Jake Shears, Author of Boys Keep Swinging

The Total Tutor Neil Haley will interview Jake Shears, Author of Boys Keep Swinging.

   A vibrant coming-of-age story told with sharp insight and self-aware wit, BOYS KEEP SWINGING (Atria; February 20, 2018; $26.00) is a fiercely candid memoir from Jake Shears, lead singer of the iconic glam rock bank Scissor Sisters. A trailblazing downtown band embraced by the LGBTQ community, Scissor Sisters would become an international, platinum-selling sensation, making Shears a star in his own right. But before his personal transformation, Shears was Jason Sellards, a misfit growing up gay in the less-evolved America of the 1980s and 90s.

            Sellards grew up in Mesa, Arizona and San Juan Island, Washington, the only child of a second marriage. His parents were largely accepting, or at least tolerant, of his idiosyncratic approach to life—a need to be liked that manifested itself in a desire to perform coupled with a bravely flamboyant sense of style. In school he was often the odd man out, embracing his differences even when that daring act resulted in social isolation or bullying. His struggle was not so much with being gay as with figuring out how to be gay amid the fear and loathing of the AIDS era. His youthful sexual exploration was somewhat restrained, though marked by occasional poor choices. His friendships, honest and devoted, were often with other perceived outcasts.