Jonathan Taylor’s new novel, The Rites of Passage is barely out and already getting rave reviews.
The Kirkus Review stated, “Jamie is thoughtful and highly sympathetic, and readers will be happy to follow him through the formative years of his youth. Taylor succeeds in capturing various moments (however painful or awkward) and revealing their importance.
Foreward Reviews stated: Jonathan A. Taylor’s The Rites of Passage is marketed as the first in a series of novels; it also ably stands on its own. The story follows Jamie Goldberg from elementary school to college, as he grows from an abused boy into a self- possessed young man. His life is a symphony of pain, humor, filth, and beauty as he struggles to come to terms with his identity in homophobic America … Such complexities, in their willingness to understand the world and its uncomfortable truths, are the hallmark of Taylor’s writing.
Six-time Emmy award-winning writer Patrick Mulcahey of The Bold and the Beautiful said: “The Rites of Passage’s main character Jamie Goldberg is like encountering a gay Portnoy’s Complaint, in its distinctive blend of Jewishness, sex, moral panic and maternal dominance.”
The Rites of Passage is meant to appeal and also provoke the LGBT, Jewish, Progressive, alternative sexuality, and the Arts-loving communities and is particularly relevant to a new generation of gender and sexuality-related issues for adults and young adults alike.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Jonathan Taylor is a writer and editor (living in San Francisco), with two published books and over seventy articles to his credit, mostly in the field of design. Jonathan was editor-in-chief, of Interactions magazine for four years. He is also a user experience designer working for companies such as Google, IBM and Nokia and a member Left Coast Writers, led by Linda Watanabe McFerrin.