Harlan Greene Knihy

In this collection, some of the most talented gay writers reveal their complex relationships with their families, showcasing unique yet universally relatable experiences. Each essay, written specifically for this anthology, explores themes of acceptance, rejection, and love without relying on stereotypes. John Preston opens with a reflection on the impact of an angry letter he left for his parents, which affected his younger brother in unexpected ways. Other contributors share their own stories of letters, conflicts, and reconciliations. Michael Nava delves into the life of his stoic grandfather, while Eric Latzky poignantly portrays his grandfather, Louis. Larry Duplechan mixes humor and poignancy in his depiction of his mother, who had a tough reaction to his coming out but still embraced him as her child. Harlan Greene's experiences growing up with Holocaust survivor parents left him with deep scars, and Brian Kirkpatrick offers a powerful introspection on being abandoned in a Catholic orphanage. Through their candid narratives, the twenty-four authors craft modern American literature from their autobiographical experiences, revealing profound truths about their lives and, in turn, about our own. This collection is a deeply emotional and beautifully conceived exploration of family dynamics.

What really happened that afternoon in November 1938, when the young Polish Jew walked into the German embassy in Paris and shots rang out? The immediate consequence was concrete: Nazi Germany retaliated with the "Night of Broken Glass," recognized as the beginning of the Holocaust. Lost and overlooked in the aftermath is the arresting story of Herschel Grynszpan, the confused teenager whose murder of Ernst vom Rath was used to justify Kristallnacht. In this historical novel, award-winning writer Harlan Greene may be the first author to take the Polish Jew at his word. Historians have tried to explain away Herschel Grynszpan's claim that he was involved in a love affair with vom Rath; Greene, instead, traces the lives of the underprivileged and persecuted Herschel Grynszpan and the wealthy German diplomat Ernst vom Rath as they move inevitably towards their ill-fated affair. In spare, vivid, and compelling prose, Greene imagines their world, their relationship, and their last horrific encounter, as they tried to wrest love and meaning from a world that would itself soon disappear in a whirlwind of disaster and madness.