Bookshelf

Old, Gay and Fabulous

First time author Ken Sofronski’s Old, Gay and Fabulous
(CreateSpace, $12.99) isn’t much to look at — the self-published vibe might
turn off some buyers — but readers who delve into the book won’t be
disappointed. The 73-year-old Sofronkski is a New York-based court reporter and
actor who appeared in Julie & Julia
and Mean Streets and his debut
memoir offers an engaging and witty look at gay life over several decades from
the Stonewall Riots to Bette Midler’s debut at the Continental Baths to
escaping death on 9/11. Most interesting, though, is the authors accounts of
his mother, an out and proud butch lesbian, who worked at a Coatesville,
Pennsylvania factory making springs for car seats. — Diane
Anderson-Minshall