Logical Family audiobook

Armistead Maupin, that gay southern boy with the very good manners, is the author of the "Tales of the City" series, as well as couple of standalone novels. In this memoir, "Logical Family", Maupin recounts his "families" - both birth and acquired - with beautiful writing and almost sublime graciousness. He's cautious in what he should reveal...and what not to. And, believe me, that ability can make or break a memoir. "Logical Family" is the selected memories of a lifetime. He writes about his parents and two siblings and how he was raised in Raleigh, NC, the son of a lawyer and a...lady. He adored his mother and respected his father. Coming out to them was done over a lifetime - and in one very famous piece, written as "Michael Tolliver" - though Maupin thinks his mother always knew he was gay. But we don't talk about such things in prominent, conservative Republican families, whose grandparents and great grandparents on one side, fought for the South in the Civil War. On the other, he was a descendant of wealthy Brits who had emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. However, as Maupin investigates, much of the story - like all family stories - is not quite as it was portrayed in family lore. Maupin also rites about his family of friends and lovers. He's candid about the people who have meant a lot to him in his life. One of things I enjoyed most about the book is Maupin's on-going recounting on his change from conservative-in-the-closet to liberal out-man. His life is both a personal and political journey, recounted beautifully in "Logical Family".

Easily my favorite book this year. He makes me laugh out loud. But, on the train home tonight, I was crying. Out loud. Armistead Maupin is a national treasure. If you don't know his books, jump into "Tales of the City" - you have a great ride ahead.

This was a delight to read. I have read everything Armistead Maupin has written and his memoir is the cherry on top. I highly recommend it to fans of the "Tales of the City" novels and/or memoirs.

Many straight Americans first learned of the San Francisco gay scene in the 1980's from “Tales of the City”, either the novel, based on a San Francisco Chronicle daily newspaper serial, or the television mini-series. Armistad Maupin, the right writer was in the right place at the right time, as a participant and observer of San Francisco gay life during the crucial period which included the beginning of AIDS and the murder of Harvey Milk. He managed to weave true events, such as the Florida/Anita Bryant discrimination proposal, into the story, so that his fictional characters' experiences mirrored the experience of many gay men of the period, including their dilemma about “coming out”. The character Michael's coming-out "Letter to Mama", sent in response to learning his parents are supporting the discriminatory proposal, is included in the book as an "Afterword".Here, Armistad Maupin tells his own story, having to distance himself from a racist, homophobic Southern community, and trying, with heartbreakingly limited success, to remain in contact with his biological family. His second and probably more logical family becomes the San Francisco gay community, and he has quite a few stories to tell about various gay icons whom he befriended during his journey. Maupin urged others, including that famous movie star, to “come out” for their own emotional health and also for the health of the community.Maupin demonstrated in his many books that he knows how to engage the reader when he tells the story of invented characters. He does the same with his own.

Maupin's personal life is just as fascinating as his fictional one. This memoir is filled with hilarious stories about his childhood, his time in the Navy, and his life in San Francisco. There are poignant moments that show how his conservative stances in his early life were equal parts a plea for his father's love and a strategy to keep him safe in the closet. Throughout, the mood stays light and touching, with plenty of entertaining anecdotes — exactly what we've come to expect from Maupin.If you liked this, make sure to follow me on Goodreads for more reviews!

