It's here, finally, a resource book written for GLBT parents written by an adult who was actually raised by gay parents. By Houstonian Sarah Gish

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Mother of Sorrows
Richard McCann
Pantheon Books (www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/)
I must confess I thought Richard McCann’s Mother of Sorrows was pure memoir at first glance. The book is, in fact, a blend of memoir and fiction so seamless and intricate that you never question what is fact or fiction. Told in a series of nine snapshots of short story that briefly peer into the life of one man, Mother of Sorrows is narrated with a tone of bittersweet wisdom and remembrance. McCann eloquently illustrates the sloppiness of living with a crisp reverence for lessons learned that reveals Mother of Sorrows to be a bright star among the shining examples of great storytelling. —Scott Chalupa
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The Summer Book 2005
Sarah Gish
This Guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids includes 200 camps and classes, organized alphabetically, by category (arts, sports, religious, and educational), and by dates. The camps include a variety of ethnicities, economic levels, and subjects. Though many are probably open to children with gay parents, you might want to check that out first. We’ve been told that the Houston Peace Camp is geared to teaching tolerance. The book is available at over 20 local stores, including Barnes and Noble and Borders. For a complete list of retailers or for more info: www.the summerbook.com. —Suzie Lynde

Editor's note: This review originally appeared in our April 2004 issue.
It's here, finally, a resource book written for GLBT parents written by an adult who was actually raised by gay parents. Mind you, if you're looking for a sugar-coated Captain Crunch-style celebration of gay families where all the kids of GLBT parents are just so blissfully happy because they had gay parents and it made them who they are today, blah, blah, blah ... keep looking.

In Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It like It Is, Abigail Garner, a heterosexual daughter of a gay family, shoots straight from the hip poignantly describing the good, the bad, and even the ugly, both from her personal point of view and the personal experiences of 50 other children of GLBT families. Not to worry, she's even-handed in her approach and, believe me, she really is a huge fan of gay families. It's just that she's willing to talk about the struggles and the issues as well.

In the first few pages you're introduced to Garner with a bang--she's at yet another Pride festival wearing a homemade T-shirt that reads, "Some of my best parents are gay," and from that point forward, the information and personal stories just keep rolling.

She nimbly addresses such complex issues as what it's really like to grow up in a gay family, coming out to children, breaking up families, the impact of HIV/AIDS, and, one of my personal favorites, what happens when gay families actually do raise gay kids.

Amazingly, Garner makes palatable the idea that our families are different and our kids do struggle but, perhaps, not in the ways we might think they do. For example, kids of GLBT families feel enormous pressure to prove they are normal. The pressure, believe it or not, stems from well-meaning GLBT parents who want to prove to the world that their family is just like any other. But they're not--they're different, and, of course, that's the beauty and the bane of our families.

Garner provides a safe place for gay parents to understand that just because GLBT families lack the luxury to be openly complicated and dysfunctional like straight families doesn't mean that we don't struggle with complex and difficult issues. In that spirit, Garner invites courageous gay parents to read the book and get an insider's look at what it's like to grow up with GLBT parents. -- Colleen Logan