Holding the Man: Popular Penguins
By Timothy Conigrave
Harry Hartog's review
Holding the Man is a seminal memoir and winner of the 1995 UN Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction. It is the story Tim and John, coming-of-age at an all boys religious school and falling in love at the onset of the AIDS Crisis in Australia. Told from Tim's point of view, this memoir brings us in close, sometimes uncomfortably so, and lets us see his life unfold against a back drop of love, fear and intolerance. An incredibly important story that has been adapted for both stage and screen, Holding the Man's conversational tone makes this an easy read and one that I would encourage everyone to read. Filled with love, compassion and hope, this memoir will stick with you for a long time. Bring tissues! The good kind, not the single sheets!
Description
As uplifting as it is moving, Holding the Man is a funny, sad and celebratory account of growing up gay, and a powerful love story.
In the mid-seventies at an all-boys Catholic school in Melbourne, Timothy Conigrave fell wildly and sweetly in love with the captain of the football team. So began a relationship that was to last for fifteen years, a love affair that weathered disapproval, separation and, ultimately, death.
With honesty and insight, Conigrave's bestselling memoir explores the highs and lows of any partnership- the intimacy, constraints and temptations. And the strength of heart both men had to find when they tested positive to HIV.
As uplifting as it is moving, Holding the Man is a funny, sad and celebratory account of growing up gay, and a powerful love story.
'A fine, tender and sexy book.' David Marr
'Full of compassion, candour and zest for life.' The Australian
'A charming love story.' Herald Sun
'Amazingly more than the sum of its parts, a book to stir you up and knock you around and wring you out.' Peter Robb
- ISBN:
- 9780143202820
- Format:
- Paperback
- Pages:
- 304
- Published:
- Publisher:
- Penguin Random House Australia
- Imprint:
- Penguin Random House Australia
- Weight:
- 180 g