Armistead Maupin has had a life crammed with events, so it might seem odd that Logical Family is a relatively slim volume. This is a man who goes into a lot of detail about many things, but is also comfortable at letting the years slip past. Logical Family is a satisfying but also elusive work.Logical Family is a memoir that devotes itself largely to the formative years of its author and very little to the time that Maupin found his groove and success. Whether this is the fact that he feels that his later years have been covered through his fiction and general interviews or he’s gearing up for a Logical Family 2 is uncertain. Still, what Maupin chooses to take into account has a depth to it that cannot be underestimated, and more than a few affecting passages.Despite the name - which tends to refer to the families that we choose for ourselves, rather than those we are born into - Maupin focuses on his relations with his parents who, despite their differences of opinion born of a very different time, ultimately supported him in their own ways*. Maupin speaks of the past as if it were a different country, albeit one with a continuity to now. It would have been nice to know more of his siblings - a sister gets a look in as a supporter, a brother as an arch conservative separated by an ideological chasm - but the portraits that Maupin paints of his progenitors and his grandmothers are lasting.Logical Family is intensely personal and yet we learn very little about Maupin’s relationship with his husband, or much of anything that has happened since the eighties. What this book lacks makes for some frustrating dead ends, but that which it does offer tends towards the rich and sweet. *Strange to say this of his father, whose biggest regret was that he wasn’t alive to fight for the South in the Civil War.

I LOVE The Tales of the City. I love how trashy, and hilarious, and loving they are. I love their sometimes ridiculousness. I was so sad when I finished reading them. Now with the reboot of the TV show, I have found myself thinking a lot about the characters from the Tales of the City and wondering what came from real life. The answer is much of it. Armistead Maupin has lived a very interesting life. His parents were old school, homophobic, bigoted conservatives who referred to their family house as "built by the slaves in our family." Armistead joined the Navy, fought in VietNam, and worked for Jesse Helms. He is also very gay. He found his chosen family, his "Logical Family," - one of the best coined terms and concepts I have encountered - in San Francisco. He was lovers with Rock Hudson, and friends with Ian McKellan. He had influence in surprising places. He reveals a lot of the origins from some of his characters and plot devices, and I bet he would be an absolute blast to have a beer with. I really enjoyed this one.

It may not be 5 stars for everyone else, but if you love Armistead Maupin (like I do) I don't know how you can't love this book. I had no idea Armistead came from such a conservative background and learned so much and found the last few chapters quite touching.

A must read for Tales of the City fans

Beautifully written — tender but forthright, and with that deft lightness of touch which makes the Tales of the City series so immensely readable and re-readable and re-re-readable.

Definitely one of the best autobiographies I’ve read. Touching, funny and enthralling. Highly recommended.

Armistead Maupin can do no wrong in my eyes. I have read the 'Tales of the City' books multiple times and I am pretty sure I've read all the others too. While I was late to the 'Tales' game -- probably early 1990s and around the airing of the first PBS miniseries -- Maupin's works were an important piece of my own journey of self-acceptance and coming out, which only "ended" (spoiler alert: coming out never really ends) three years back when I become part of a dual-husband household. Needless to say, this memoir is a gem to 'Tales' fans. It was fun to see how the characters and story lines rose from Maupin's personal experiences and learn of what was going on behind the scenes as the serial was published in a San Francisco newspaper. It was also interesting to learn of Maupin's very conservative Southern roots. But as you can see, the review is "only" 4 stars and I will admit I didn't quite connect the chapters on Maupin's service in Vietnam and I selfishly wanted to learn more of his relationships and particularly now-husband, all of which are not given all that much print space. Also, the chapter on Rock Hudson seemed a bit name-droppy and a bit uncomfortable, but still the type of juicy gossip folks often long for and expect in a memoir -- but on the flip side, it provided yet another thinly veiled inspiration for a 'Tales' subplot. Still a must read for Maupin fans. Oh, and a nice touch including 'Letter to Mama' as the epilogue - Maupin's coming out letter from his 'Tales' counterpart Michael Tolliver - which continues to slay me to this day.

This compulsively readable book details Maupin's evolution from the dutiful scion of a toxically uptight and revoltingly rightwing Southern family to fun-loving, gay, liberal San Franciscan. It also includes plenty of funny stories, celebrity gossip, fascinating history, and charming observations about life and love.

I loved this book with all my heart. I loved the glimpses into the inspirations for Tales of the City. I loved the fearless way Maupin examines his past. I loved the stories both new and fresh. So great. I barely put it down for a minute.