The Other Me

In this artfully composed LGBT memoir, author Stan Bourgeault examines his youth, academic development, career adventures and misadventures, and marital pretense-all while gaining national recognition for his work with the handicapped and building a distinguished career in international program development. Noteworthy for its intimacy, candor, and historical scope through eight decades of changing times, is Bourgeault's story of growing up, becoming aware, and living with the reality of the need for another man in his life. Eighty years ago, this need meant a life of shame, embarrassment, and deceit. And in , Bourgeault explores the emotional erosion of living with such duplicity. His adventure is filled with errors-in judgment, in creating protective armor, and in grasping at glib defenses while pretending to conform to society's expectations. The end result? A life limited to half-hearted connections and lacking in real passion. Feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness lead Bourgeault out of marriage and into a painful long-term codependent homoerotic liaison. But eventually, he finds everything he's been searching for: self-revelation, rejuvenation, and contentment-empowering others still struggling to understand who they are.