Enjoying Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man, a memoir by Geoffrey Newman and out from River Grove Books:
Act I: Striving (1956-1964)
My French teacher at Calvin Coolidge Public High School in Washington, DC, made a troubling announcement on my first day of tenth grade. “Neither Black people nor Jews have the capability to master the French language,” he said. “So if you fall into either category, you must drop my class, as you are going to fail….”
In these opening lines of Better to Cry Now, Newman immediately paints for his reader the deeply troubling and prejudicial landscape he and his parents navigated in 1960s Washington, DC. Newman’s voice is powerful, vulnerable and unforgettable, sharing his experiences as a young Black student in a white school, a young independent man in a faith community and a talent in a complex entertainment industry. This book should be required reading for all educators. READ NOW
About Better to Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man
“Geoffrey Newman’s brave book is awe inspiring. He takes us on a treacherous journey of self-discovery, where he invites us into vivid scenes of joy, pain, sorrow, anger, love, disappointment, triumph, and redemption as he searches for identity….” —Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs, San Francisco Arts Commission
When schools first integrated in the 1950s, Geoffrey Newman became one of the few Black children in an all-white school. His teachers told him he was destined for failure, for no reason other than the color of his skin. Geoffrey Newman proved them all wrong.
Better to Cry Now chronicles Geoffrey’s road to success in arts education. In sharing his story, Geoffrey also shares the challenges of persevering despite racial prejudice and coming out to the world as a gay man in a loving, committed relationship. With this insightful memoir, Geoffrey shows us the grit and grace needed to forge our path, define our own success, and stay true to who we are. Read more here.
About Geoffrey Newman
Geoffrey Newman, PhD, is dean emeritus of the College of the Arts at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He was the first holder of the Owen Duston Distinguished Professorship from Wabash College in 1987 and received the prestigious Amoco Award for Theatrical Excellence from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in 1979. He helped establish the Department of Theater at Wabash College in 1970 and served on the faculty of the drama department from 1975 to 1986, during which time he was appointed chairman of drama (1982–1986). He then served as the founding dean of the College of Arts at Montclair State University from 1988 to 2011. He now resides in Palm Springs, California, with Ed, his husband and soulmate of forty-seven years. Newman is an WNBA Authentic Voices Fellow. Read more here.
About Openings
Openings is a recommendation column for Eckleburg readers, featuring fantastic books with fantastic openings, where readers first meet intriguing characters, settings and moments in which the mind can explore what is and what might be. Explore more great Openings with us at Eckleburg.
