My Big Fat Queer Life is a “best of” collection. As these things go it is very good, even excellent. Many know Ford as the author of witty poignant essays (sometimes newspaper columns) published as Alec Baldwin Doesn’t Love Me, That’s Mr. Faggot to You, It’s not Mean If It’s True, and The Little Book of Neuroses. These are the source of the “best of”, drawing from each but with an added bonus…some new material and brief introductions by the author. These introductions give us a peek into his creative mind.
Last summer in June I reviewed Ford’s first novel, Last Summer. I found much about that effort to be second rate, stock characters, poor character development and a sense that his hero would never grow up.
Last Summer may be mediocre but in My Big Fat Queer Life the author shines. His observations are perceptive, irreverent, clever and refreshingly candid. Politically correct he is not! The book’s structure is perfect for light summer reading. There are 43 vignettes most of which are funny, a few serious and several truly autobiographical. The seven parts are introduced with a story “My Life as Dwarf: Sleepy” followed by the other Disney characters. Each of these is a revealing piece. some frankly personal. “My Life as Dwarf: Dopey” was especially moving. It deals candidly with Ford’s relationship with his addicted (former) partner. Cutting loose someone who is both destructive and self-destructive is never easy...Ford is strong in doing it. Telling us about it is remarkable and the lessons he learned might apply to many of us.
There is much to consider in even his funniest writing. His wry observations about how we too often compare our sex lives and sexual performance appear in both “Diary of a Would Be Porn Star” and “Could You Hurry Up. I’m Starting to Cramp”. His more serious stuff, “Fitting In” as an example, proves useful at letting younger guys know that we all have trouble figuring how we relate to the larger gay community.
Unlike David Sedaris’ work, this stuff is truly funny; there is something here for all of us to relate to…most of his stuff resonates with me. Particularly funny was “Packing for the Second Coming”. I thought that that vignette was truly “laugh out loud”!
So… overall I thought this book was great. If you already have read Ford’s earliest stuff from which this was gathered you’re already a fan and will want this for the new material and to complete your collection. If you’ve never read these glimpses of gay life this is a good way to read “the best of” what came before.
Are there flaws? It depends on your attitude, and maybe your age. Michael Thomas Ford is indeed funny but he projects a quirky immaturity which can be wearing if you’re older. In all fairness I believe I understand why the protagonist in Last Summer was created as it was…a disguised but still identifiable reflection of the author’s view of relationships.
While I don’t crave collecting all his works, I can wholeheartedly recommend My Big Fat Queer Life. Pick up a copy. You won’t regret it.