Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father in Queereaders

Sep 10, 2013 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bio-and-memoirs, hiv-aids, gay, made-me-cry, library-books, shelf-inflicted, outlaw-reviews

Cross-posted at Shelf Inflicted and at Outlaw Reviews

Last year at this time, I was reading lots of sweet romances with holiday themes. This year I was drawn to bleak, sad stories in books, movies and TV.

Though I wouldn’t say that Fairyland is bleak, there were some extremely sad moments that triggered old memories and made me tear up.

Alysia Abbott had a very difficult childhood. She lost her mom in a car accident when she was two years old and was raised by her father, an openly gay activist and ...more

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Dec 18, 2013 Dan rated it it was amazing

What a treat. Alysia Abbott's life with her father, the poet and editor Steven Abbott, in 1980's San Francisco is a real tearjerker. It's also a fascinating look at how a non-traditional family operates. There are plenty of moments when you're shaking your head and thinking "what a horrible father!" but there are just as many when you're thinking "she's a terrible daughter!" Ultimately, what we see is a poignant, touching story of family, warts and all. These people clearly loved each other very ...more

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May 11, 2013 Larry-bob Roberts rated it it was amazing

Shelves: queer, new-narrative, bohemianism

This book is sort of a dual autobiography, with Steve Abbott's words from his journals, poems, letters and cartoons included along with his daughter's words. Having known Steve and Alysia I can say that this book captures both of them. It's nice to have the confirmation of strangers that even though they didn't know Steve and Alysia, they are also touched by her book.

It's unfortunate that Steve Abbott's books are out of print, and hopefully that will be remedied soon. There's such a variety - th ...more

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Apr 07, 2021 Akiva ꙮ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 3-fmt-nf-autobio, nf-queer, z-au-w, nf-white, nf-hx-biography, nf-disability, nf-hx-place

This was good. Sometimes pretty hard to read, especially the last few chapters. Lots of stuff about being an imperfect caretaker (first from father to daughter, then from daughter to father). That's hard to read both directions. But also, a real strong sense of places and times. ...more

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Aug 07, 2013 Ilya rated it it was amazing

Terrific. I'm really impressed, and sort of fascinated with the construction: vignettes that gently, but forcefully propel you forward. Avoids the traps of victimhood and overdramatization. You see yourself in the author's experiences, however different they might be from your own. Moving and engrossing. ...more

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Aug 27, 2018 Emmett Racecar rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites, non-fiction, memoir-biography, queer

“To grow up the child of a gay parent in the seventies and eighties was to live with secrets”

The author was two when her mother died in a car accident. Her bisexual father became her sole parent and moved them to San Francisco in the 197os. She was brought along to bohemian poetry readings, was roommates with drag queens, saw her dad's lovers come and go and saw the devastation AIDS brought upon her family and the community she grew up within.

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Aug 15, 2013 Joseph Longo rated it it was amazing

Excellent book. Detailed relationship of woman growing up in San Francisco during the 1960s and on with a gay poet father. Fascinating personal history of San Francisco as it went though its many changes. Highly recommended.

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