{"product_id":"logical-family-a-memoir-isbn-9780062391254","title":"Logical Family: A Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"I fell in love with Maupin’s effervescent Tales of the City decades ago, and his genius turn at memoir is no less compelling. Logical Family is a must read.\"—Mary Karr\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this long-awaited memoir, the beloved author of the bestselling Tales of the City series chronicles his odyssey from the old South to freewheeling San Francisco, and his evolution from curious youth to ground-breaking writer and gay rights pioneer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in the mid-twentieth century and raised in the heart of conservative North Carolina, Armistead Maupin lost his virginity to another man \"on the very spot where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.\" Realizing that the South was too small for him, this son of a traditional lawyer packed his earthly belongings into his Opel GT (including a beloved portrait of a Confederate ancestor), and took to the road in search of adventure. It was a journey that would lead him from a homoerotic Navy initiation ceremony in the jungles of Vietnam to that strangest of strange lands: San Francisco in the early 1970s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReflecting on the profound impact those closest to him have had on his life, Maupin shares his candid search for his \"logical family,\" the people he could call his own. \"Sooner or later, we have to venture beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us,\" he writes. \"We have to, if we are to live without squandering our lives.\" From his loving relationship with his palm-reading Grannie who insisted Maupin was the reincarnation of her artistic bachelor cousin, Curtis, to an awkward conversation about girls with President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office, Maupin tells of the extraordinary individuals and situations that shaped him into one of the most influential writers of the last century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaupin recalls his losses and life-changing experiences with humor and unflinching honesty, and brings to life flesh-and-blood characters as endearing and unforgettable as the vivid, fraught men and women who populate his enchanting novels. What emerges is an illuminating portrait of the man who depicted the liberation and evolution of America’s queer community over the last four decades with honesty and compassion—and inspired millions to claim their own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLogical Family includes black-and-white photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow does a conservative son of the Old South become a gay rights icon in San Francisco?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Southern Coming of Age:\u003c\/b\u003e From awkward conversations about girls with President Richard Nixon to losing his virginity on a Civil War battlefield, this is an unforgettable story of growing up gay in the conservative South.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eVietnam Veteran:\u003c\/b\u003e Maupin recounts his time in the Navy, from homoerotic initiation rituals in the jungle to serving on Admiral Zumwalt’s staff in Saigon.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Birth of Tales of the City:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the real-life people and places that inspired the beloved series, from the iconic landlady Mrs. Madrigal to the legendary apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGay Rights Pioneer:\u003c\/b\u003e An eyewitness account of the gay liberation movement, from the bathhouses of San Francisco to friendships with icons like Rock Hudson and Christopher Isherwood.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eBorn in the mid-twentieth century and raised in the heart of conservative North Carolina, Armistead Maupin lost his virginity to another man “on the very spot where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.” Realizing that the South was too small for him, this son of a traditional lawyer packed his earthly belongings into his Opel GT (including a beloved portrait of a Confederate ancestor) and took to the road in search of adventure. It was a journey that would lead him from a homoerotic navy initiation ceremony in the jungles of Vietnam to that strangest of strange lands: San Francisco in the early 1970s. Over the course of the next forty years Maupin would weave his impressions of the city into an epic urban saga: Tales of the City would provide him with a very public coming-out platform and forever transform both his politics and his heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLogical Family \u003c\/em\u003eoffers an unforgettable portrait of the man who chronicled the liberation and evolution of America’s queer community over the last four decades with honesty and compassion—and inspired millions to claim their own lives.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“An enormously talented writer—witty but always sympathetic, generous in showing us the secrets of his heart.... By writing about what’s seemingly different Armistead Maupin always manages to capture what’s so hilariously painfully true for all of us.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Maupin deftly illustrates how far America and the pioneering Anna have come, and nearly 40 years into the [Tales of the City] series, his writing remains wildly addictive but is deeper and richer.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Together, the nine volumes of ‘Tales’ constitute a cultural touchstone that has enlarged our understanding of the varieties of human behavior…. ‘Tales of the City’ remains an immensely readable accomplishment that wears its significance lightly.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A consummate entertainer who has made a generation laugh... It is Maupin’s Dickensian gift to be able to render love convincingly.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEdmund White, Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eLogical Family\u003c\/em\u003e gives selflessly of such heartrending experience as it journeys through Maupin’s life.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Vivid and charming.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engrossing and emotional…. The story is told with such clarity that even those unfamiliar with Maupin’s work can appreciate his life experiences…. The true prize here is the cleverness with which Maupin bares his soul. Maupin ties the bonds of joy and heartache he shares with both his families (biological and ‘logical’), and in so doing he has crafted a nuanced reflection on what it means to love and be loved in a flawed but beautiful world.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Entertaining…. Wry and sharply drawn…. There is a good deal of what one expects from Maupin, wit and heartache rolled up into a tidy package, so that any anecdote can bring an ache of longing and a belly laugh all in the same paragraph. There is also vivid, sharp writing.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Maupin is a sympathetic and soulful storyteller. His account of a past struggle for equality is especially important in our fraught present.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The unflinchingly honest, often humorous, and ultimately powerful memoir of one of the most influential American writers of our time.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Advocate\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A sweetly frank and funny memoir by a storyteller in the first rank.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eO Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Wise, witty, and beautifully told.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople, Book of the Week\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engaging and revelatory, Maupin’s memoir is a delight, punctuating a distinguished career in letters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Maupin is a gifted story teller. His memoir packs much into 289 pages.... Humorous and poignant by turns.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCharlotte News \u0026amp; Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I fell in love with Maupin’s effervescent \u003cem\u003eTales of the City\u003c\/em\u003e decades ago, and his genius turn at memoir is no less compelling. \u003cem\u003eLogical Family\u003c\/em\u003e is a must read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMary Karr\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is easy to understand Maupin’s reputation for geniality, given his openheartedness as a person and his honesty as a writer; and that will make this delightful chronicle attractive to a wide range of readers, whether they’re familiar with his fiction or not.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There could be no more appropriate title for Maupin’s own tale, which relates his coming of age from a rigidly conservative Southern childhood to one of the most notable writers of the 20th century. Maupin writes vibrantly…. With just the right amounts of humor, thoughtfulness, and poignancy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal, starred review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Master storyteller Armistead Maupin — the man who defined the difference between ‘a biological family’ and ‘a logical family,’ who is both gifted with fearless art and the ability to speak for millions — finally tells his own story. Logical Family is a sweet, filthy peach of a memoir from a cultural explosion of a man.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCaitlin Moran\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eLogical Family\u003c\/em\u003e is a beautiful memoir — so tender and funny and dignified and kind that it left me a little weepy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlan Cumming\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888297668837,"sku":"NP9780062391254","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062391254.jpg?v=1730228760","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/logical-family-a-memoir-isbn-9780062391254","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}