So, I DID like this book, but my title overstates how much I did a bit. I couldn’t resist, though, because A) I both laughed out loud reading this book and shed actual tears, which is really uncommon for me when reading, and B) I think Savage himself might have found the reference funny.
Anyway, thematically this book most resembles the still-great Skipping Towards Gomorrah, my least favorite of his books, but with less cohesion. This is slightly more in depth than an average Savage Love or Stranger column, but not much is a surprise to a fan of the writer. That being said, I’m not going to complain too much about an extra large Dan Savage column, even if I preferred The Kid, or my favorite, The Commitment to this book.
But on to the emotional money shot: I laughed out loud in Savage’s essay regarding Rick Santorum and his “google problem” despite knowing all about it; if you can hold it together when reading headlines like “Santorum surges from behind” without spitting out your coffee, you’re made of sterner stuff than I.
And the crying? I’m a total easy mark what with the post pregnancy stuff, and already covered that my favorite Savage books center around his family, so the waterworks were flowing when he recounts the death of his mother with humor, humanity, and grace. When he describes waiting for his mom’s heartbeat – the first sound he ever heard – to stop, I was a puddle.
I talked myself out of my 4-star review into a five star one just now. Read the book.
