Ties That Bind

Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences

A brilliant, pioneering book by acclaimed novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman about how homophobia within families affects and diminishes all of us

“Sarah Schulman is one of our most ferocious, uncompromising voices.” —Michael Cunningham

Hailed as “a cri de coeur woven into a utopian vision” by Susan Brownmiller (author of Against Our Will), Ties That Bind is the highly praised work of prizewinning writer and professor Sarah Schulman on “familial homophobia,” a phenomenon that, until now, has not had a name but is nevertheless an integral part of most people’s experience. Ties That Bind invites us to understand familial homophobia as a cultural crisis, rather than a personal or an individual problem.

Ambitious, original, and deeply important, Schulman’s book draws on her own lived experience, her research, and her engagement with active social change to articulate a practical, attainable vision of transformation that can begin today.

Praise

“[Schulman] starkly lays out the fundamental immorality of such shunning behavior and its destructive consequences for everyone involved. This is an important and original book.”
—Martin Duberman, award-winning historian and gay rights activist
“Visionary, deeply human.”
—Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home
“Daring, radical, and compelling.”
—Roberto Gonzalez, National Book Critics Circle

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