You Can't Buy Love Like That
Carol Anderson grows up in a fundamentalist Christian home in the '60s, a time when being gay was in opposition to all social and religious mores and against the law in most states. Fearing the rejection of her parents, she hides the truth about her love orientation, creating emotional distance from them for years, as she desperately struggles to harness her powerful attractions to women while pursuing false efforts to be with men.
The watershed point in Carol's journey comes when she returns to graduate school and discovers the feminist movement, which emboldens her sense of personal power and the freedom to love whom she chooses. But this sense of self-possession comes too late for honesty with her father. His unexpected death before she can tell him the truth brings the full cost of Carol's secret crashing in--compelling her to come out to her mother before it is too late. Candid and poignant, You Can't Buy Love Like That reveals the complex invisible dynamics that arise for gay people who are forced to hide their true selves in order to survive--and celebrates the hard-won rewards of finding one's courageous heart and achieving self-acceptance and self-love.
My Review
Author, Carol Anderson provides me a nice in depth look into what it was like growing up gay in the sixties. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for not only Carol and other women but men as well. It is not like today's society where people are more open and there is not much of a shock factor. In fact, if you turned on your television or even movies; you would find a greater percentage of gay characters. One of my favorite was on Glee played by Chris Colfer aka Kurt Hummel.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it was just Carol being open and honest. There was no politics or preference to accept the gay community. Although, I do have to say that reading about Carol's experiences trying to fit into society, I thought she handled it well. I am glad that she and her mother were able to connect after she shared her sexual orientation. For anyone needing that extra push or looking for a good read, you should check this book out.
The watershed point in Carol's journey comes when she returns to graduate school and discovers the feminist movement, which emboldens her sense of personal power and the freedom to love whom she chooses. But this sense of self-possession comes too late for honesty with her father. His unexpected death before she can tell him the truth brings the full cost of Carol's secret crashing in--compelling her to come out to her mother before it is too late. Candid and poignant, You Can't Buy Love Like That reveals the complex invisible dynamics that arise for gay people who are forced to hide their true selves in order to survive--and celebrates the hard-won rewards of finding one's courageous heart and achieving self-acceptance and self-love.
My Review
Author, Carol Anderson provides me a nice in depth look into what it was like growing up gay in the sixties. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for not only Carol and other women but men as well. It is not like today's society where people are more open and there is not much of a shock factor. In fact, if you turned on your television or even movies; you would find a greater percentage of gay characters. One of my favorite was on Glee played by Chris Colfer aka Kurt Hummel.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it was just Carol being open and honest. There was no politics or preference to accept the gay community. Although, I do have to say that reading about Carol's experiences trying to fit into society, I thought she handled it well. I am glad that she and her mother were able to connect after she shared her sexual orientation. For anyone needing that extra push or looking for a good read, you should check this book out.
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