 |
Fumbling Toward Divinity: The Adoption Scriptures" is a
stunning new adoption reunion memoir by Craig Hickman, black gay
performance artist, Harvard grad, "Never Met Picasso" film
actor, and bestselling author of "Rituals: Poetry &
Prose."
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 15, 2005 -- Craig Hickman had had
enough of the secrets and cover-ups and lies and was determined to
solve the mystery of his roots. In "Fumbling Toward Divinity:
The Adoption Scriptures" (Annabessacook Farm Hardcover;
February 14, 2005; $27.95; Amazon.com), he chronicles his quest for
his birth heritage and the aftermath in a one-of-a-kind, ambitious,
and stunning new memoir.
An estimated 7 million Americans are adopted. Depending on their
age, many were adopted under the secrecy and shame of the closed
adoption proceedings that ruled the day prior to the eighties.
Unwanted pregnancies were covered up. Public and private agencies
practically guaranteed young mothers and their families that they
could go to their graves with their secrets intact. No one would
ever find out who they were, least of all the children they were
giving away. Adoptive parents got little, misleading, or no
information about the circumstances surrounding their adopted
child’s birth.
Imagine growing up and having to witness your doctor mark large
black X’s through your medical file under the family history
section because you have no idea what conditions or diseases run in
your bloodline. Imagine living most of your life without ever seeing
anyone who looked like you. Imagine that when you are finally old
enough to get some information about where you came from, your file
resembles a classified FBI document littered with long black streaks
that render your born identity anonymous.
At thirty-three, Craig heeds the signs of his life and journeys into
uncharted waters. After five years of searching, he shows up
unannounced on his birth mother’s doorstep. Craig’s parents and
sister are supportive of his search, as is Job, the Dutchman with
whom Craig has shared the last four years of his life. Jennifer, a
devout Seventh-Day Adventist, happy that her son has found her,
attempts to allay her guilt and shame for giving him up and tries to
make up for lost time. After all, she believes her son loves men
because she abandoned him at birth.
Borrowing from ancient oral traditions, the story is told primarily
in the third person whereby the telling of the story becomes part of
the story itself. Set primarily in Milwaukee and Boston—with stops
in Atlanta, St. Louis, Alabama, Maine, Ohio, and Wyoming—and
peopled with unforgettable characters, Fumbling Toward Divinity
weaves together several compelling lives and relationships in an
unputdownable read. From the opening pages to the poignant
conclusion, Craig Hickman re-invents the memoir and proves himself a
master storyteller.
Part mystery, part history, part family saga, part divination—all
of it true—Fumbling Toward Divinity bears witness to the
transcendent power of spirit and love in an age of terror and
madness.
“Craig Hickman’s writing and performance is the highest artistic
expression of drag in history,” says Leslie Feinberg, author of
Transgender Warriors and Stone Butch Blues. “Hickman’s work is
celebratory, jolting, instructive and necessary,” writes the
Boston Globe.
About the Author
Craig Hickman is a poet, performance artist, cultural activist, and
author of The Language of Mirrors and the bestseller "Rituals:
Poetry & Prose." He is the biological great grandson of
Madree Penn White, national co-founder of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard
University. He is a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council
Artist Grant, a James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement from
the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance, and a Gertrude
Johnson Williams Literary Award from Ebony magazine. His solo
performances, "skin & ornaments" and "Portraits
of a Black Queen," have been staged all over the country. He
appeared as himself in the feature film "Never Met
Picasso," starring Alexis Arquette and Margot Kidder. His
writings have appeared in "Gents, Bad Boys, and
Barbarians," "Transgender Warriors," "Trans
Liberation," "Taking Liberties," and "O Solo
Homo," as well as numerous literary journals and newspapers. He
lives in Maine. Visit http://hometown.aol.com/craighickman.
Fumbling Toward Divinity: The Adoption Scriptures
by Craig Hickman
Annabessacook Farm Hardcover
Publication Date: February 14, 2005
$27.95
373 pages
ISBN 0-9764262-0-1
Available at Amazon.com and http://hometown.aol.com/abcfarmbooks/
|
|
