When I was six," writes Tammy Lynn Michaels, "I loved my first grade teacher so much I knew I would have to grow up to be a boy so I could come back and ask her to marry me." Documentarian Trachtenberg (American Masters: On Cukor
) brings together the comical, sometimes bitter and always poignant moments when gay men and women first realize (or admit) the truth about their own sexual preference. Trachtenberg has gathered some famous names for his collection (Gavin Lambert, Arthur Laurents, B.D. Wong, Simon Doonan), but perhaps the freshest stories come from voices unknown. What surprises is how often these moments stem from confrontations with an ostensibly heterosexual mass culture: TV, Broadway, the movies, organized sport—all of which are represented in the lavish set of collaged color illustrations that fill most every page, along with comics and candids of the contributors. Eugenio Zanetti recalls watching Miyoshi Umeki being kissed by Brando in Sayonara,
in a theater in Buenos Aires in the 1950s, and leaning back in his seat "at the exact same angle as Miyoshi." For Eugenia Kurt, it was a mesmerizing encounter with Rosalind Russell in the nun comedy The Trouble with Angels
. This book is composed of equal parts insight, shame and soul. (June)
