Logical Family

A Memoir

By: Armistead Maupin

Narrated by: Armistead Maupin

In this long-awaited memoir, the beloved author of the best-selling Tales of the City series chronicles his odyssey from the old South to freewheeling San Francisco and his evolution from curious youth to groundbreaking writer and gay rights pioneer. Also included is an exclusive conversation between Maupin and best-selling author Neil Gaiman.

Born in the mid-20th century and raised in the heart of conservative North Carolina, Armistead Maupin lost his virginity to another man "on the very spot where the first shots of the Civil War were fired". Realizing that the South was too small for him, this son of a traditional lawyer packed his earthly belongings into his Opel GT (including a beloved portrait of a Confederate ancestor) and took to the road in search of adventure. It was a journey that would lead him from a homoerotic Navy initiation ceremony in the jungles of Vietnam to that strangest of strange lands: San Francisco in the early 1970s.

Reflecting on the profound impact those closest to him have had on his life, Maupin shares his candid search for his "logical family", the people he could call his own. "Sooner or later, we have to venture beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us," he writes. "We have to, if we are to live without squandering our lives." From his loving relationship with his palm-reading Grannie who insisted Maupin was the reincarnation of her artistic bachelor cousin, Curtis, to an awkward conversation about girls with President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office, Maupin tells of the extraordinary individuals and situations that shaped him into one of the most influential writers of the last century.

Maupin recalls his losses and life-changing experiences with humor and unflinching honesty and brings to life flesh-and-blood characters as endearing and unforgettable as the vivid, fraught men and women who populate his enchanting novels. What emerges is an illuminating portrait of the man who depicted the liberation and evolution of America's queer community over the last four decades with honesty and compassion - and inspired millions to claim their own lives.

©2017 Literary Bent, LLC (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"A book for any of us, gay or straight, who have had to find our family. Maupin is one of America's finest storytellers, and the story of his life is a story as fascinating, as delightful and as compulsive as any of the tales he has made up for us." (Neil Gaiman)

"I fell in love with Maupin's effervescent Tales of the City decades ago, and his genius turn at memoir is no less compelling. Logical Family is a must read." (Mary Karr)

Well written, like his novels.

I was the classic "Mary Ann Singleton" at the time Maupin was writing his Tales of the City daily column. In the early 1970's I was reading it every morning while riding the #41 Union bus from my Pacific Heights studio apartment to my administrative insurance job in the Embarcadero Center. I was raised in a similar background to Maupin on the East Coast. So I thoroughly related to his real life, and to his literary character, while reading this book. Like Mary Ann, I learned about gay life, pot, AIDS and more through his column, NOT experience. I enjoyed the honesty with which this book was written.

A gem of a memoir

In the late 70's, I wanted nothing more than to move to San Francisco . Armistead Maupin's books gave me a familiarity with The City that eased the transition when I finally arrived in 1980.
Logical Family filled in some of the back story, and allowed me to relive some of my own early adventures.
Simply splendid on many levels!

Ends Abruptly

I've read all of Armistead Maupin's books over the years, enjoying some much more than others, finding some absolutely delightful, and some wildly uneven. This account of the author's life kept my attention, and introduced me to a side of his early life I could barely imagine given the difference in our ages, but it glosses over areas of his life I know about, relationships, and events, and then (worse) comes to an abrupt halt with an account of his last meeting with his father. It literally ended (with years and years uncovered) and then said "Epilogue," at which point Maupin read his famous coming out letter for Michael Toliver, and then an interview followed with Neil Gaiman.

What's the rush? I would have much preferred the author was thorough and didn't gloss over so much of his story, and all I can think is he and his publisher are leaving room for a followup.

I was satisfied with the content, but disappointed with the abrupt end to it, and overall I was left disappointed.

Personal, sad, funny, and insightful.

I was far more familiar with Armistead Maupin’s books than the man himself. I can no longer say that.

In his 72 and a half years the author packed a great deal of living into his life, and shares much of it with us in this book. For me the most fascinating part of the memoir is the transformation from what he started out to be, into what he eventually became. It, shall we say, was an uncommon journey.

