Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood

“John D’Emilio’s Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood is a tender memoir of New York City boyhood, stretching from the ethnic, working-class enclaves of the Bronx to the burgeoning world of gay liberation in the Village to the radical classrooms of Columbia University. D’Emilio’s historical acumen and vivid prose present a complicated vision of pre-Stonewall gay life, which will fascinate anyone who loves the history of New York City.” - Hugh Ryan, author of When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History

“In this fascinating self-portrait and insightful portrait of his times, a prominent queer historian recalls growing up in the 1950s and ’60s—a smart, pious, conservative, Catholic boy from a working-class Italian family in the Bronx transforms himself into a radical left, openly gay Columbia University student.” - Jonathan Ned Katz, author of The Daring Life and Dangerous Times of Eve Adams

"It is a bright early spring day where I am writing this, but I hardly notice: for hours now, I have been lost in John D’Emilio’s memoir of growing up in the Italian East Bronx, his days as a Catholic schoolboy, his intellectual and sexual awakening at a distinguished Jesuit high school, his political awakening at Columbia, and more. It is all marvelous. Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood is a gripping read. It is sure to become a classic in several fields—among them, LGBTQ history, Italian American history, New York history, the history of New York Catholicism, and the history of Jesuit education in the United States. Its readers are waiting for this, and they will be thrilled when it appears.” - Robert A. Orsi, author of History and Presence

"[D'Emilio's] memoir is a love letter to Manhattan. but also to the Bronx of his childhood, to the schools that educated and occasionally hindered him, to the family members who nourished him—even when they no longer understood him—so he would someday find his life's work. . . . Based on the many pleasures offered by this book, I hope he decides to write the sequel." - Daniel A. Burr, Gay and Lesbian Review

"Like D’Emilio’s scholarship, this book has a keen, complex sense of contingency; unlike many queer autobiographies, there is no simplistic notion of precisely 'when I knew' regarding the author’s queer identity. Profound in its accessible, engaging plainspokenness, it will stand with Alfred Kazin’s A Walker in the City as a classic coming-of-age story by a member of an emerging American minority group. The book has the appealing detail of a well-crafted novel. . . . For all that has been written about American culture at midcentury, John D’Emilio’s achievement is singular. With engaging grace and candor, he has articulated a mood and explained an experience as no one else quite has." - John Ibson, Men and Masculinities

"In Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood, D’Emilio creates a captivating, and often charming, narrative of growing up in a world that went against his true self. . . . D’Emilio’s work is not only a welcome addition to the evergrowing field of LGBTQ history, but also a chronicle of the influence of differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds in twentieth-century America." - Raymond R. Mitchell, Journal of American Ethnic History

"D’Emilio, who has been an eminent historian of the American gay man’s experience and struggle during his lifetime, has turned his searching eye inward and now gives us a different kind of history—one that’s pegged to his own life, loves and learnings. Every page is fork-tender with emotion, and to be honest, in my mind’s eye, I imagined him going back to a huge file of every sweet or difficult or thoughtful observation he’d ever excised from one of his academic books and sewing them together with hindsight for this volume." - S. Bear Bergman, Xtra!

"What makes Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood unique is its unparalleled commingling of historical worlds in twentieth century American history: the ethnic, Catholic neighborhood; the Jesuit classroom; the gay subculture of mid-century New York; and campus war protests of the 1960s. In this intimate memoir, accomplished historian John D’Emilio delivers a story, his, that brings them all to life." - Mary Ellen O’Donnell, American Catholic Studies

"As D’Emilio applies his skills as an acclaimed social and cultural historian to his own youth, Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood offers us a caring and thoughtful window into a time of enormous change in American society and the Catholic Church. His account is warm and gracious; he is quick to acknowledge his own limitations while acknowledging the crucial role of his friends and family in shaping and loving the gay Catholic man he became." - Brian Linnane, America

"Unusual among today’s memoirs, this one is upbeat and generous spirited about its author’s early life and challenges. . . . The author’s compassionate spirit suffuses the text to such a degree that one hopes for a future continuation into his years as a professional historian. A warm, humane coming-of-age memoir. . . ." - Kirkus Reviews

"Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood concerns how an Italian boy abandoned thoughts of the priesthood to embrace his true identity."
  - Jeremiah Rood, Foreword

"D’Emilio’s youthful reminiscences make for a classic work of literature that deserves a wide readership. One hopes this memoir is only the first in a succession." (Starred Review) - David Azzolina, Library Journal