Sweet Tooth: A Memoir - Softcover

Anderson, Tim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1477818073 ISBN 13: 9781477818077

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing, 2014

Synopsis

International Book Awards Winner in Non-Fiction: Gay & Lesbian

“A gifted writer, Anderson is...delightful in his irreverence, and astutely aware of himself and his particular perspective. His observations are often laugh-out-loud funny and will leave readers with the desire to...keep turning the pages...” ―Publishers Weekly review for Anderson, author of Tune in Tokyo and Sweet Tooth

What’s a sweets-loving young boy growing up gay in North Carolina in the eighties supposed to think when he’s diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? That God is punishing him, naturally.

This was, after all, when gay-hating Jesse Helms was his senator, AIDS was still the boogeyman, and no one was saying, “It gets better.” And if stealing a copy of a gay porno magazine from the newsagent was a sin, then surely what the men inside were doing to one another was much worse.

Sweet Tooth is Tim Anderson’s uproarious memoir of life after his hormones and blood sugar both went berserk at the age of fifteen. With Morrissey and The Smiths as the soundtrack, Anderson self-deprecatingly recalls love affairs with vests and donuts, first crushes, coming out, and inaugural trips to gay bars. What emerges is the story of a young man trying to build a future that won’t involve crippling loneliness or losing a foot to his disease―and maybe even one that, no matter how unpredictable, can still be pretty sweet.

About this title

About the Author

In addition to Sweet Tooth, Tim Anderson is the author of Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries, which Publishers Weekly called “laugh-out-loud funny,” Shelf Awareness called “so much fun,” and Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times completely ignored. He is an editor and lives in Brooklyn with his husband, Jimmy; his cat, Stella; and his yoga balance ball, Sheila. Tim also writes young adult historical fiction under the name T. Neill Anderson and blogs at seetimblog.blogspot.com. His favorite Little Debbie snack cake is the Fudge Round.

Reviews

Anderson's second memoir (Tune In Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries) is a lively and invigorating look at the hormone raging days of adolescence as the author tries to make sense of his overwhelming desire for both candy and men (not to mention man-candy). At age 15, one month after finally acknowledging his attraction to men, Anderson is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. As he grapples with his identity and new found desires, Anderson struggles to maintain control over his physical health. He suffers a series of diabetic episodes and hospitalizations which are told in short alternating chapters. The author recounts these parallel struggles in colorful detail: he describes his "gay porno magazine obsession" as a "deep, dark dungeon of delicious, honey-dipped immorality fondue." This type of dry, self-deprecating humor is emblazoned throughout and helps the reader keep apace as Anderson relays his emotional and physical instability. Staying true to his experiences, Anderson evokes the juvenile tendency toward self-destruction in a way that is simultaneously funny and frustrating. The combination gives readers a visceral taste of the rollercoaster ride that was his young adulthood. (Mar.)

Edition details

• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1477818073
• ISBN 13: 9781477818077
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 334