After the Moment
Page 19
I am indebted to my editor, Julia Richardson (a.k.a. Julia Whom We Love). Her comments and suggestions were offered with humor and thoughtful care. Everyone should be on the receiving end of such a warm intelligence. Robin Rue, Betsy Groban, and Sharyn November helped me navigate while I wrote the manuscript.
Before approaching the story of a young man's first love, I looked for books that would deepen my understanding of coming of age from a male perspective. Amos Oz's memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, and the opening section of Orhan Pamuk's memoir, Istanbul, reminded me that male adolescence is far more thoughtful than often depicted. Peter Behrens's novel The Law of Dreams expanded my understanding of narratives in which the main character is a young man. Ten years ago, the writer Stan Burns let me read a draft of his book on men in America. His death prevented the work's completion, but it—and he—have shaped my thoughts in more ways than I know.
Many of my female friends asked their husbands, sons, and boyfriends to speak to me about their memories and experience of young love (and sex). I will be forever thankful to each for his time and trust. My male friends were less anxious to have me probe into their past, and I am, in retrospect, grateful for that as well.
Polly Milius and Tara Weyr gave me comfort, encouragement, and quiet places to write. My husband and my father read drafts whenever I asked; both, in separate ways, have made my career possible, and what I owe them is beyond measure.