An absolutely invaluable firsthand account of LGBTQ+ history.
A former Marine chronicles his life of service as a closeted gay man during the 1990s.
In the second edition of his memoir, Merritt opens with the behind-the-scenes story of what really happened during his infamous photo shoot and subsequent New York Times article in 1998. Raised in a deeply conservative Christian fundamentalist household and educated at Bob Jones University, the author observes that his early experiences shaped his morals, politics, and views on homosexuality in ways that would take years to untangle. During his service, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy instituted during the Clinton administration that prohibited LGBTQ+ service members from serving openly, became a defining reality of his military career. As the years went on, he began to struggle in the restrictive environment, suffocated by the constant need to suppress his gay identity. This edition expands on the role of his best friend, Gary Fullerton, who became a grounding force in his life and a reminder of the importance of connection and community. Even with that support, Merritt’s journey remained complicated. He worked briefly as an escort and performed in several adult films; in a way, these experiences served as acts of rebellion against the rigid expectations and limitations he labored under while in the Marines. Throughout his service, he struggled with alcohol abuse and eventually drug abuse as well, which ultimately cost him a long-term relationship. Eventually, he decided to seek help and attend rehab. As Merritt acknowledges, there’s rarely a perfect happy ending to a life story, since it depends largely on where the storyteller chooses to stop. In this instance, the ending is quite sad but also sounds a hopeful note as the author reflects on the lessons he’s learned and the resilience he’s found along the way.
Merritt is a gifted storyteller, and his memoir reflects that—there’s rarely a moment in which the narrative loses momentum as he leads readers through the many dramatic, painful, and often surprising events that served to shape him into the person he is now. Even when he’s discussing some of the more shocking moments of his life, his honesty and vulnerability make it difficult not to empathize with him. Merritt doesn’t shy away from his mistakes or the darker parts of his past; rather, he takes accountability for the choices he’s made and the consequences that followed. That isn’t to say there isn’t some discomfort in reading about some of the mistakes Merritt made, and it’s important to acknowledge the harm that can’t be undone. The memoir is an important reminder that people are complicated, imperfect, and capable of growth. The greatest strength of the book is its importance as a piece of queer history; Merritt’s story provides a deeply personal look at what so many other LGBTQ+ people experience (especially those who grew up in religious or restrictive environments). His insights provide a firsthand account of life as a gay man during the 1990s, when contracting AIDS was still considered a death sentence and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell reigned supreme. More than anything, it’s a story about survival, self-acceptance, and the realization that, despite our differences and mistakes, “we are all connected.”
An absolutely invaluable firsthand account of LGBTQ+ history.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: today
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Not so deep, but a delightful tip of the hat to the pleasures—and power—of glamour.
A coffee-table book celebrates Michelle Obama’s sense of fashion.
Illustrated with hundreds of full-color photographs, Obama’s chatty latest book begins with some school portraits from the author’s childhood in Chicago and fond memories of back-to-school shopping at Sears, then jumps into the intricacies of clothing oneself as the spouse of a presidential candidate and as the first lady. “People looked forward to the outfits, and once I got their attention, they listened to what I had to say. This is the soft power of fashion,” she says. Obama is grateful and frank about all the help she got along the way, and the volume includes a long section written by her primary wardrobe stylist, Koop—28 years old when she first took the job—and shorter sections by makeup artists and several hair stylists, who worked with wigs and hair extensions as Obama transitioned back to her natural hair, and grew out her bangs, at the end of her husband’s second term. Many of the designers of the author’s gowns, notably Jason Wu, who designed several of her more striking outfits, also contribute appreciative memories. Besides candid and more formal photographs, the volume features many sketches of her gowns by their designers, closeups on details of those gowns, and magazine covers from Better Homes & Gardens to Vogue. The author writes that as a Black woman, “I was under a particularly white-hot glare, constantly appraised for whether my outfits were ‘acceptable’ and ‘appropriate,’ the color of my skin somehow inviting even more judgment than the color of my dresses.” Overall, though, this is generally a canny, upbeat volume, with little in the way of surprising revelations.
Not so deep, but a delightful tip of the hat to the pleasures—and power—of glamour.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593800706
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
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