The LGBT Fiction Shelf

Goes On, Without the World's Understanding
Thomas Westerfield
Rattling Good Yarns Press
https://rattlinggoodyarns.com
9781955826402, $15.95, PB, 146pp

https://www.amazon.com/Without-Worlds-Understanding-Thomas-Westerfield/dp/1= 955826404

Synopsis: "Goes On, Without the World's Understanding" is a new collection =
of short stories in which author Thomas Westerfield challenges our expectat= ions about the tales that can be told regarding sexuality, race, love, abus=
e, trauma, art, and intergenerational relationships.

We meet, among others, a men's sexual abuse group in rebellion against thei=
r earth mother therapist; a ninety-six-year-old gay cult writer who confron=
ts a young queer interviewer; a burnt-out white professor playing dangerous=
academic games with his Black lesbian colleague; a teenager in a small Ken= tucky town in 1971 who experiences gay life for the first time through the = movie, The Boys in the Band; a retired man sharing a Las Vegas roulette tab=
le with a lonely drunk college student celebrating his twenty-first birthda=
y; a little boy terrified of what his Barbies will do to him in the dark of=
night; and a sex-trafficked young man, now free, explaining why he will ne= ver return to his family.

Some find acceptance, even peace, within the many contradictory and often w= arring elements of their hearts; some do not. But all are embraced with com= passionate acceptance as they go on, without the world's understanding.

Critique: Eloquent, inherently fascinating, deftly crafted, entertaining, m= emorable, and emotionally moving, "Goes On, Without the World's Understandi= ng" by Thomas Westerfield is an original short story anthology that will ha=
ve a very special appeal to readers from the LGBTQ community. While highly = recommended for both community and academic library Short Story Anthology a=
nd LGBTQ Literature collections, it should be noted for personal reading li= sts that "Goes On, Without the World's Understanding" is also available in =
a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Thomas Westerfield stories have been recognized as a finali=
st by the Saints and Sinners Festival, the New Millennium Writing Awards fo=
r Fiction, and the Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition. His play=
s, Catharsis and Monasteries, received productions and staged readings in N=
ew York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco throughout the 1980s = and 1990s. He was recognized as one of the "25 Unsung Heroes of the Gay Com= munity" in 1988 by The Advocate magazine for his co-founding the Owensboro = Gay Alliance in Kentucky. (https://rattlinggoodyarns.com/authors/thomas-wes= terfield

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)