Farm
Boys : Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest by
Will Fellows (Editor)
"Farm Boys breaks the silence
that has fallen on gay rural life."-David Bergman, editor of Men
on Men 5: Best New Gay Fiction
"A moving and insightful
collection of unheard stories that unsettles as it expands our
understanding of gay identity and American culture in the
twentieth century."-David Romn, University of Southern
California
"The rough-hewn quality of the
narratives creates an ambience that is often powerful and
poignant, conveying the sadness of isolation and the strength of
self-reliance."-Library Journal
A collection of three dozen
interviews conducted with gay men ranging in age from 24 to 84 who
grew up in the rural Midwest, uncovering a much neglected aspect
of the gay experience. The stories are at times touching and also
deeply disturbing as they reminisce about the rigid gender roles
common to farming communities, social isolation, racism, religious
conservatism, and little information to help them make sense of
their identities. The other side of the coin is the deep and
loving feelings these men have for the land, their families,
communities, and churches. Told sometimes from urban exile, and
sometimes from the middle of the field, all the interviews have a
brave openness in common. Lacks an index. Annotation c. -- Book
News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Homosexuality is often seen as a purely urban experience, far
removed from rural and small-town life. Farm Boys undermines that cliché
by telling the stories of more than three dozen gay men, ranging
in age from 24 to 84, who grew up in farm families in the Midwestern
United States. Whether painful, funny, or matter-of-fact, these
plain-spoken accounts will move and educate any reader, gay or
not, from farm or city.
Ranging from humor to pathos to the
matter-of-fact, a collection of autobiographical accounts traces
the lives of more than three dozen gay men, from twenty-four to
eighty-four years old, who grew up in farm families in the Midwestern
U.S.
About the Author
Will Fellows grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm. In the course of
his research for this book, he interviewed seventy-five gay men
from farm backgrounds. He lives with his partner near Milwaukee
and works as an educator and writer. This is his first book.
