In the 1970s, thousands of young gay men flocked to San Francisco. Mark Abramson, author of the best-selling "Beach Reading" mystery series and the AIDS memoir "For My Brothers," was one of them. In a time and place where sex was free, drugs were cheap, and the driving disco beat felt like it would go on forever, he landed in the great gay Mecca fresh out of college, reconnected with his old friend, the writer John Preston and soon encountered such interesting people as Harvey Milk, Sylvester, Rock Hudson, Natalie Wood and Vincent Price. These are his raw, uncensored diaries.

Sex, Drugs & Disco: San Francisco Diaries from the Pre-AIDS Era

LGBTQ+ Books

Abramson, Mark

Biographies & Memoirs

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Mark Abramson was a bartender on Castro Street, Haight Street, and South of Market during the worst years of the AIDS crisis, roughly from 1984 to 1996 when new life-saving drugs came on the market. He was also involved in several of the major fundraising events of the times, from gay bars to the waterfront piers of San Francisco and theaters in between. For My Brothers is filled with true stories of encounters with Connie Francis, Johnnie Ray, and Christine Jorgensen, plus friendships with Al Parker, John Preston, and Sylvester and dozens of lesser known characters who deserve to be remembered.

For My Brothers: A Memoir

In this sequel to "Sex, Drugs & Disco," Mark Abramson's diaries begin on January 1, 1980 with optimism for the new decade. San Francisco was a beacon of freedom for gay men from around the world, and he was there to write down the details of most of his tricks, love affairs, and all the fleeting encounters in between. Like the denizens of pre-war Berlin, we were scarcely aware of how special were the times we lived in, nor that our hedonistic joy in the celebration of gay liberation would soon be cut short by the terrible scourge of AIDS.

More Sex, Drugs & Disco: San Francisco Diaries from the Pre-AIDS Era

"I think you should write a book about that trip you took to Europe when you were right out of high school, playing your saxophone with that band, you know?” It started out with that phone call from my mother on her death bed, or so she thought. It turned into a longer story about college, being different, trying to fit in, and slowly coming out, in more ways than one. Then it turned into a story about love and longing and finally leaving Minnesota for San Francisco. This didn’t exactly turn out to be the book my mother wanted me to write. If she were here to read it, she would say she was embarrassed because it was so dirty. I would tell her she was not the target audience and we would both have a laugh. I think she would still be proud of me and tell me, “Keep on writing, especially after I’m gone.” And I would promise her that I will.

Minnesota Boy: a memoir

Beach Reading

Literature & Fiction

Lethe Press

In this engaging prequel to Minnesota Boy, Mark Abramson's "coming out" memoir of his college years, he reaches further back in Farm Boy to write about growing up gay in rural America. Stories of farm life through blazing hot summers and icy winters are interspersed with old recipes and commentary on Minnesota foods. He explores his love of music and cooking as well as his earliest awakenings of his interest in other farm boys and yes, he really did raise a pet fox.

Farm Boy: A Memoir with Recipes

Independently published

The first book in an exciting mystery series!San Francisco has never been more romantic or adventuresome as portrayed by this debut novelist. A bit of magic and a lot of local lore makes for an exciting and fun read.Gay tourists are arriving in San Francisco by the planeload for the party of the decade at the Moscone Center, a tribute to a late disco star. On the same night as the dance festival, a infamous evangelist plans to bring his nationwide crusade against gay rights to the Civic Auditorium a few blocks away. Tim Snow finds himself caught in the middle when his activist friends plan a protest. For Tim, the fun and the intrigue are about to begin.

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Book 2 in the Beach Reading series. Tim Snow expected to show his visiting Aunt Ruth the wonders of San Francisco, but never expected one of the sights of the city would be the body of his ex-lover. A killer is on the loose in the Castro district. Meanwhile, Tim's cadre of quirky friends and neighbors makes life all the more interesting with their drama of weddings and lost (and found) loves. Cold Serial Murder continues the story of one of the Castro's most adorable characters. Can Tim and his Aunt uncover who the killer is before it's too late?

Cold Serial Murder (Beach Reading)

When San Francisco's cattiest television personality Rosa Rivera sponsors a gay wedding contest, Tim Snow's boyfriend begins pressuring him to get hitched. Life for his friends in the Castro becomes comic and chaotic as the lavish ceremony is promised to be held at the restaurant where Tim works. Meanwhile, his beloved Aunt Ruth has been harboring a homeless woman. Is she protecting her nephew from some family secret? As the city's golden boys walk about shirtless in dapper collar n' cuffs with the annual Gay Pride Parade, the drama and the laughs intensify. Will Rosa's meltdown bring the parade to a standstill? Who is being sent to a ritzy detox center? Only San Francisco Chronicle best-selling author Mark Abramson could tell such a captivating story with shares of both delight and intrigue.

Wedding Season (Beach Reading)

Love Rules (Beach Reading)

Literary

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Abramson, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Abramson, Mark

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Abramson, Mark. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Sex, Drugs & Disco: San Francisco Diaries from the Pre-AIDS Era

For My Brothers: A Memoir

More Sex, Drugs & Disco: San Francisco Diaries from the Pre-AIDS Era

Minnesota Boy: a memoir

Beach Reading

Farm Boy: A Memoir with Recipes

Beach Reading

Cold Serial Murder (Beach Reading)

Wedding Season (Beach Reading)

Love Rules (Beach Reading)