THE BOOK
Introducing Stonewall Strong at Boston's Fenway Health, 10.30.17
My "Stonewall Strong" blog shares lessons on resilience from my own and other gay men's experiences.
Addressing the Prime Gentlemen of Ft. Lauderdale, on Sunday, February 3, 2019.
Once again addressing the Prime Gentlemen of Ft. Lauderdale, on Sunday, February 8, 2023. "How to live an October life," was my topic.
"Quite remarkable ... scrupulously researched and damn well written."
— Hank Trout, A & U Magazine
"A remarkable volume showing that individually and collectively, gay people have proven to be tough, thriving, resilient folk."
— Charles Sanchez, TheBody.com
"Through his own personal experiences, Andriote tells a much larger story of a societal transformation marked by historic psychological resilience in the face of antigay stigma, discrimination, and outright hatred. It is a story that will inspire any reader, regardless of their sexual orientation."
— Claire Nana, Psych Central
"Gloriously perceptive . . . a hybrid memoir and historical narrative chronicling his own and the LGBT community’s struggles with trauma and resiliency . . . colorfully illuminates pivotal periods in LGBT history."
— John Killacky, Gay and Lesbian
Review Worldwide
"On a very personal level, I walked away from the book with an enhanced sense of pride. The resilience narrative was really awesome, and really empowering to see how much my community has done, and how many figures I can look back to and say 'thanks.' "
— Paul Brancaccio, Senior History Major
Florida International University
"The first section about your life story of love, loss, triumph, disappointment, etc. was written so candidly and from the heart—it brought me to tears a few times but was ultimately really inspiring and empowering. After the first section, I love how you transitioned from a very intimate first-person narrative to cover all the bases as a journalist in terms of recounting LGBT/gay history and go on to offer really practical advice for life, work, staying healthy from experts in the field. I'm going to go back and re-read this book again. There's so much valuable content, and I'm sure I missed something the first time around."
— Christopher Bergland, author of The Athlete's Way:
Sweat and the Biology of Bliss
"Andriote has penned an informative and insightful yet touching work that will resonate deeply with readers."
— Donald Padgett, HIVPlusMagazine
"What kept me glued to the book is your honesty ... I can't recommend this book highly enough."
— Bill Nemitz, columnist, Portland (Maine) Press Herald
"It is a story of resilience that Andriote tells with personal commitment and passion."
—William Burton, The Gay & Lesbian
Review Worldwide
"A tour de force ... well-written, compelling, and highly informative."
— Kenneth Mayer, MD, Infectious Disease Attending and Director of HIV Prevention Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Medical Research Director,The Fenway Institute
"Andriote's book, Stonewall Strong, is truth telling at its best!"
— Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry, founder, Metropolitan Community Churches
"Stonewall Strong will inform and inspire readers of all sexual orientations and genders."
— Gregory M. Herek, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis; Author of the blog Beyond Homophobia (www.beyondhomophobia.com)
"Having lived among so many empowered gay men, Andriote believes he has the power to choose whether he will be a victim or victor in his own life story, an important theme of Stonewall Strong."
— Brian Bromberger, Bay Area Reporter
"[Stonewall Strong] is an instructive and inspiring book for anyone."
— Trenton Straub, POZ magazine
"The narrative is simultaneously inviting, inclusive, reflective, and inspiring."
— Sarah Toce, Windy City Times
"John-Manuel Andriote's message in his latest book manages to be both simple and complex all at once; and most importantly, relevant to people from all walks of life who have needed to find their inner resilience in order to rise above their personal struggles."
— Holly M. LaPrade, The Bulletin (Norwich, Connecticut)
From the book jacket:
Longtime Washington, D.C. health journalist John-Manuel Andriote didn’t expect to mark the twenty-fifth year of the HIV-AIDS epidemic in 2006 by coming out in the Washington Post about his own recent HIV diagnosis. For twenty years he had reported on the epidemic as an HIV-negative gay man, as AIDS killed many of his friends and roused gay Americans to action against a government that preferred to ignore their existence. Eight little words from his doctor, "I have bad news on the HIV test," turned Andriote's world upside down.
Over time Andriote came to understand that his choice, each and every day, to take the powerful medication he needs to stay healthy, to stay alive, came from his own resilience. When and how had he become resilient? He searched his journals for answers in his own life story. The reporter then set out to learn more about resilience. Stonewall Strong is the result.
Drawing from leading-edge research and nearly one hundred original interviews, the book makes it abundantly clear: most gay men are astonishingly resilient. Andriote deftly weaves together research data and lived experience to show that supporting gay men's resilience is the key to helping them avoid the snares that await too many who lack the emotional tools they need to face the traumas that disproportionately afflict gay men, including childhood sexual abuse, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, depression, and suicide.
Andriote writes with searing honesty about the choices and forces that brought him to his own 'before-and-after' moment, teasing out what he learned along the way about resilience, surviving, and thriving. He frames pivotal moments in recent history as manifestations of gay men's resilience, from the years of secrecy and subversion before the 1969 Stonewall riots; through the coming of age, heartbreak, and politically emboldening AIDS years; and pushing onward to legal marriage equality.
Andriote gives us an inside look at family relationships that support resilient sons, the nation's largest organizations' efforts to build on the resilience of marginalized LGBTQ youth, drag houses, and community centers. We go inside individuals’ hearts and groups’ missions to see a community that works, plays, and even prays together. Finally, Andriote presents the inspiring stories of gay men who have moved beyond the traumas and stereotypes, claiming their resilience and right to good health, and working to build a community that will be "Stonewall strong."
