Not So Good a Gay Man - by Frank M Robinson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Not So Good a Gay Man is the compelling memoir of author, screenwriter, and activist Frank M. Robinson.

Locus 2017 Recommended Reading List
Locus Award Finalist 2018 - Non-Fiction

Frank M. Robinson (1926-2014) accomplished a great deal in his long life, working in magazine publishing, including a stint for Playboy, and writing science fiction such as The Power, The Dark Beyond the Stars, and thrillers such as The Glass Inferno (filmed as The Towering Inferno). Robinson also passionately engaged in politics, fighting for gay rights, and most famously writing speeches for his good friend Harvey Milk in San Francisco.

This deeply personal autobiography, addressed to a friend in the gay community, explains the life of one gay man over eight decades in America. By turns witty, charming, and poignant, this memoir grants insights into Robinson's work not just as a journalist and writer, but as a gay man navigating the often perilous social landscape of 20th century life in the United States. The bedrock sincerity and painful honesty with which he describes this life makes Not So Good a Gay Man compelling reading.

Review Quotes

Chicago Review of Books Best Books for June 2017

Publishers Weekly Select Books with LGBTQ Themes for 2017 list

Praise for Not So Good a Gay Man

"Engaging."--Bibliosanctum (4 out of 5 stars)

"Vivid and detailed, Robinson's story is an engaging recollection of the golden age of pulp fiction interwoven with the story of a man's successful struggle to accept himself. Fascinating reading, especially for fans of 20th-century science fiction." --Kirkus

"[Robinson's] closely observed view of gay life and culture, especially in his home city of San Francisco, is insightful and often moving." --Booklist

"An incisive, fascinating and candid look at the award-winning sci-fi novelist's rocky writing career and life as a closeted gay man." --Shelf-Awareness (starred review)

About the Author

FRANK M. ROBINSON (1926-2014) was a journalist and writer best known for his techno-thrillers and his work as a speech writer for Harvey Milk. He was the author of The Power and Waiting, as well as The Glass Inferno, the basis for the film The Towering Inferno. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2009. He died in June 2014.