• Letters from CAMP Rehoboth
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Advertising Information
    • Where Can I Get Letters?
    • The Write Stuff
  • Events
    • Block Party 2023
    • SUNFESTIVAL 2023
    • Women's FEST
    • CAMP Rehoboth Chorus Ensemble - Music of the Night
  • Programs
    • Arts & Culture
    • Education & Advocacy
    • Health & Wellness
    • Community Building
    • CAMP Facilities
  • About Us
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
    • Board of Directors
    • CAMP Rehoboth Staff
    • Reports and Financials
    • History
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Press
  • Resources
    • Beach Guide Directory
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Providers
    • LGBTQ Delaware Data
    • Trans & Nonbinary Resources
    • BIPOC LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Local and National Resources Guide
  • Contact
  • Shop
close× Call Us 302-227-5620
close×

Search form

GA4 Tracking Code

June 1, 2012 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer

My Two Moms
by Zach Wahls with Bruce Littlefield
c.2012, Gotham Books
$26; 234 pages

I’m not gay...but I have two Moms

A white house with a picket fence.

Yes, it sounds trite but that’s what you’ve always wanted. Ever since you watched those old reruns on TV—the ones from the ‘50s where the father wears a hat every day—you dreamed of coming home to the smell of cookies baking, a houseful of family, and toys on the sidewalk.
Oh, and that picket fence. For some reason, that’s an important detail.

For author Zach Wahls, the word “family” has similar meaning with a different normal, and a picket has nothing to do with a fence. In his new book My Two Moms, he explains.

From the moment he was conceived, Zach Wahls was a member of an unusual family.

His mother, Terry, was an unmarried internal medicine physician at a Wisconsin hospital when she decided she was ready for children—but first, she had to convince IVF doctors to do the procedure because they said they did not “do” illegitimate children.

A few years later, she had the procedure again using the same donor and gave her son a biological sister because a family was what Terry always wanted. It was icing on the cake when Terry met Jackie and they fell in love.

For most of his early childhood, Zach Wahls didn’t think much about the fact that he had “two moms.” It was no big deal to other kids, so it was no big deal to him. When the family moved to Iowa to live closer to Terry’s mother, though, Wahls encountered teasing and bullying.

But his mothers had raised him with good values and they instilled a sense of character in their son. They taught him that boys and girls are equal but different and that there is no “better” gender. They showed him that the world is “rarely black and white.” He learned that words can hurt, and so can being told that you have no rights.

From his “short mom,” he learned the meaning of commitment and loyalty. His “tall mom” taught him cheerfulness. And when Zach Wahls was asked to testify in front of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee, both moms’ lessons of bravery were evident.

Looking for a book that will warm your heart and make you proud of young men like this? My Two Moms will do the trick, but…

Author Zach Wahls (with Bruce Littlefield) bounces from thought to thought in this memoir, giving us half a story here, half there, and something completely different in between. That’s appealing, in an eager-puppy sort of way, but this literary spill makes a mess sometimes.

Still, Wahls’ main message boldly holds this book together and overcomes the chaos to shine through. Love is love is love, he shows his readers, and gender doesn’t make any difference. Gender is not what makes a family.

In his book, Wahls asks, in many ways, “What’s the big deal?” and I think the answer lies in his story. If you’ve been asking the same question, look for My Two Moms and picket up.

Email Terri Schlichenmeyer

‹ June 1, 2012 - Before the Beach by Bob Yesbek up June 1, 2012 - Volunteer Spotlight by Chris Beagle ›

Past Issues

Issues Index

  • February 3, 2012 - Issue Index
  • March 9, 2012 - Issue Index
  • April 6, 2012 - Issue Index
  • May 4, 2012 - Issue Index
  • May 18, 2012 - Issue Index
  • June 1, 2012 - Issue Index
    • June 1, 2012 - Acknowledgments
    • June 1, 2012 - The Way I See It by Steve Elkins
    • June 1, 2012 - Speak Out - Letters To Letters
    • June 1, 2012 - In Brief
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMPmatters by Murray Archibald
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMP Out by Fay Jacobs
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMP Stories by Rich Barnett
    • June 1, 2012 - View Point by Richard Rosendall
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMP Talk by Bill Sievert
    • June 1, 2012 - Before the Beach by Bob Yesbek
    • June 1, 2012 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer
    • June 1, 2012 - Volunteer Spotlight by Chris Beagle
    • June 1, 2012 -Volunteer Thank You
    • June 1, 2012 - High CAMP by Brent Mundt
    • June 1, 2012 - Eating Out by Fay Jacobs
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMPshots Gallery Index
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMP Arts by Doug Yetter
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMPsafe by Salvatore Seeley
    • June 1, 2012 - The Outfield by Dan Woog
    • June 1, 2012 - CAMPdates
    • June 1, 2012 - Ask the Doctor by Michael J. Hurd, Ph.D.
    • June 1, 2012 - Gray and Gay by John D. Siegfried
    • June 1, 2012 - Buzz Worthy by Deb Griffin
  • June 15, 2012 - Issue Index
  • June 29, 2012 - Issue Index
  • July 13, 2012 - Issue Index
  • July 27, 2012 - Issue Index
  • August 10, 2012 - Issue Index
  • August 24, 2012 - Issue Index
  • September 14, 2012 - Issue Index
  • October 12, 2012 - Issue Index
  • November 16, 2012 - Issue Index

Follow Us

Follow us on Social Media!

RECEIVE WEEKLY EMAIL

Information

  • Letters
  • Events
  • About Us
  • CAMP Center

Support CAMP

  • CAMP Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Copyright © CAMP Rehoboth, 2023
  • p. 302-227-5620
  • info@camprehoboth.com
  • 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971