Forty-Three Septembers: Essays

In this collection of 15 personal essays, Gomez writes from the perspective of a "middle aging" black lesbian comfortable with her past and uncertain of the future. She writes with unwavering love, warmth, and appreciation of family members, especially of her African American/Native American great-grandmother who raised her. Within the story of the interrelationships of family, Gomez interweaves African American history with the issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia among blacks and whites. In these discussions, Gomez delves astutely into the areas of literature, advertising, comedy, music, drama, religion, and politics.