pickA beautiful memoir, focused on the relationship between the author and his mother. Black shares coming to terms with his sexuality having grown up in the south as a closeted, shy, gay Mormon young boy and blossoming into a filmmaker and LGBT activist. It also serves as a commentary on the state of discourse and division in our country and the benefits of building bridges and appreciating the beautiful diversity our nation holds.
pickThis really is a story about overcoming hardships, the lived experience of being different, and Black's extensive work for rights for the LGBTQ+ community in the US. What I loved most about this, is that although the memoir deals with some deeply traumatic experiences, Black makes the strength of his relationships with his family truly shine in each moment. This is a book that more than anything made me think about the power of human connection.
These were tears of rage at those in comfortable places who had tossed about words like “patience” with self-satisfaction. Patience: “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay.” To my ears, sitting on those steps that morning, listening to the cheers of the living, I understood “patience” in a new way—as a word that deserves no comfortable home in a nation that has yet to fulfill its promise of liberty and justice for all.
Because I now understood that good things could come from making the right kind of trouble. And from this moment on, I knew I had it in me to embody the noble title of “troublemaker.”
pickI listened to this memoir-esque book of the writer and director of Milk. A tribute to his mother, Black writes about his childhood with an abusive father figure, his mom's lifelong perserverence with polio, his coming out and acceptance of himself as a gay man with a Mormon upbringing, and growing into his career in film. Black's cadence is at times reminiscent of a general authority's, I would caution listening to the audio-version.
pickThe author is an accomplished screenwriter but his writing style didn‘t translate as well as I would have like from screen to book. He is very honest regarding his struggles as a closeted gay boy being raised in the Mormon church. He‘s respectful but honest in his criticism. If you are interested in reading a short history of how marriage equality was won in this country while being inspired to be better and do better this is your book.
pickOh my goodness what a master storyteller! I wish I could tell just one story in my life the way he does so perfectly. This truly is a beautiful love letter to his mama! #memoir #BookRecommendation
Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas | 
