Holding the Man

By Timothy Conigrave ,

Book cover of Holding the Man

Book description

From the land of Down Under comes this true story about a male high school drama student who falls in love with the captain of the football team. Winner of the United Nations Human Rights Award for Nonfiction, HOLDING THE MAN has been adapted into a play opening in America…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Holding the Man as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a classic of Australian literature, and for very good reason. Set during the AIDS epidemic in Australia in the late 1970s through to the early 90s, this memoir plunges us into the author’s life. We begin during his high school days—when he first notices his attraction to boys and starts sneaking out of the house to find ways to explore his sexuality—and follow him all the way through to his inevitably tragic death. It is a truly heartbreaking story, but incredibly life-affirming. An absolute must-read.

From Tobias' list on growing up gay in Australia.

If you love Holding the Man...

Ad

Book cover of The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change

The Beatles and the 1960s by Kenneth L. Campbell,

The Beatles are widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history and their career has been the subject of many biographies. Yet the band's historical significance has not received sustained academic treatment to date. In The Beatles and the 1960s, Kenneth L. Campbell uses The…

Want books like Holding the Man?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Holding the Man.

Browse books like Holding the Man

Book cover of The Boy from the Mish
Book cover of Invisible Boys
Book cover of Fourteen

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,360

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Holding the Man, you might also like...

Book cover of Me and The Times: My wild ride from elevator operator to New York Times editor, columnist, and change agent (1967-97)

Me and The Times by Robert W. Stock,

Me and The Times offers a fresh perspective on those pre-internet days when the Sunday sections of The New York Times shaped the country’s political and cultural conversation. Starting in 1967, Robert Stock edited seven of those sections over 30 years, innovating and troublemaking all the way.

His memoir is…

Book cover of The Pianist's Only Daughter: A Memoir

The Pianist's Only Daughter by Kathryn Betts Adams,

The Pianist's Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and heartbreaking exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family.

Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianist…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in gay men, HIV/AIDS, and Australia?

Gay Men 143 books
HIV/AIDS 72 books
Australia 350 books