Straight Browsing from the Library: Voice for the Silent Fathers by Eddie K. Wright

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Eddie will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

As a very young child, I remember my favorite book being "Where did I come from." It was a cartoon book explaining how babies are made so of course I was curious and enjoyed the funny, informative way it was portrayed.

What is your favorite book today?

Today my favorite book is "Conversation with God" by author Neal Donald Walsh.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

Loving fatherhood responsibilities don't vanish because my son is gay.

What are you reading right now?

I'm currently reading "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne and "Turning Angel" by Greg Iles.

E-reader or print? and why?

I read the printed version. It's the only type currently available in prison.

One book at a time or multiples?

I read multiple books at a time. One during and throughout the day which is normally spiritual material, and then other genres at night to fall asleep with.

Favorite book you've read this year?

I discovered an author recently, Nnedi Okorafor, and read her book "Akata Witch". I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it being in the fantasy/teen type of genre.

Favorite place to read?

My favorite place to read is on the grass field of recreation yard 3, where they play softball. I have my MP-3 playing the sounds of the ocean and get lost in what I'm reading.

Favorite genre?

My favorite genre is what I love to write, spiritual self/help books.

What would make you not finish a book?

I give any book the first hundred pages, if I'm not into it by then regardless of what it's about, I put it down. A hundred pages is really a lot, considering that as a author, I try to catch the reader from page one.

READ THE BLURB

In his memoir, Eddie shares his story of becoming a father at 18 years old who realized his son was showing ‘stereotypical’ signs of being gay while still in diapers. Spending most of his adult life engulfed in the street gangster/hip-hop culture where this subject was not only hushed but deeply frowned upon, he gives us the voice for what’s been kept silent for far too long, confronting almost every aspect of this taboo topic. It took years for him to silently accept his son’s homosexuality himself, regardless of all the signs. When his son was five years old, his favorite color was pink and there was nothing Dad could do about it. By the age of fourteen; he was an internet sensation, dancing on YouTube building his fan base to guarantee his success when performing as a drag queen a few years later. Eddie addresses the questions most are scared to ask; Was there anything I could do to stop my son’s homosexuality? When did I know my son was gay? What made him that way? Parents will find comfort in reading that Eddie admits that his son’s feminine behaviors embarrassed him and he seriously contemplated abandonment, a choice that too many fathers feel they have to choose.

He shares witnessing the desperation in the eyes of fathers, from all walks of life, who have pulled him aside, away from listening ears wanting to know the answers to these frequently asked questions, agonizing the possibilities that their son might be gay.

READ AN EXCERPT

My son Drew was born September 20, 1990. I don't know if homosexuality is a biological or mental condition. I never thought Drew would grow up making the conscious decision to be gay, the way other kids were making plans to become firefighters, police officers, or doctors.

When I would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would tell me all the normal kid choices, he never straight out said, "Dad, I want to be a gay ballerina dancer!" However, as a father with a keen street intuition, I sensed something abnormal was having an effect on Drew.

At a very young age, he began displaying mannerisms similar to his mother. He started sucking his teeth and rolling his eyes. He would tilt his head and alter his voice to imitate a girlish tone and it would get on my nerves. This was happening when he was around four or five years old, and I avoided paying too much attention to those signs for fear of re-reinforcing those flamboyant behaviors.

Around others, especially the women in Drew’s life, I was depicted as "Mr. Macho”. I was the bad guy who was always "over-reacting" when I addressed and attempted to correct certain mannerisms that just couldn't be ignored.

My "Gaydar" was active watching all his behaviors for a "Gayness Alert!" which would make me rush in, like the heterosexual swat team, to stop whatever he was doing and make it more boyish.

MEET THE AUTHOR

First time author Eddie K. Wright is a fitness trainer, Yoga instructor, spiritual motivational speaker and an inmate at a federal prison. His personal transformation upon realizing the Universal laws and love of life, supports his conviction in his "Gangster to Guru" book series. The premier release "VOICE FOR THE SILENT FATHERS" details the struggle and inner conflict with being the parent of a homosexual child in the day, and a known connected gangster at night. Overcoming his "No son of mine" mentality, by realizing the true meaning of unconditional love wasn't easy, but his deep insight, heartfelt honesty, and 'laugh to keep from crying' attitude, makes for a humorous read for anyone touched by this issue which means it's for everyone!

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https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Silent-Fathers-Eddie-Wright/dp/0997490802

Thoughts from a reader:

These delicate father son issues, so implicitly captured in Eddie's writings, are relevant to a broad spectrum of societal issues beyond the "No son of mine" father of a gay man experience. In fact, the book gets to the real substance of human conflict which is our inability to accept and appreciate difference. The key word here is appreciation. The book offers an opportunity to consider acceptance in a way that extends grace, honor, support and recognition. When we are ungrateful, we are critical, blaming, and we use forms of rejection. Eddie’s experience of coming to the acceptance of his son provides hope for healing; a more practical response to conflict that allows dignity, respect and honor which overcomes criticism, blame, bigotry, and ultimately rejection. ~G. Holmes~

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