Book Description

HomoAmerican - The Secret Society is not merely the story of a gay man growing up in America, but a firsthand portrait of those turbulent and confusing times, observed through unfiltered eyes. Over the years and in my extensive travels, I have strived toward many means of expression and sometimes avenues of escape. I confronted the confines of society and pursued the promise and myths of liberation.As a result of my conspicuous rebellion, that of simply being myself, of not living in disguise, I began to discover another society -- a Secret Society -- of people who have grown up in this world, where lies of omission shape our destiny and keep us apart.Free of the confines of convention we wander along dangerous paths in search our own. In ordinary circles my personal life was a minefield. I have lived as an openly gay man in Iran, was witness to the lavish extravagances and social horror of apartheid South Africa, was arrested on suspicion of murder in Paris and for prostitution in New York. While my stories recount the path that brought me here, mostly they tell the story of the man that I was becoming, pieced together, bit-by-bit, out of shadows, reinvented and reborn, in silence.Still, a recurring theme plays itself out in each episode of my life; the cost of acceptance is always denial, so I am at odds with the world, or so it seems and as I grow older I realize that in ghettos and in stereotypes there is an underlying thread of a war, not with society, but with ourselves. My stories are images of different selves developing in that dangerous void and a message to all people who live in disguise and have no reflection, to people who grow up in isolation and create their lives out of their own imagination. In this Special Edition there are 36 color photo plates - each hand mounted and sewn into this black linen, gold embossed, hardcover edition with a specially designed dust jacket - a true Collectors Edition.