Synopses & Reviews
Bruce Bawer exposes the heated controversy over gay rights and presents a passionate plea for the recognition of common values, "a place at the table" for everyone.
Review
"Homosexual himself, Bawer differs from the homosexual stereotype in that he is devoutly Christian, conservative, staunchly monogamous, and temperate. He believes that there are so many others like him that they constitute a virtual gay silent majority -- silent both because temperamentally deferent and because the anti-homosexual religious right and the oppressive gay subculture, rife with sexual and political excess (not to mention, Bawer maintains, profound self-loathing), drown out all moderating voices. In the two meaty central chapters -- more than half of the four-chapter book -- Bawer first patiently, logically, and ethically critiques the attacks and refutes the charges of anti-gays and then analyzes the self-destructiveness of the gay subculture....Bawer will probably be roundly reviled and misrepresented in both conservative and gay media, but to read him is to confront a reasonable, moral, and personable man whose opinions and interpretations open-minded and moderate persons will find very compelling." Booklist
Review
"This passionate, persuasive book should be the starting point for all future debate....At his best, Bawer depoliticizes a subject overcharged with rhetoric, reminding us that there's really no reason for shock value....Bawer artfully weaves autobiography into his eloquent defense of the common sense that exists somewhere between closeted denial and outrageous activism. This could be the crossover book many have been waiting for -- plain and sane talk about a complex issue." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
With "the bracingly rational passion of a writer who can think and feel at the same time" (The Wall Street Journal), Bruce Bawer exposes the heated controversy over gay rights and presents a passionate plea for the recognition of common values, "a place at the table" for everyone.