Voice for the Silent Fathers
by Eddie K. Wright
GENRE: Memoir
BLURB:
In his memoir, Eddie shares his story of becoming a father at 18 years old who realized his son was showing ‘stereotypical’ signs of being gay while still in diapers. Spending most of his adult life engulfed in the street gangster/hip-hop culture where this subject was not only hushed but deeply frowned upon, he gives us the voice for what’s been kept silent for far too long, confronting almost every aspect of this taboo topic. It took years for him to silently accept his son’s homosexuality himself, regardless of all the signs. When his son was five years old, his favorite color was pink and there was nothing Dad could do about it. By the age of fourteen; he was an internet sensation, dancing on YouTube building his fan base to guarantee his success when performing as a drag queen a few years later. Eddie addresses the questions most are scared to ask; Was there anything I could do to stop my son’s homosexuality? When did I know my son was gay? What made him that way? Parents will find comfort in reading that Eddie admits that his son’s feminine behaviors embarrassed him and he seriously contemplated abandonment, a choice that too many fathers feel they have to choose.
He shares witnessing the desperation in the eyes of fathers, from all walks of life, who have pulled him aside, away from listening ears wanting to know the answers to these frequently asked questions, agonizing the possibilities that their son might be gay.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
…” My son Drew was born September 20, 1990. I don't know if homosexuality is a biological or mental condition. I never thought Drew would grow up making the conscious decision to be gay, the way other kids were making plans to become firefighters, police officers, or doctors.
When I would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would tell me all the normal kid choices, he never straight out said, "Dad, I want to be a gay ballerina dancer!" However, as a father with a keen street intuition, I sensed something abnormal was having an effect on Drew.
At a very young age, he began displaying mannerisms similar to his mother. He started sucking his teeth and rolling his eyes. He would tilt his head and alter his voice to imitate a girlish tone and it would get on my nerves. This was happening when he was around four or five years old, and I avoided paying too much attention to those signs for fear of re-reinforcing those flamboyant behaviors.
Around others, especially the women in Drew’s life, I was depicted as "Mr. Macho”. I was the bad guy who was always "over-reacting" when I addressed and attempted to correct certain mannerisms that just couldn't be ignored.
My "Gaydar" was active watching all his behaviors for a "Gayness Alert!" which would make me rush in, like the heterosexual swat team, to stop whatever he was doing and make it more boyish.”…
Guest Post:
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
The goals and intentions of "Voice for the Silent Fathers" were to express what a father deals with and goes through emotionally when realizing his son may be gay. This is a taboo topic of discussion amongst men. Ask yourself, how many men have you've known who openly admit and accept their homosexual son? Maybe a few, but not nearly enough. They're out there.
I was living in a macho man's world, with my gangster mentality that made it difficult to accept that my 5 year old son's favorite color is pink! He's supposed to be the heir to my thrown, the one whom I pass the keys to the kingdom to, but he doesn't even want to play cops and robbers, he wants to do the hair of Barbie dolls!
Yes, I was frustrated and confused, willing to do anything in my power to cure him of this "gayness". Obviously, with my close minded, limited understanding, I had a lot to learn and I made some monumental mistakes in my journey that effected and hurt a lot of people.
"Voice for the Silent Fathers" is character driven so you get to go through the experiences with me, which was the intention of the book. I wanted my son to understand what I was going through in order to help us heal our relationship.
The love for my son is evident, but the conditions I set for that love made it a struggle. That one condition was for him not to be gay! I was fighting a loosing battle with my attempts to change who he was, while he was fighting for my acceptance.
"Voice for the Silent Fathers" addresses every matter of contention you could think of, from teenage suicide, which is the highest amongst homosexual teens, drugs and alcohol abuse, the fears of H.I.V. and AIDS, child predators on the internet, to issues of homosexuality in prisons and the entertainment industry.
I write with a laugh to keep from crying attitude, which is echoed to the end. You will gain a deep insight of what every father contemplates when realizing their child lives an alternative lifestyle.
"Voice for the Silent Fathers" is a journey of a fathers love for his son and coming to acceptance of what unconditional love really means. I feel I've achieved the goals of explaining my point of view from a father’s perspective, so my son could understand me more. We now have the type of father/son relationship he deserves, regardless of his sexual orientation.
Our healed relationship is what give this book all the success, and I hope it will expand that healing to others.
Thank you for all your support.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
First time author Eddie K. Wright is a fitness trainer, Yoga instructor, spiritual motivational speaker and an inmate at a federal prison. His personal transformation upon realizing the Universal laws and love of life, supports his conviction in his "Gangster to Guru" book series. The premier release "VOICE FOR THE SILENT FATHERS" details the struggle and inner conflict with being the parent of a homosexual child in the day, and a known connected gangster at night. Overcoming his "No son of mine" mentality, by realizing the true meaning of unconditional love wasn't easy, but his deep insight, heartfelt honesty, and 'laugh to keep from crying' attitude, makes for a humorous read for anyone touched by this issue which means it's for everyone!
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Giveaway:
$20 Amazon or B/N GC
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5 comments:
Thank you for hosting. I look forward to your readers comments.
I enjoyed getting to know your book; congrats on the tour, I hope it is a fun one for you, and thanks for the chance to win :)
Happy Friday! Thanks for sharing the great post :)
What book would you like to see a sequel to? Thanks for hosting. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Sounds good
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