"Sometimes it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes, as in our case, that village looks more like The Village People. And sometimes, it is not the village that raises the child, but the child that raises the village ... often to heights they never imagined." With these words, Gene Poole-Hall takes us on another wonderful journey to show us that the love we have for one another is the most beautiful expression of who and what we are, whether it is expressed between or within genders, generations, or the rainbow of races and creeds that comprise the human experience. He reminds us that the important thing is not who we love, but that we love; and that a true family is a creation, whether we are born or evolve into it. In this sequel to Normal?, Stephen J. Mulrooney shows us again that when it comes to the trials and tribulations of growing up, infatuation and love, the experience for us all is the same, no matter where we stand in the spectrum of the human rainbow. Normal Too? begins with a simple trip by Gene's brother Robbie to New York City to celebrate his brother's birthday. On his return from a memorable celebration, Robbie encounters a young runaway in Grand Central Station. The boy looked hungry and in need of help. Robbie, being Robbie, was hungry to help. The exchange between these two seemingly very different characters will have a profound effect on their lives, and the lives of Robbie's entire extended family. The young boy, Chris, arrives at the family home weighed down with more baggage than the few possessions he is carrying. His fears and secrecy belie an otherwise compelling nature. In Robbie's words, "this boy is a lot like an onion, and there are bound to be tears behind the peels." What follows is a story that grows and evolves in love, as the story of every loving family must; and illustrates that when it comes to family, "at the heart of the matter, it is the heart that matters most." Chris's introduction to a predominately gay extended family that includes a few retired drag queens, and even a straight rabbi, is not an easy one for a rural southern orphan. The boy has never experienced anyone or anything like what he's about to. But as his preconceived notions, fears, and the story of his life begin to peel in one adventure after another, what unfolds is one of the most beautiful stories of love and family you will ever read.
