Philly AIDS Thrift @ Giovanni's Room

“Sarah Schulman’s Maggie Terry is a page-turning murder mystery, yes. Yet what makes it so compelling and unique is Maggie herself–a lovesick recovering addict, grieving for her former life. Her search for the killer becomes some- thing altogether more than a whodunit. Ultimately, the novel is an inspiring psychological portrait of a woman trying to make her way back from the edge.” –Danny Caine, The Raven Book Store
Post-rehab, Maggie Terry is single-mindedly trying to keep her head down in New York City. There’s a madman in the White House, the subways are constantly delayed, summer is relentless, and neighborhoods all seem to blend together.
Against this absurd backdrop, Maggie wants nothing more than to slowly re- build her life in hopes of being reunited with her daughter. But her first day on the job as a private investigator lands her in the middle of a sensational new case: actress strangled. If Maggie is going to solve this mystery, she’ll have to shake the ghosts–dead NYPD partner, vindictive ex, steadfast drug habit–that have long ruled her life.
Sarah Schulman is a literary chronicler of the marginalized and subcultural, focusing on queer urban life. She is the author of several books, including The Gentrification of the Mind, Conflict Is Not Abuse, and The Cosmopolitans. She is Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at CUN Y, and teaches creative writing at the College of Staten Island.

From an award-winning writer whose work bristles with “hard-won strength, insight, agility, and love” (Maggie Nelson), an exquisite and troubling narrative of masculinity, violence, and society.

In this groundbreaking new book, the author, a trans man, trains to fight in a charity match at Madison Square Garden while struggling to untangle the vexed relationship between masculinity and violence. Through his experience boxing–learning to get hit, and to hit back; wrestling with the camaraderie of the gym; confronting the betrayals and strength of his own body–McBee examines the weight of male violence, the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes, and the limitations of conventional masculinity. A wide-ranging exploration of gender in our society, Amateur is ultimately a story of hope, as McBee traces a new way forward, a new kind of masculinity, inside the ring and outside of it.

In this graceful, stunning, and uncompromising exploration of living, fighting, and healing, we gain insight into the stereotypes and shifting realities of masculinity today through the eyes of a new man.

“It’s people like Mama and me, I guess, who like to make the regular happenings in our town–like what happened to Joshua and David–sound like myth. There are those who doubt the veracity of my words. But I know. I was there.”

So begins the voice of Eric Gottlund in Jim Provenzano’s latest novel, Now I’m Here, as he begins his tale of how two boys discovered, lost, and then found each other again in the small town of Serene, Ohio, in the 1970s and ’80s. It is both pointed and poignant. As the town’s history is slowly erased by fading memories and encroaching suburbia, Eric brings back to life the two friends who showed him what true courage is. Fighting religious intolerance, small-mindedness, “rehabilitation therapy,” the lure of fame, and the heartbreak of AIDS, the two boys grow into men before our eyes. And through their love of each other and rock’n’roll–and the English rock group Queen in particular–Joshua and David breathe life back into their home town, if only for a while.

I Don’t Care: Lessons In Love, Life, Music, and Boybands, is a collaboration between international pop star Aaron Paul and journalist Nathan James. This sober, witty, and sometimes poignant reflection of Aaron’s life and times as a popular recording artist, producer, and fashionista takes the reader from his early days as an aspiring musician in the back streets of London’s Battersea section, through discovery by famed producer Simon Cowell, which rocketed him to stardom as the front man of global boyband sensation Worlds Apart, and his creative journeys, which brought him to New York City, and his present-day emergence as a solo vocalist in his own right. As the story progresses, Aaron’s struggles with his family, his secret sexual orientation, and the demands of celebrity status, and other trials, teach the young artist priceless lessons in navigating life in the turbulent entertainment industry. Along the way, Aaron begins to rediscover himself as a person and as a public figure, as he grows and evolves into other pursuits, including production, interior design and as a fashion critic. His relationships with lovers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean help shape Aaron’s perspective on love, and eventually, at peace with his true self, Aaron comes out of the closet, and embraces the LGBT community, as both advocate and artist. Each chapter of “I Don’t Care!” takes its title from songs sung by the artist over the course of his career, giving new meaning to both his words and the music upon which they are based. The reader joins with Aaron on his odyssey of self-discovery and evolution, and other significant voices from Aaron’s life add perspective to his amazing story. In the pages of this revealing volume, Aaron holds nothing back-telling his tale to Nathan and you, as openly and unabashedly as only he can. I Don’t Care culminates with his recent appearance at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall, where he debuted his new single Drag Queen, and ends with a look ahead at his upcoming albums and new projects. As a raw, honest, and intriguing look at one artist’s life, this book is a fascinating excursion into the realities of celebrity life, and the passion for art that keeps Aaron moving forward. Aaron’s narrative brings out his most human side, and brings the reader into his world, imparting important life lessons at every turn, educating as it entertains!