His spent essentially the first third of his life trying to make his father proud of him. These years led him to work for ultra conservative causes, join the military, go to Vietnam, and become involved with a number of people, including Jesse Helms, that ultimately spent their lives fighting against, what Maupin would spend the remainder of his life fighting for...LGBT rights and causes.

He didn’t come out to his parents until he was 32. Both of his parents struggled with this knowledge, especially his father, and this leads to the title of the book....the Logical Family he found for himself in the Gay Community, vs the biological family he came from. But make no mistake...Maupin dearly loved his parents and his two grandmothers.

I think this memoir is for more than just us fans of his Tales in the City books. I think anyone who is the lone liberal in a family of conservatives, anyone who has lived in San Francisco, anyone interested in the evolution of Gay Culture, and anyone trying to break free of the world’s expectations of them and come into their own...this is a book for you.

Maupin makes me think a bit of Forest Gump...he was in so many pivotal places in history, and came into contact with so many iconic people....from Harvey Milk to Nixon, from Rock Hudson to Jesse Helms. He grew up in North Carolina, in the pre civil rights days, he’s lived in New York, and has been in San Francisco since the bathhouse days, through the AIDS crisis, all the way through now when wide spread gentrification has made it impossible for the quirky low income folk to live on the same block as the society folk as it was in the 1970s and as it was depicted in the Tales series.

He has seen eras, and so many people, come and go. And he tells the story of all this with his unique insight from having been on both sides of it...the conservative and the liberal.

At the end of the recording is an interview of the author by Neil Gaiman. It starts out really slow when Gaiman asks him questions that were already answered in the book. But Gaiman finds his footing and the conversation between the two writers becomes both quite interesting and quite touching.

Enjoyable

Love learning about our history through the eyes of someone who lived it. Very enjoyable and I encourage all to read/listen

Thank you for the title, Mr. Maupin

"Tales of the City" was the first series my now-husband and I watched together. Andee brought out the first few seasons, knowing that I'd love it. We bought the videos he didn't have, and watched them all. I started reading the books. Eleven years later, I've gotten the first two on audio CD to begin enjoying all over again.
I named my car Maddy after Mrs. Madrigal. I think I fell in love with Anna when she talked about logical families. Her edit of the word "biological" succinctly sums up the reality that DNA in and of itself doesn't necessarily make a family.
When I crossed paths with Armistead Maupin's autobiography, I pounced upon it.
Getting to know young Armistead, wishing I was his intimate and could call him Teddy, and travelling through his life with him, I wanted to be his friend, even finding myself jealous of his friends.
His narration and narrative bring the listener into his world. Often funny, sometimes sad, and always real, "Logical Family" shares many of the comings of age that Armistead Maupin has reached, passed, and surpassed. I didn't want the book to end for any reason other than wanting to share a review.
(And how cool is it that Neil Gaiman interviewed him at the end?)
His imagination, ways with words, winsome personality, and solid upbringing have made Armistead Maupin the man, and the writer, that he is. I enjoyed his own story as much as I do the stories he's told. I'm sorry that he didn't have the older mentor he wished he'd had, but am glad that men like him have mentored other men because that, my fellow readers, helps to make our world a more loving place.

A child of the South

The growth of the writer and the description of a WASP childhood and youth in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

Mr. Maupin can tell a story!

Mr. Maupin is a talented author who can make a story seem deceptively breezy and fun. But there's so much warmth, wit and wisdom in everything he does. There's also plenty of edge and a touch of playful wickedness. I loved hearing about what went into the making of the author of the exceptional "Tales of the City" series. Not only is Mr. Maupin brilliant at crafting a story, he's brilliant at telling a story. He's a great narrator with just enough theatricality and a voice that feels like sharing a cozy blanket with an old friend.

Great memoir, so glad I met you Armistead

I read Logical Family for book group and had no idea who Armistead Maupin was... but now I’ll never forget him. Great writer, very interesting life, touching reflections throughout. I highly recommend listening to Armistead’s Reading of his memoir, ending with a great interview.

Wonderful!

I have loved his work, but did not realize what an incredibly interesting person he is. Thank you, sir!