Debut: Chicago, 1952

About the Book

Against a background of illegal gay bars and varied people who patronized them, we see the double life gays led during the closeted 1950s.

Louie, after his first sexual experience, moves to Chicago to be with Joey, the factory worker who “brought him out.”

Joey, reluctant to be involved, encourages Louie to restrict gay life to nighttime and weekends while appearing straight at work or with one’s family and straight friends. Later their pretended “buddy-buddy friendship” is further complicated when the two jointly undertake the care of Joey’s mother, who is dying of cancer.

Chicago, during the closeted 1950s, when even the meaning of the word “GAY” took a divergent path.


Book Reviews

"Beautifully rendered semi-autobiographical fiction that sheds light on a little-studied era in American cultural history, and a very plausible picture of pre-gay rights America during the age of Eisenhower. DEBUT is not only the story of a life, but a valuable cross-section of gay culture in pre-Stonewall Chicago. Holland's prose is admirably unpretentious, and he has a journalist's eye for detail. He keeps a respectful distance from his characters and tells their stories -- and his, for that matter -- with objectivity and grace. This perfect balance allows him to avoid coming off as either hyper clinical or melodramatic. While the literary landscape of the book is home to more than a few eccentric figures, the author's tack keeps them from ever turning into camp stereotypes.
A gorgeous near-memoir."

--Kirkus Discoveries

About the Author

Mr. Holland has had short stories published by Pleiades, Oyez Review, Pangolin Papers, The MacGuffin, The Iconoclast, Phantasmagoria, The Amherst Review, Cicada, The Threshold, Satire, The Vincent Brothers Review, Karamu, Oasis, The Edge, Kit-Kat Review, Sidewalks, Perceptions, Cream Drops, Art: Mag and After Hours; poetry in Home Planet News and Mediphors; and an article in Film Comment.