The acclaimed author of Letters to Montgomery Clift and Talking to the Moon gives us a smorgasbord of recommendations for the season’s best reads.

by Noël Alumit

The summer of 2009 will certainly be memorable. It will be the first summer where the country will be governed by the very literate President Barack Obama. A best-selling author and avid reader, Obama recently hosted a spoken word event at the White House, reinforcing the notion that literacy is an important family value.

There is no shortage of good reads this season, and choosing only 10 books was painstaking. However, there were some that stood out and will certainly keep your summer cool in more ways than one.

Where I Live: New Selected Essays

by Tennessee Williams (New Directions Press)

Originally published in 1978, this new version includes additional reviews and essays by this American theater legend. From his college papers to articles he’d written for the New York Times, this book provides a remarkable glimpse into the mind of a true artist. Within these pages are his thoughts on fellow writers William Inge and Carson McCullers; his thoughts on women who played his characters on stage and screen, including Geraldine Page, Vivien Leigh and Katherine Hepburn; and thoughts on his own work, notably A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie. Simply a must for any drama queen.

Mental: Funny in the Head

by Eddie Sarfaty (Kensington Publishing)

Every year there is a writer that the publishing industry pushes as the new David Sedaris or the new Augusten Burroughs. This year it’s Eddie Sarfaty. And, surprisingly, they’re not too far from the truth. In perfectly timed prose, Mr. Sarfaty spins tales about family and friends that will make you laugh and sigh. The work is witty and snappy and will keep you laughing through the hot summer days. In this economic climate, we’ll need all the laughs we can get.

The Labrys Reunion

by Terry Wolverton (Spinsters Inc.)

Local writer and writing teacher Terry Wolverton knows what she’s doing. She’s written novels, a memoir, several books of poetry and edited fourteen books. Wolverton exerts her creative prowess in her latest project, a novel about two generations of women brought together by the tragic rape and murder of Emma Firestein, a young artist who links the women together. The themes are big—art, feminism, clashing world views—and this opus adds another notch in Wolverton’s long literary belt.

Silver Lake by Peter Gadol (Bleak House)

Some may not know it, but there are other gay parts of Los Angeles besides West Hollywood. From the title, one can guess where Peter Gadol’s latest novel is set. It explores the lives of two gay men in a tenuous long-term relationship. Robbie and Carlo are two architects whose lives are upended when they encounter a seemingly harmless drifter. Written in solid prose, Gadol introduces the couple living in a glass house, raking leaves to prepare for a change in season. From those very early pages, one knows a way of life will be shattered, and change is never easy.

Between Men 2: Original Fiction

by Today’s Best Gay Writers, edited and afterword by Richard Canning (Alyson)

For those who are commitment phobic and afraid of the longer relationship required in reading a novel, consider having a literary one-night stand with some of today’s most accomplished gay writers. Between Men 2 provides just that, with short stories or novel excerpts that are easily digestible and terribly thought provoking. Contributors to this anthology include such notable names as Alan Hollinghurst, Andrew Holleran, R. Zamora Linmark and Wayne Koestenbaum.

At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream

by Wade Rouse (Broadway Books)

If you’ve ever wanted to chuck it all and live a simpler life out in the country, think again. Wade Rouse and his partner, Gary, did exactly that. He was hoping to be Henry David Thoreau, but instead of writing a new Walden, he found himself fighting off a raccoon that grabbed hold of his head and refused to let go. Rouse has a wry sense of humor and amid the blood and pain of being attacked by a raccoon, he realizes this: “Never go to a place that doesn’t have a Starbucks within arm’s reach or you might find a wild animal clinging to your scalp.” Indeed.

Salvation Army by Abdellah Taia

translated by Frank Stock (Semiotext(e))

There hasn’t been a lot of good news about the lives of gay men coming from the Arab world lately. Imprisonment and execution of gay men have made headlines. What a breath of fresh air to read Abdellah Taia’s Salvation Army. Originally published in France, where Taia currently lives, the book is enchanting and bewildering Though set in the North African Arab country of Morocco, the story weaves the coming-of-age tale of a young boy discovering his sexuality. Just when you thought you’d read every coming out story imaginable, a book as fresh and original as this one enlivens the genre.

Men and Feminism

by Shira Tarrant, PhD (Seal Press)

Long before Will & Grace, gay men have had women as their best friends. Chances are these women voted No on Prop. 8, so we can know the joys (and trials) of marriage. We often forget that our female best friends still make less money than their male counterparts and can put up with a lot of crap in male dominated work environments. In Men and Feminism, Tarrant—a scholar on the subject—provides a fresh and uncomplicated view that men are also part of the feminist movement. In writing that is highly accessible and quite amusing, this book was both informative and quite fun to read.

Lilac Mines

by Cheryl Klein (Manic D Press)

“Pomosexual” is a word that you rarely hear. It means someone who doesn’t want his or her sexuality labeled. In Lilac Mines, it’s used to describe the protagonist, Felix, a hip lesbian writer who has dated transsexuals. This second novel by Cheryl Klein is a quirky, quickly paced story of a young woman ending a relationship with a young woman then developing a relationship with another young woman: herself. Klein’s first book, The Commuters, was a fine debut. Second books aren’t necessarily as good. In this case, it’s better.

Heather Has Two Mommies

by Leslea Newman (Alyson)

For 20 years this groundbreaking children’s book has raised the ire of conservative groups. Last year it made news again when it was among the books that had been banned from the public library in a small Alaska town called Wasilla. The town’s mayor, a woman named Sarah Palin, might have had her hand in it, raising ethical questions of censorship—not a good thing for a woman aiming to be the vice president of a country with free speech as a foundation. Alyson Publications is printing a commemorative 20th-anniversary edition of Heather, complete with new illustrations—a perfect gift for children and adults of all ages.