and scenes that aren’t in the
movie. I think [the movie] did just
right, a really good job, but there’s
really great stuff [in the book]
where the story just keeps on
going. I love that, as an unusual
pair in my mind: a book and a
movie that are very intertwined.The Book I Read in Secret as a Kid
This was very Berkeley-childhood:
There was a “free box” out in front
of a bookstore, and I just grabbed
a book from there when I was 12
or 13. It was about sex surrogates
for the disabled—where the only
way you could really have sex iswith a skilled professional who’d
be able to have sex with you. That
was like my porn! It was very erotic
to me. I don’t think I was fetishizing
it. These people really believed in
the healing power of sex. So it was
actually very positive, in terms of
giving me a lot of compassion for
different levels of ability.The Book That Opened My Mind
We were at a comic-book store
and I grabbed A Quick & Easy
Guide to They/Them Pronouns ( 3 ).
It’s a graphic comic. There’s one
part of the book where this cis-
gender man puts on his “hat of
ignorance.” This is a part my child
loves. I act it out, always miming
putting on the hat of ignorance.
We’re both laughing. But at the
same time, it’s fairly intense stuff
that we’re reading again and again.
It’s a perfect use of humor.The Last Book That Made Me Cry
I Am Jim Henson ( 4 ). The story
ends with the power of creativity.
And I was just in pieces. My child
is very used to this by now.My Literary Hero
Many, truthfully. But my friend
Sheila Heti. When we first met,
I hadn’t read her work. She gave
me How Should a Person Be? ( 5 ).
It’s one of the only times I’ve read
something and asked if I could
have the privilege of blurbing it.My Literary Crush
[The narrator of] Cleanness by
Garth Greenwell. This [interview]
is gay-romance-themed, clearly.
[Laughs] You just fall in love with
this person. He’s so open. More
open than you might be with your-
self about your own desires.My Favorite Book as a Child
It’s Mandy by Julie Andrews ( 1 ),
weirdly. I’m actually reading that to
my kid right now. I’m like, “Does this
hold up? Is this good writing?” I will
say, it’s not great writing! [Laughs]
It’s plain and simple, it does the job.
The story really still works for me.
It has this sort of darkness to it.A Movie Adaptation of a Book I Love
Call Me by Your Name ( 2 ). I saw
the movie and was like, “Oh my
God, that wasn’t enough!” So I got
the book. I’ll think about the movie,
because it really sticks with you,
and then I’ll drift over into the book1.2.3.4.5.With a new eponymous retrospectivebook, the award-winning author andKajillionaire director talks kid lit, queerromance, and more. � By David CanfieldBOOKS OF MY LIFEMiranda
JulyEW ● COM APRIL 2020 89JULY: CHRISTIAN MACDONALD/TRUNK ARCHIVE; CALL ME BY YOUR NAME: SAYOMBHU MUKDEEPROM/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS; HENSON: COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTIONAPRIL2020.BOOKS2.LO.C.indd 89 FINAL 3/3/20 10:15 AM