Tango My Childhood Backwards & in High Heels

WINNER OF A 2012 LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD

"Like Bond, the memoir is droll, pensive and filled with zingers teetering between funny and ferocious."—The New York Times

"Bond's fabulosity is matched by a trenchant wit, and [V's] over-the-top stories are smartly edged with politics, sexual or otherwise."—The New York Times

Recently hailed as "the greatest cabaret artist of [V's] generation" in The New Yorker, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond makes a brilliant literary debut with this staggeringly candid and hilarious novella-length memoir.

With a recent diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, and news that V's first lover from childhood has been imprisoned for impersonating an undercover police officer, Bond recalls in vivid detail coming of age as a trans kid. Always haunted by the knowledge of being "different," Bond was further confused when the bully next door wanted to meet secretly. Their trysts went on for years, and made Bond acutely aware of sexual power and vulnerability. With inimitable style, Bond raises issues about LGBTQ adolescence, homophobia, parenting, and sexuality, while being utterly entertaining.

Singer, songwriter, and Tony-nominated performance artist Mx. Justin Vivian Bond is an Obie, Bessie, and Ethyl Eichelberger Award winner. As one half of the performance duo Kiki and Herb, Bond has toured the world, headlining at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, and starring in a Tony nominated run on Broadway, Kiki and Herb Alive on Broadway. Film credits include a role in John Cameron Mitchell's feature Shortbus. Bond has recently released two records, Dendrophile, and Silver Wells.

“Thank you, Justin, for your courage in writing the truth of what you went through as a transgender child in this society. Thank you, also, for your sense of humor. This book is very important, and fun to read as well.”

—Yoko Ono

"Tango is a raw nerve touching an electric soul, a beautiful book, written with honesty, pain, and joy from one of our great modern day shamans."

—Sandra Bernhard

"Justin Vivian Bond is a lightning rod, a solid steel structure in heels that attracts burning chaos and disciplines it into orderly submission. Am I allowed to say that Justin is God?”

—Rufus Wainwright

"Tango should be in the hands of every child who can read, and of

every adult who cares about that child."

—Michael Warner, author of The Trouble with Normal

“Reading Tango is like listening to your favorite eccentric cousin or auntie tell you hair-raising tales of innocence lost and found, friendships forged of adversity, and bullies bewildered by their own perversity. Justin spins a one-of-a-kind story that you won't be able to put down.”

—Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw

“When I say Justin Vivian Bond is a true original, what I mean is, Justin doesnt resemble anyone else on the face of the planet. When I say Justin Bond is touched by genius, I mean exactly that.”

—Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours

Hailed as "the greatest cabaret artist of V's] generation" in the New Yorker, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond makes a brilliant literary debut with this candid and hilarious coming-of-age tale.

Bond recalls in vivid detail how it looked and felt to first discover Mom's lipstick (Iced Watermelon by Revlon), and how dreary it could be for a trans/queer kid to join the Cub Scouts. Always haunted by the knowledge of being "different," Bond began to create intimate friendships with girls, and to feel increasingly at risk with boys. But when the bully next door wanted to meet secretly, Bond couldn't resist. Their trysts went on for years, making Bond acutely aware of how sexual power and vulnerability can be experienced at the same time. With inimitable style, Bond raises issues about LBGTQ adolescence, parenting trans/queer children, and bullying, while being utterly entertaining.

Bond recalls in vivid detail how it looked and felt to first discover Mom's lipstick (Iced Watermelon by Revlon). Growing up haunted by their awareness of being "different," Bond began to foster intimate friendships with girls, and to feel increasingly at risk with boys. But when the bully next door wanted to meet in secret, Bond couldn't resist. Their trysts went on for years, making Bond acutely aware of how sexual power and vulnerability can intertwine. With inimitable style, Bond raises issues about LBGTQ adolescence, parenting trans/queer children, and bullying, all while being utterly entertaining.

"Reading Tango is like listening to your favorite eccentric cousin or auntie tell you hair-dressing tales of innocence lost and found, friendships forged of adversity, and bullies bewildered by their own perversity. Justin Vivian spins a one-of-a-kind story that you won't be able to put down." --Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw

Website: justinbond.com

Twitter: twitter.com/mxjustinbond