The first thing that struck me about this book is the conversational writing style Cleve Jones uses. The story immediately became personal, the way that you become involved in a story a friend is telling you - complete with side-comments that don't so much make a point as remind you that they're sitting with you NOW, looking back at the story together.

It is a powerful piece of writing and an eye-opening glimpse at history that isn't as distant (in terms of time, or place, or personal experience) from us as some of us may think. While I don't know that I would necessarily get long with, or even particularly like, the author if I met him - it makes his struggle very real and understandable and very heavily underscores the idea that we don't have to like someone, or agree with their beliefs or their lifestyle, to still see them as valuable and worthy of the same chance at happiness and life as anyone else.