Sally Field Can Play...
Sally Field Can Play the Transsexual, Or I Was Cursed By Polly Holliday
A 2015 Reader's Favorite Finalist, this tale of sex, loss, redemption and pharmaceuticals in the modern AIDS era that will make you laugh, break your heart, and inspire you. Leslie L. Smith's #SFCPT is a coming-of-age story - a teenage gay runaway turned hustler, David Matthews, is on a journey to find himself and his community. Along the way he is visited by a ghost, meets a transsexual nurse, and experiences a budding romance. Together these events change David's understanding of the grief he carries. This witty novel is also a touching look at what it is to be gay in today's world. It's also a saga about the last 25 years of gay sex and AIDS culture. Smith's characters look at difficult questions: safer sex, barebacking, personal responsibility, and current HIV prevention methods - it asks why gay men bareback even though HIV remains a threat among gay men. Discover why the Bay Area Reporter says #SFCPT is "an irresistible page-turner, that is inspirational without becoming treacly."
2015 Finalist
Reviews:
““Part ghost story, part bildungsroman, part cultural history. Funny. And very wise.” ”
““Any gay man over 40 should look back with astonishment over the enormous social changes that have occurred over the last 35 years, from ostracism to a gay Holocaust to legal same-sex marriage. Sally Field Can Play The Transsexual charts this remarkable journey... The fact that Smith can mold all of these issues into a lucid, heart-rending portrait is a testament to his narrative skills... The sex in the novel, though graphic and candid, is often hilarious in a chilling vein. SFCPT deals with heavy subjects in a brave manner. ”
““This is an ambitious novel that delivers redemption with humor and heart. A sincere journey of transformation that successfully balances politics and storytelling with heartwarming results. The political landscape of the novel is commendably and easily woven into the characters’ interactions, while never overpowering the plot. Mentorship and love are beautifully illustrated in David’s relationships with both Robert and Chris. The appearance of Robert’s ghost allows readers to understand the complexities of David’s grief.” ”