Dining with Squirrels

A mixed bag. A paean to the beauty of female friendship. A sassy slice of Louisiana bayou life. A tragic story of the inheritance of childhood abuse. Loved all of that. Did not like the way the story toggles between present-day northwest and 1940s and 50s Louisiana. Sometimes the language veered into maudlin.

Written by a Christian parent of LGBTQ children for parents who are trying to reconcile their child’s orientation with what they think their faith says about it. Simply written, very kind and gentle about parents’ fears, and uncompromising about love and acceptance being God’s only call.

Wow. I read this book so long ago.  Published in 1987 (one of Oprah’s first book club picks I think) this really is an unusual and very affecting book, told completely in the first person by Ellen, maybe 11-years old and now with her new, self-picked surname, Foster — because she lives with her “new […]