Fit to Serve: Reflections on a Secret Life, Private Struggle, and Public Battle to Become the First Openly Gay U.S. Ambassador - Hardcover

Hormel, James C.; Martin, Erin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1616083980 ISBN 13: 9781616083984

Publisher: Skyhorse, 2011

Synopsis

This is the memoir of James C. Hormel a man who grew up feeling different not only because his family owned the Hormel empire” and lived in a twenty-six-bedroom house in a small Midwest town, but because he was gay at a time when homosexuality was not discussed or accepted. Outwardly he tried to live up to the life his father wanted for him he was a successful professional, had married a lovely woman, and had children but as vola-tile changes in the late 1960s impeded on the American psyche, Hormel realized that he could not hide his true self forever.

Hormel moved to New York City, became an antiwar activist, battled homophobia, lost dear friends to AIDS, and set out to become America’s first openly gay ambassador, a position he finally won during the Clinton administration. Today, Hormel continues to fight for LGBT equality and gay marriage rights. This is a passionate and inspiring true story of the determination for human equality and for attaining your own version of the American Dream life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without exception.

About this title

About the Author:

Ambassador James C. Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota, in 1933. He graduated from Swarthmore College and from the University of Chicago Law School, where he later worked as assistant dean and dean of students. In 1995, he was a U.S. delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights. He served as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg from 1999-2000. He also helped establish the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library. Currently chairman of the investment firm Equidex, he devotes his time to philanthropy and Democratic politics. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Erin Martin is a former journalist for the Hartford Courant and deputy press secretary to U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut. A graduate of Stanford University, she has managed political development programs in post-apartheid South Africa and Namibia. She also worked for The September 11th Fund, a World Trade Center relief organization, and for a Madison Avenue communications consultancy. She lives in New York City.

Review:

“

Hormel recounts the controversies, from don’t-ask-don’t-tell to the Defense of Marriage Act, in the struggle for gay rights, and his own two-year roller-coaster ride to confirmation.

” (Vanessa Bush - Booklist)

“

"A spirited, affecting life story."

” (Richard Labonte, author and critic)

“Jim Hormel is that rarest of hyphenates: an activist-philanthropist. His generosity is legendary, but his greatest gift came not from his personal wealth but from his willingness to claim his own heart — proudly and with unforgettable dignity — in the face of public vilification. Well done, Mr. Ambassador” (Armistead Maupin, Author of Tales of the City)

“Jim fought the right-wing smear machine and won. May his story inspire all those laboring against the hate and fear that pollutes our public discourse today. Jim reminds us that it’s worth the fight.” (David Brock, Founder, Media Matters for America)

“Rich, engrossing, and deeply affecting, Fit To Serve is an intimate account of James Hormel’s landmark journey from the deep confusion of a privileged but closeted life to the bold and unswerving activism through which he also found his best self. In the truest sense, this is a great American story.” (Richard North Patterson, New York Times best-selling author)

“Jim Hormel’s spirited story is a refreshing reminder of the power of the individual in America. This book documents that a person driven by the courage of his or her convictions can still push the world to become a fairer, more equal place.” (Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives)

“Future generations will look at this book and experience their history told honestly and courageously” (Moisés Kaufman, Writer (with members of Tectonic Theater Project) of The Laramie Project)

About this edition

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1616083980
• ISBN 13: 9781616083984
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320