Books: 775

“I Know Who You Are, but What Am I?: On Pee-wee Herman”
Cait McKinney
University of Minnesota Press
$10

McKinney shares how queer folk children in the 1980s embraced Pee-Wee’s TV show then and how it affects them now, when hysteria about sexuality (any) and gender (being the “wrong” one) is once again rampant. Debuting as AIDS spread together with homophobia, Pee-Wee remained untrammeled, a spinning sparkler with retro talking furniture and appliances that heralded today’s smart house. His 1991 arrest in an adultporn theater, doing what adults do there; media’s ultimate spin into something it was not made headlines and stalled a career, incidentally highlighting bullies doing as they always do­ — because they can. Continued sales today of broken, once-talking Pee-Wee dolls allow further explorations of the past to nudge the future as green shoots emerged on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.

“Until the End is Known: A Bisexual Odyssey”
Joseph A. McCormack
$19.95

While McCormack shares his bisexuality, alcohol addiction and search for a father lost too soon, a reader looking through a single lens would read the memoirs of a diligent young student who, after succeeding in his Navy career, held positions at Rockefeller Center and others, met famous people and traveled widely. Imagine cooking dinner for James Beard, to name just one incident. Through both eyes, clearly, the picture becomes the portrait of a child grieving his father’s early death, confused he’s physically drawn to men andwomen, that the “medicinal” alcohol he applies has taken control. AA and a spiritual path led to a life of executive recruiting, helping fit promising LGBTQ+ individuals into community-based organizations and mentoring promising students. A powerful and sensitive read.

“On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service”
Anthony Fauci, M.D.
Viking
$36

Like his persona, Fauci’s writing is direct and sometimes mundane, chronicling a long and distinctive career, including director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), until his retirement in 2022 as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). During the 1980s, he tirelessly sought some cure or remission for HIV/AIDS, writing now, “I was trained for many years to be a healer, and during this period I was healing no one.” He relates his childhood and extensive medical training and gives generous praise and credit to co-workers. Fauci assessed and changed as needed; at first denying AIDS sufferers’ input, he realized what was needed, causing ACT UP cofounder Larry Kramer to change his mind from “incompetent idiot” to trusted friend and ally.

“The Lost House”
Melissa Larsen
Minotaur Books
$28

Responding to crime podcaster Nora Carver’s invitation, Agnes Glin leaves California for Bifröst, Iceland, where her grandfather Einar was accused of murdering his wife and infant decades ago. Agnes, who adored her grandfather, travels against her father’s wishes. Larsen’s pace seems leisurely, but is, rather, inexorable. Agnes is recovering from a major injury and is far too dependent on her bottles of pain meds. But another young woman has just disappeared. Agnes meets the boy, now man, who found the bodies, and other townsfolk who all believe Einar to be the killer. The weather, the mood and Agnes’s struggle with pain deepen. Larsen tightens by inches until we’re caught in the suspense. Not even a local love interest lightens — and where is Ása, now nine days missing?