Love & Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford

Sam and Linda, a random phone prank call he makes one night who he finds himself becoming deeply connected to, also talk about the songs she is writing. His father also conveys his emotions through the music he is listening to. As well, music comes into play with his father, as their tether to each other. Through these notes we get a sense of how Sam sees himself or how he hopes to remember his mother through her deep thoughts about what certain songs mean or what artists meant by their albums, music, lyrics.

Switching from one meaningful moment to another, with handwriting on liners, or on notes shoved into the album, by Sam's missing mother Ilona. I loved that Sam connected to his mother through their shared love of music, her albums being the background to the story. There were poems, lyrics, and notes throughout the book. This book was full of funny moments, sad moments and endearing moments. I can only hope I opened my own mind enough. There were quite a few moments where I cringed but then I realized that this was how teenagers learn, how they develop, how they become better than the generations before them.

As he educates himself, the reader also learns about gender, sex and who we are as individuals versus who society wants us to be or the mold that many want us to conform ourselves to. He knows who he is, but is constantly surprised by how little he knows about other members of the LGBTQ community. Sam asks all the questions we have all faced about identity.

Love & Other Curses by Michael Thomas Ford