In the UK Dustin Lance Black is best known for being the husband of Olympic diver and national treasure Tom Daley but anyone expecting this memoir to be an examination of their relationship is going to be disappointed. Tom barely features (although his importance in Black’s life is both acknowledged and shines through). The author who won an Oscar for his screenplay “Milk” in 2009 even pushes himself and his career left of centre as this memoir has a different principal character- his mother Rose Anne.
Dustin Lance Black Works. Film & television. Executive Producer, Writer, Director. MAMA’S BOY: A STORY FROM OUR AMERICAS (U.S COVER). Dustin Lance Black is a filmmaker and social activist, known for writing the Academy Award–winning screenplay of the Harvey Milk biopic Milk, and for his part in overturning California’s discriminatory Proposition 8. Dustin Lance Black grew up in the South, surrounded by stories that made people stronger. 7,637 Likes, 177 Comments - Dustin Lance Black (@dlanceblack) on Instagram: “I'm going on tour! Catch me coast to coast discussing Mama's Boy, sharing mine and my mom's story,”.
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Hers is a story of survival through sheer determination. She contracted polio as an infant and spent her whole childhood in hospitals, away from home, defying doctors and not allowing anything to limit her life choices. Medical opinion said childbirth would kill her yet she had three sons and Dustin (Lance to friends and family) certainly inherited similar drive. Mother found support in the strong community of the Mormon Church but by the age of six, young Lance knew his sexuality would cause a major conflict which he truly believed their relationship would never recover from.
The author’s drive led him to a highly promising film career and that Oscar for “Milk” (If you have never seen this film it is magnificent) yet he eschews this to devote time to activism, becoming one of the leading players in overturning California’s discriminatory gay marriage ruling, developing from a chronically shy, almost mute introverted child to speaking on huge public platforms and dealing with threats and bigotry.
Mama's Boy Dustin Lance Black
Mama's Boy Dustin Lance Black Review
But it is the relationship between mother and son which sparked a whole range of emotions in me – at times I felt tearful, angry, baffled, delighted the list goes on and this is why this book ticks every box for how a memoir should be written. Relationships are complex and this illustrates that perfectly. Time moves on and the boy turns into a man but there’s still the pull of family and mother and it is recorded in a strikingly honest way. If this was a novel I’d really be praising the author in his skill at getting us to really know the characters. I have read some memoirs with no great sense of even the person writing it but this is certainly not the case here.
I think it is hard for us Brits to understand the pull of religions like The Church Of The Latter Day Saints in parts of America and some of the workings of the US legal system seem bewildering but the rest of the world is now well used to being bewildered by America.
I thought this was a marvellous book, a little intense and very thorough but I would imagine that would match the nature of the author pretty well. It is written with great sensitivity and his desire to introduce his mother to the world demands a large readership. I don’t think this book has yet got the attention it deserves. Its nature suggests a lasting classic which should continue to inspire generations. It has been shortlisted for the Polari Prize (as have a number of the books I have read “”Life As A Unicorn” (retitled since I read it) and “The Confessions of Frannie Langton for first book awards and “This Brutal House” in the main category alongside this book). This is an award to celebrate the best in LGBTQ+ writings and “Mama’s Boy” would be a very deserving winner.
Mama’s Boy was published in 2019 by John Murray.