Coming out is not coming of age: that is Jamie's first lesson, which is so painful that sometimes he can't stop laughing. Jamie Goldberg suspects his homosexuality at an early age and manages to hide it from his homophobic ’80’s Detroit Community; his Jewish political activist parents; and even from himself until his rape, at the hands of a male prostitute, at the age of 15. Profoundly ashamed, he hides in two worlds one is a beautiful cocoon spun from music, art, theater and literature, another is darker with a sado-masochistic desire to obliterate his sexuality. His elaborate fantasies are no match for real life or his true affections, which blossom in spite of his constant attempts to thwart them. When his carefully constructed imaginary world begins to crumble, Jamie must face his demons, both real and invented, discovering in the end that personal discovery comes at a very high price.
About the series: The Goldberg Variations is meant to appeal and also provoke the LGBT, Jewish, Midwestern, Liberal, and the Arts-loving communities and is particularly relevant to a new generation of gender and sexuality related options.
The Rites of Passage is already drawing rave reviews:
“The Rites of Passage is like encountering a gay Portnoy’s Complaint in its distinctive blend of Jewish-ness, sex, moral panic, and maternal dominance." Seven time Emmy award winning writer Patrick Mulcahey.
“Jonathan A. Taylor’s The Rites of Passage is marketed as the first in a series of novels; it also ably stands on its own. The story follows Jamie Goldberg from elementary school to college, as he grows from an abused boy into a self- possessed young man. His life is a symphony of pain, humor, filth, and beauty as he struggles to come to terms with his identity in homophobic America.” Foreward ReviewsJamie Goldberg suspects his homosexuality at an early age. He manages to hide it from his homophobic Seventies Detroit community, his Jewish political activist parents, and even from himself until his rape, at the hands of a male prostitute, at the age of 16. Profoundly ashamed, he hides in two worlds. One world is an intellectual cocoon spun from music, art, theater, and literature. The other is a darker world where sadomasochistic desires attempt to obliterate his sexuality. His elaborate fantasies are no match for real life or his true affections, which blossom in spite of his constant attempts to thwart them. When his carefully constructed imaginary world begins to crumble, Jamie must face his demons, both real and invented, then the emotional sparks fly.
“When I read the searing tale of Jamie’s journey from childhood through adolescence and young adulthood, I lived it as if it were my own. It chronicles his anguish as he finds himself on the outside, increasingly isolated from family, school and college, his coming to terms with transgressive fantasies and his authentic self …” Kunal Mukherjee, author of My Magical Palace
“Reading The Rites of Passage reminded me of the fragile time in one’s youth when one may or may not mistakenly believe that all information is somehow related to one’s self. So, rather irrationally and hilariously, I started to assume the book was about me …” Rene Capone, gay figure painter and author of many graphic novels including The Legend of Hedgehog Boy
Jonathan A. Taylor is a San Francisco based writer and designer. He is a leading User Experience designer and has worked in the past for such companies as Google, Nokia, as well for a Dutch Design bureau, Stroomt. Jonathan has published two books on software design. Presently he is working on a series of books under the title of The Goldberg Variations. This series follows its main character on a journey of self-discovery through error and mistakes then through forgiveness and redemption. This journey takes him to many places around the world and meeting a quirky cast of characters along the path to his own surprising quirky self-discoveries. The Rites of Passage is the first volume of this project is already completed. Jonathan’s passions include theater, opera, travel, social justice, and cooking. And all of these passions figure prominently into his writing. A leader in the community of alternative sexuality, he is the title holder of the 2013 International Master/slave education title along with his life partner Morris Taylor. The Goldberg Variations: The Rites of Passage is his first works of fiction.
