The Kid (book)
Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America (2002) |
The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant is a
The Kid is the recipient of a PEN West Award.
Contents
The Kid delves into the machinations involved in the process of adopting an infant boy, through the experiences of the author and his boyfriend.[9] Savage describes the psychological roller-coaster experience of deciding to go through with the process, such as worrying about which items to purchase to support raising an infant, moments where he was nervous about how it would impact his sex life, and what his straight and gay friends would think.[10] Savage comments that an LGBT activist thought those who adopt children were ideal candidates if they were "men in their forties, together at least eight years, monogamous, professional, irreproachable, and unassailable."[11] He expresses "a complex sense of moral obligation" in writing the narrative.[9]
Terry, Savage's boyfriend at the time for two years, initially helped him look into the option of seeking out
Publication history
The Kid was first published by Dutton in 1999 as a hardcover edition.
Reception
The Kid received a
A review in Salon described the book as "a very moving memoir."[29] Reviewer Daryl Lindsey commented, "Despite the expediency of their experience, the book is full of twists and turns, each subjected to Savage's snide and penetrating wit. And in an uncharacteristically wide-eyed mood, Savage provides a lovely tale about the thrill of anticipating a baby—even when it isn't yours (by birth)."[29] Publishers Weekly reviewed the work and commented, "Employing the blunt tone of his columns, Savage humorously and honestly discusses his sexual practices (including bondage and fantasies involving actor Matt Damon), his ambivalence about being a parent and his rage at his homophobic grandmother. His forthrightness is brave and daring in the face of social opposition to gay parenting."[10] The review concluded, "However, though Savage's chatty, mercilessly satiric style is effective in his columns and may be intended here to balance the optimistic underpinnings of his journey into parenthood, in this sustained narrative it wears a bit thin."[10]
Adaptations
Television
In 2000, the production company of Robin Williams, Blue Wolf Productions, purchased the options to develop the book for television.[4][5]
Theatre
In 2010, The Kid was produced as a
The New York Times gave the musical a favorable review: "Vibrators, leather bars and good old-fashioned sodomy have never looked more wholesome than they do in The Kid."[31] The Star-Ledger reviewer commented, "It's a really funny show. And rather touching, as well. A lot of the jokes are based on the would-be adoptive couple being two men. But the sharp humor is balanced with a sweetness and humanity that makes their emotional experience relatable for everyone."[32] The New York Post gave the musical a rating of three and a half out of four stars, with reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli writing, "The administrative roller coaster provides a gold mine of amusing material, but this tender, funny show is more about the emotional journey of becoming a parent for the first time."[33] A review in the New York Daily News commented, "The show is well-meaning but surprisingly bland and corny."[7] Jesse Oxfeld wrote for The New York Observer, "Michael Zam's script is often very funny and can occasionally be moving ... But at two and a half hours (including intermission), with 22 musical numbers and that mess of characters, there is a lack of focus".[34]
See also
- Heterosexism
- LGBT adoption
- LGBT parenting
- LGBT rights
- Same-sex marriages and civil unions
- Preacher's Sons - a documentary about a gay adoptive couple
- Mommy Mommy - a documentary about a lesbian adoptive couple
References
- ^ Chicago, Illinois: glbtq, Inc. Archived from the originalon June 4, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56512-454-7.
- ^ The Daily Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. October 31, 2002.
- ^ The Advocate. March 20, 2000. p. 24.
- ^ a b McFadden, Kay (February 25, 2000). "Dan Savage's book about becoming a parent is optioned for TV". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Healy, Patricia (May 7, 2010). "A Gay Adoption Becomes a Musical". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Dziemianowicz, Joe (May 11, 2010). "Dan Savage's 'The Kid' musical is boring baby that needs to grow up". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "Musical based on Dan Savage memoir opens Monday". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 9, 2010. p. Web Edition; Big Blog.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8166-6986-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant; Book Review. Reed Business Information, Inc. September 1999.
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ignored (help) - ISBN 0-374-11343-2.
- S2CID 143934572.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33183-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7407-4172-2.
- S2CID 146792095.
- ISBN 978-0-525-94525-3.
- OCLC 41445757
- OCLC 57538033
- ISBN 1-901250-70-9.
- OCLC 59569701
- ISBN 978-0-452-28176-9.
- ISBN 978-0-452-28176-9.
- ISBN 88-502-0097-8.
- S2CID 154939284.
- ISBN 1-56023-179-3.
- ^ Dahlstrom, Linda (November 3, 1999). "' The Kid ' tells tale of gay adoption - Seattle writer tells story of his unusual journey into fatherhood". The News Tribune. p. SL3.
- ^ Florio, Gwen (November 29, 1999). "'The Kid' puts crimp in sex life of columnist now that he's a parent, a gay dispenser of sex advice has less experience to draw from". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F05.
- ^ Wineke, William R. (June 15, 2000). "Dan Savage". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 9.
- ^ a b Lindsey, Daryl (October 1, 1999). "From "Hey Faggot" to "Hey Daddy"". Salon. salon.com. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (May 16, 2009). "Arts, briefly - Broderick and Lonergan in With New Group". The New York Times. p. C2. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ "Vibrators, leather bars ... have never looked more wholesome". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 11, 2010. p. Web Edition; Big Blog.
- ^ Feldberg, Robert (May 12, 2010). "'The Kid' is all right Gay couple try to adopt in charming new musical". The Star-Ledger. p. 035.
- ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (May 11, 2010). "Tender quest for paternal sunshine". New York Post. p. 041.
- ^ Oxfeld, Jesse (May 12, 2010). "Remember Shmomosexuals?". The New York Observer.
Further reading
- Hicks, Stephen; Janet McDermott (1998). Lesbian and Gay Fostering and Adoption: Extraordinary Yet Ordinary. Jessica Kingsley Pub. ISBN 978-1-85302-600-3.
- Mallon, Gerald P. (2006). Lesbian and Gay Foster and Adoptive Parents: Recruiting, Assessing, and Supporting an Untapped Resource for Children and Youth. CWLA Press; ISBN 978-1-58760-104-0.
- Garner, Abigail (2005). Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is. Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-052758-7.
External links
- Dan Savage’s The Kid and 5 Other Gay Memoirs That Went Big, Queerty
- The Kid: Book Review, Narth, Reviewed By: James E. Phelan, LCSW