BSB: Stonewall 50th Anniversary Event with John-Manuel Andriote (Stonewall Strong) in Partnership with Alliance for Living

Bank Square Books presents an author Q&A in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, featuring John-Manuel Andriote (Stonewall Strong) in conversation with Kelly Thompson from Alliance for Living. This event is free and open to the public. Bank Square Books will donate 20% of profits from book sales to Alliance for Living.

About the Book

Longtime Washington, D.C. health journalist John-Manuel Andriote didn’t expect to mark the twenty-fifth year of the HIV-AIDS epidemic in 2006 by coming out in the Washington Post about his own recent HIV diagnosis. For twenty years he had reported on the epidemic as an HIV-negative gay man, as AIDS killed many of his friends and roused gay Americans to action against a government that preferred to ignore their existence. Eight little words from his doctor, "I have bad news on the HIV test," turned Andriote's world upside down.

Over time Andriote came to understand that his choice, each and every day, to take the powerful medication he needs to stay healthy, to stay alive, came from his own resilience. When and how had he become resilient? He searched his journals for answers in his own life story. The reporter then set out to learn more about resilience. Stonewall Strong is the result.

Drawing from leading-edge research and nearly one hundred original interviews, the book makes it abundantly clear: most gay men are astonishingly resilient. Andriote deftly weaves together research data and lived experience to show that supporting gay men's resilience is the key to helping them avoid the snares that await too many who lack the emotional tools they need to face the traumas that disproportionately afflict gay men, including childhood sexual abuse, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, depression, and suicide.

Andriote writes with searing honesty about the choices and forces that brought him to his own 'before-and-after' moment, teasing out what he learned along the way about resilience, surviving, and thriving. He frames pivotal moments in recent history as manifestations of gay men's resilience, from the years of secrecy and subversion before the 1969 Stonewall riots; through the coming of age, heartbreak, and politically emboldening AIDS years; and pushing onward to legal marriage equality. 

Andriote gives us an inside look at family relationships that support resilient sons, the nation's largest organizations' efforts to build on the resilience of marginalized LGBTQ youth, drag houses, and community centers. We go inside individuals’ hearts and groups’ missions to see a community that works, plays, and even prays together. Finally, Andriote presents the inspiring stories of gay men who have moved beyond the traumas and stereotypes, claiming their resilience and right to good health, and working to build a community that will be Stonewall Strong.

About the Author

John-Manuel Andriote is an award-winning author, journalist, speaker, and communication consultant. Since 1983 he has written about health and medicine, LGBT issues and popular culture. His newest book is Stonewall Strong: Gay Men's Heroic Fight for Resilience, Good Health, and a Strong Community.

Stonewall Strong: Gay Men's Heroic Fight for Resilience, Good Health, and a Strong Community By John-Manuel Andriote Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9781538131060
Availability: Currently On Hand In Store
Published: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers - May 15th, 2019

Stonewall Strong uses research, history, and firsthand accounts to examine gay men's remarkable resilience as it's been established and built over the years after the Stonewall riots. John-Manuel Andriote shows how the gay rights movements has contributed to personal resilience and a platform that promotes community, understanding, and good health.


Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - 6:30pm
53 W Main St
Mystic, CT 06355