Lies About My Family

"The tales in this book, replete with conflicting versions and impeccable comic timing, have clearly been refined over multiple generations. Hoffman is at her hilarious best. Who would have thought that a memoir about a functional family could be so wrenching, and so hysterically funny?—Alison Bechdel, author of Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama

"An all-American coming-of-age story about a nice Jewish lesbian and her large family. Amy Hoffman's wise memoir embraces three generations and the 'lies' (mostly true) they tell about themselves and each other."—Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent

"Lies About My Family is a marvelous, wonderful memoir. Hoffman has a way of depicting people and their foibles, strengths and courage and also what she perceives as their failures, but it is without rancor. There are no axes to grind here. The memoir is neither harsh nor pretentious. It simply is."—Bettina Aptheker, author of Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for Free Speech, and Became a Feminist Rebel

"Lies About My Family, by turns sorrowful and hilarious, is a hugely satisfying read, full of detail and dialogue, a solid memoir of a flesh and blood American family, the Hoffman family."—Kate Clinton, author of Don't Get Me Started

"As double minorities, Jewish members of the LGBT community often have to deal with alienation and reconciliation. . . . In many families, Zionism plays a big role and sexuality is rarely, if ever, discussed. It is only natural for a queer child to move away from the center of the family and feel unaccepted even if this is not the case. Hoffman's parents did change the way that they felt and now the family is whole once again. . . . I found the descriptions of the family members to be glorious--Hoffman does not hold back and shared the good and the bad, the success and the failures. We laugh, we cry but above all else, we enjoy."—Reviews by Amos Lassen

"Of how [Hoffman] came to terms with her conflicts and found life, Lies About My Family is an enticing breakdown on the impact of family on our lives."—Midwest Book Review

"There are in this slender volume some wonderful stories, sure to resonate with almost anyone who is a second- or third-generation American."—The Gay Lesbian Review