Author Gift | Expletives Not Deleted

I received free digital and physical ARCs and final copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first thing I must do is apologize to you, Mr. Acord, for not getting this review posted in anything that could be remotely considered timely. I enjoy your work and devoured the book quickly. But reviews have been harder for me the last couple years and what I have posted, has been practically forcing myself to sit down at gun-point and write, instead of just reading, reading, reading.

In 2020 I read Acord's first book, Sub-lebrity: The Queer Life of a Show-Biz footnote and absolutely LOVED it. you can find my review HERE. Acord's writing style makes you feel like you're having a conversation with him. You could be best friends, chatting over dinner, getting drinks after a show, anything. I liked the book so much, I went and found his web series Old Dogs & New Tricks. It's fantastic as well.

I was so excited then when Acord offered advanced copies of his new book (in 2023. I'm a terrible person). He is a talented writer, witty and clever. All of the characteristics I loved in the first book were here as well, which makes for another fantastic book that is a must-read.

So, where to begin, but at the beginning? Acord tells us from the start, "I've been trying very hard lately to not become a grumpy old queen. I fear I am not being entirely successful."

There are plenty of things Acord was annoyed about when he penned this one, and it's likely he's still annoyed with those things, because some are even worse now. He touches on a variety of topics in this eclectic collections of essays. We get the heavy ones, like racism, cancel culture/culture wars, maga/the idiot-in-chief, and more. But he leaves plenty of room for lighter pieces as well, and it is a testament to his writing skills that he is successful with both. I know that no matter what topic Acord is tackling, he will be unflinchingly honest, and that kind of honesty is a breath of fresh air these days.

As in his first book, Acord takes us back to life in Indiana as he was growing up. I especially enjoyed his essay, "Am I a 'They'?" as he thinks back to his preferences in childhood for horses, books, and Barbies instead of GI Joe and cops and robbers. He concludes that he may actually be a They after all, but has reached the point in his life where he might just be "a bit too old to make a radical lifestyle change now" (page 150).

Acord also keeps us in the present as well, in the essays about cancel culture, facebook, and all this exhausting racist reactionary bullshit that followed President Obama's election as our first Black president. These essays are timely and hit the nail on the head each time. Acord is intelligent and concise without being preach-y. And as I said before, always, always honest.

Highly, highly recommended.