Customer Reviews

The Queer Parent's Primer: A Lesbian and Gay Families' Guide to Navigating the Straight World

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

 

 

The advice offered here is the most pedestrian of any "primer" I've ever read. I didn't need to read this book to know that "communication is important in any family" and other "words of wisdom" offered in this tome. Most of the "advice" culled within these pages is plain and simple, common sense. The author repeats herself on virtually every page. There wasn't anything here that I couldn't have figured out for myself and much of it was so simplistic that it was borderline insulting. Don't waste your time or money.

This is the most inclusive book I have ever read on the subject of being... and certainly the most inclusive of anything on ... parenting! Anyone could find themselves in these pages! Ms. Brill's amazing ability to cover the scope of so many configurations of families and to give them such compassionate support is just delightful and she does it with such ease of language that it is fun to read!

The content is so rich with information and so clearly worded; it speaks volumes for the resume of the author herself. The topics she covers and the issues she presents go far beyond what one would expect - and they continue to be very thought provoking in my family! Some of our favorites are; the question of biology versus the strength of family, pride in naming ourselves within our family, and gender awareness issues. It goes into so much more though - even into children's issues, spirituality, single parenting, and legal issues of all kinds.

I really just can't say enough about how happy my family & I are to have such a valuable resource!

I bought this book with high hopes and felt guilty for not liking it. Brill establishes a narrow range of acceptable choices for gay-headed households, and passes judgment on everything from what kids should call parents to whether or not to affiliate with a mainstream church or synagogue. It is also repetitive and emphasizes the obvious: that parents have to be out and secure in their identity in order to raise happy & healthy kids. Every time I haven't read it in a while, I'll pick it up again, only to remember how much I hate it and cast it aside in annoyance.
I gave it two stars instead of one because 1) hey, it's something and there's not much out there, and 2) sometimes bad books inspire other authors to write better ones.

How very important the subject matter; how very disappointing the outcome of this project. The first portion of the title is misleading. It is not a primer. There is absolutely no discussion of adoption, alternative means of starting a family, legal issues for gay men and lesbians, etc. There is a fair amount of information for lesbian couples, but even that is a warmed over rehash of self-help group discussions. This is not a book for a gay person longing to be a parent. One can only hope that someone else will move rapidly to fill the void this book only skirts.

i bought this book when it first came out last year. i've now purchased a total of six for friends. there is nothing like it on the market. great guidance not just on glbt parenting, but on parenting in general!

EVERY glbt parent needs this book... and honestly quite a few straight parents could use it, too.

this book covers it all, and in an easy to read format. from legal issues to what to call the co-parent, to how to come out to the grandparents.

this book covers topics clearly in a way that other books out there simply don't. very well written. i see why [they] picked this as a top ten book of 2001!

this is now my parenting bible.