It's All About Roger And Alistair

Whatever else this book is, it's at the least an accounting of the odd but intimate lifelong friendship between two gay men from adolescence in the 50's until Alistair's untimely demise in the 90's. Picano uses historical facts and pop culture along the way to bring the story forward in a very entertaining fashion, especially using their time on Fire Island to highlight the 70's. One might easily suggest that he uses the two men and their many friends and acquaintances to illustrate gay history through five decades. That's fine, but in the end, for me, it was indeed all about Roger and Alistair. By the way, the narration was superb and spot on.

11 people found this helpful

A Queer Classic—Gay Culture Behind the Curtain

"Like People in History" is a look at gay culture behind the curtain.

With the sweep of late Twentieth Century as a backdrop, it’s the story of two men, cousins, as they grow from boyhood in the straight-laced closeted Fifties, to the underground Greenwich Village scene and Stonewall, through the glittery, coke-fueled Seventies, the AIDS crisis of the Eighties and finally landing in the Nineties, bruised and battered.

This book is non-stop—intense and heartbreaking scenes. The end will have you in tears.

Read by the amazing Ethan Sawyer. Sawyer follows the story’s hairpin turns, gives each character a unique voice and never misses a beat.

7 people found this helpful

Stupendous

What did you love best about Like People in History?

This is a must listen! I never lose interest in this beautiful story!

Which character – as performed by Ethan Sawyer – was your favorite?

Alister and George

If you could rename Like People in History, what would you call it?

A history of gay culture in the U.S.

Any additional comments?

This is one of those books that makes books worthwhile. It is a story I'll never forget. I love all the characters. It is truly and epic

4 people found this helpful

Intriguing story marred by narration

Those of us of a certain age will identify with each section of this intriguing story, well told.. The constant distraction of mispronounced words, both French and English, leads me to wonder why there are "producer" credits for these productions. There needs to be the expectation that no matter how mellifluous the narrator's voice may be, there is an inviolable rule that he look up the pronunciation of any word not in his daily vocabulary. Come on, guys!

3 people found this helpful

Excellent book, superb narration

This book is not for everyone. Kudos for a great, sprawling epic of LGBT life across the decades, with dignity and wit. While written in the times, many might not now appreciate the gravitas of the AIDS epidemic, nor be willing to relive it in such hypnotically despairing detail. If you are, you'll be rewarded with a rich love story and commentary about the necessity of a logical family.

3 people found this helpful

Excellent Story dealing with a very difficult time

Being a gay man who is about 7 years younger than Roger, (the lead character) I lived through the period of burying friends, lovers and relatives in the 80s and 90s. I do not normally enjoy stories of that period as it brings back too many very painful memories. However, this book handled telling a story for the period very well expressing the joy and pain of the era.

Very well done.

2 people found this helpful

Great story if not a little repetitive...

The story seems to be told in cycles of the main character's cousin betraying him. While that aspect gets old the story around that story is a great adventure/romance/history epic that's full of lush characters and fun scenes.

1 person found this helpful

Inspirational work

I read this book approximately 25 years ago - a truly “coming of age” experience for me. It retained its power all these years, and listening to it now, I cannot help but wish that there were more books like this one. A masterpiece.

Fantastic

What a great story..I really enjoyed the characters and the narration. well done, fun and heart warming.

Extraordinary writing, deeply moving, and way, way too long

This book had me at times laughing aloud with glee, stunned with insight into the complexity of these relationships, amazed at the brilliance of the author’s and the characters’ use of language, spacing out and sometimes drifting off to sleep to the monotony of arcane lists of unknown operas, performers, productions, and other unnecessary minutia, and in the end, sobbing, no, wailing with the exquisite, beautiful agony of slowly revealed, undying love.