexuality, his proposed children's book series that nixes hand-holding with titles like "Face It: You're Fat" and "Face It: No One Likes You" and his reflections on the Kinsey Institute's downsizing of average penis from 6.16 inches to 5.2 inches. His concise histories of queer cinema, gay pride and first dates are also a hoot. In the end, Ford seems lovably curmudgeonly, not mean. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; 1st. Ed edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555835996
• ISBN-13: 978-1555835996
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Thomas Ford is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from humor to horror, literary fiction to nonfiction. His work for adult readers includes the best-selling novels What We Remember, Changing Tides, Full Circle, Looking for It and Last Summer, and his five essay collections in the "Trials of My Queer Life" series. As a writer for young adults he is the author of Suicide Notes and Z (forthcoming in 2010), and under the name Isobel Bird he wrote the popular "Circle of Three" series. In 2009 he signed a 3-book deal with Random House for a series featuring Jane Austen as a modern-day vampire. The first book in the series, Jane Bites Back, will be published in January, 2010. His work has been nominated for 11 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book and twice for Best Romance Novel. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award (for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot) and a Gaylactic Spectrum Award (for his short story "Night of the Werepuss").

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three words... Fab You Lous, September 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: It's Not Mean If It's True (Paperback)

Ford's done it again! He's returned to the magic formula of "Alec Baldwin" and created a down-right hysterical piece of writing. He's the master of self-awareness, self-pity, but more importantly self-appreciating humor. You can't help but fall in love with him, no matter what gender. Which is really what it's all about, right? After reading and owning three of his latest books, I've decided he's the kind of guy you want living next door to you and I'd even help him pack! Kudos and congratulations... again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You should hear him READ, January 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: It's Not Mean If It's True (Paperback)

I loved this book, as well as Ford's two previous collections, and I was thrilled to see that he's now released an audio collection, called MY QUEER LIFE. His essays are a joy to read, but hearing him read them himself will make you experience them like never before. Buy this book, as well as the first two, then treat yourself to the audio version. You'll laugh so much it hurts.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Of The Lot, January 28, 2003

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's Not Mean If It's True (Paperback)

Michael Thomas Ford has a knack for seeing everday 'gay' matters in a completely different and skewed light. He is a strong match for anything David Sedaris has completed to date. This collection of short stories covers a wide range of subjects and territories and always manages to bring a chuckle. Remarkably, this is the kind of book that does not necessarily appeal only to gays, and in that, makes it unique. This is the best of his collections, so far, but I wouldn't discount anything he has written. He is just too much fun!