BooksChatter: ☀ Less than Human

Monday, 23 May 2016

☀ Less than Human - Allen Long

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Less than Human, a Memoir by Allen Long (28 January 2016, Black Rose Writing, 135 pages).

Don't miss our interview with author Allen Long.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis and excerpt below. Read the first two chapters with Amazon Look Inside.

Author Allen Long will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), and guest blog posts (✉).

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

Synopsis

In Less than Human, Allen Long tells the story of his often nightmarish childhood in the wealthy suburbs of D.C., the wonders and mysteries of teenage love, his ill-advised journeys into corporate America and a hellish marriage, and ultimate breakdown. And yet, his story is mostly one of triumph. He draws strength from the joys of fatherhood, he finds true love in his second marriage, and through working with psychotherapists and leading a life rich in self-examination, he overcomes both child abuse and the resulting PTSD, finally learning that instead of being less than, he is, indeed, human.

Less than Human follows an unconventional path, arranged as much by theme and association as by chronology. These stories take many forms, from driving narrative to lyrical reverie, at times evoking mythic overtones, and this variety, along with an unflinching confrontation with the conditions and consequences of childhood abuse, create its own form of suspense--in what direction will this book take us next?

Teaser: Excerpt

     I remember only a fragment of our lunch conversation. Sophia, who used to work at the textile design firm where Elizabeth was employed, brought up the name of a colleague who was agonizing about whether he was gay.
     Elizabeth surprised me by saying, “If he can’t make up his mind, I’ll make it up for him—he’s definitely gay.” There was absolutely no malice or derision in her voice; she simply stated what seemed an obvious fact.
     I laughed, pleased by her presumptuous humor. Also, a few weeks later, the co-worker in question came out of the closet and has seemed contentedly gay ever since.
     After lunch, Sophia made a quick getaway and Elizabeth and I stood in the parking garage near her black cherry Dodge Shadow and talked for another hour and a half. Again, I remember only one snippet of this conversation.
     “I have to tell you how important my daughter Stephanie is to me,” she said. “We’re best friends, I love her dearly, and she’s my number one priority.”
     “I understand. That’s how I feel about my boys,” I said.
     Tears glazed Elizabeth’s eyes, but she didn’t cry. I felt such a strong connection to her I trembled.
     “Would you like it if I called you?” I asked.
     “Yes, very much,” she said.
     We hugged and fell in love.

Less than Human
Available NOW!

About the Author

Allen Long was born in New York City and grew up in Arlington, Virginia. He holds a B.A. in journalism from Virginia Tech, an M.A. in fiction writing from Hollins University, and an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Arizona. He has been an assistant editor at Narrative Magazine since 2007, and his fiction and memoirs have appeared in a wide variety of literary magazines.

He lives with his wife near San Francisco.

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