''Daddy's Roommate'' is a
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
written by
Michael Willhoite and published by
Alyson Books
Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "th ...
in 1990.
One of the first children's books to address the subject of homosexuality, the story follows a young boy whose
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d father now lives with his
life partner
The term significant other (SO) has different uses in psychology and in colloquial language. Colloquially, "significant other" is used as a gender-neutral term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming ...
. The book's depiction of a gay household has led to its inclusion in many educational programs, and Willhoite's work was awarded a
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...
in 1991.
Due to the book's intended audience and the controversial topic of gay relationships, there have been numerous attempts to remove it from schools and libraries. Because of these attempts, it was the second-most
challenged book in the United States from 1990 to 1999.
Summary
The main character, who narrates the story, is a young boy whose parents were divorced the previous year. Living separately with both his mother and his father, the boy discovers that his father has a new roommate named Frank. He observes that his father and Frank do many activities together, including working, eating, sleeping, and occasionally even fighting. Additionally, the boy accompanies his father and Frank on multiple excursions, including trips to the zoo, beach, and a baseball game. The boy enjoys when Frank plays with him, cooks for him, and reads to him. When he asks his mother about his dad and his roommate, his mother explains that they are gay. When the boy is confused, his mother elaborates that the boy's dad and Frank partake in many of the same activities that other couples do, and that being gay is just another form of love. The story concludes with the boy's acknowledgement that since all of his parents are happy, he is happy too.
Genre
This is a short
picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
recommended for children between 2–8 years old.
[Roback, Diane, and Richard Donahue. "Daddy's Roommate." ''Publishers Weekly'', 7 Dec. 1990, p. 80. ''Literature Resource Center.''] The illustrations are full-page
watercolor painting
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...
s, with single-line text below. The book has been credited as having simple language and descriptive artwork that makes it easily accessible for young readers.
Reception
Awards
Under the Gay Men's Small Press category, Willhoites won a Lambda Literary Analysis award in 1991 following the book's release.
Additionally, the book was honored by the Cooperative Children's Book Center's ''CCBC Choices'' list of best books in 2009 for its foundational role in gay literature.
Reviews
During the early 1990s, ''Daddy's Roommate'' was added to many public libraries following positive reviews in ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' and ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
''.
[Spence, Alex. “Controversial Books in the Public Library: A Comparative Survey of Holdings of Gay-Related Children's Picture Books.” ''The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy'', vol. 70, no. 3, 2000, pp. 335–379. JSTOR.] ''Publishers Weekly'' praised the book for raising public awareness for the lack of children's literature acknowledging homosexual relationships.
Furthermore, both reviews commended the book for its charming and familiar illustrations that enable children to feel comfortable and ask questions about the book.
Additionally, the book also received positive reviews from the ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
'' and the ''
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne (Graduate Library School, University of Chicago).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. Ch ...
'' for its addressing and handling of living with two fathers.
However, both evaluations noted that the quality of the writing itself was subpar, and that the story lacked depth or intrigue. A critique in ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' by
Michele Landsberg echoed a similar sentiment, arguing that the sensitive topics of
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
and re-coupling were treated with relative indifference.
Assessing that the book was so "blithe that it could almost be called ''Dick and Dick,''" Landsberg compared the book to the ''
Dick and Jane
''Dick and Jane'' are the two main characters created by Zerna Sharp for a series of basal readers written by William S. Gray to teach children to read. The characters first appeared in the ''Elson-Gray Readers'' in 1930 and continued in a sub ...
'' stories that were often critiqued for their depictions of an idealized and stereotypical society.
In his piece "Defending Children's Schooltime Reading: Daddy's Roommate and Heather's Mommies", Patrick Finnessy asserts that ''Daddy's Roommate'' belongs in educational environments because it promotes dialogue about topics children might be confused by.
Acknowledging that gay and lesbian people exist, Finnessy attests, is not necessarily deeming homosexuality proper so much as it is addressing a reality that children will experience.
The book depicts a boy whose three parents all care for and love him, and Finnessy contributes multiple interviews from diverse parents who appreciate the book's loving, safe, and fun household that all children can learn from.
Controversy
In the decade following the book's publication, it was one of the most
challenged books in the country, with the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...
listing it as the most contested book in 1993 and 1994.
Its prominence as one of the first children's books to illustrate a gay relationships has led to its inclusion in various political and social debates since its publication.
In 1992, the school chancellor of the
New York City public school system proposed the Multicultural Children of the Rainbow Curriculum.
Two of the suggested reading materials were ''Daddy's Roommate'' and ''
Heather Has Two Mommies''.
When it was publicized that New York City's public schools would be teaching about homosexual relationships, debates broke out on ''
Nightline'', ''
Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...
'', and in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', demonstrating why it was the most challenged book in America the next two years.
Lon Mabon, an Oregon politician, used ''Daddy's Roommate'' and ''Heather Has Two Mommies'' in his campaign to amend the state constitution to allow for discrimination against lesbians and gay men.
He used the two books as evidence of a militant homosexual agenda that threatened childhood development.
However, citizens of Oregon voted to defeat the measure on November 3, 1992.
''Daddy's Roommate'' became a point of discussion during the
2008 US Presidential Election when it was alleged that Vice-Presidential candidate
Sarah Palin had attempted to remove the book from a public library in
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla ( Dena'ina: ''Benteh'') is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the fourth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the ...
.
In 1995, then-councilwoman Palin requested that the local library remove the book three separate times. After the librarian refused, Palin fired her, before eventually rehiring her due to public backlash.
Fellow councilwoman Laura Chase asked Palin if she had read ''Daddy's Roommate'', and Palin responded that she "didn't need to read that stuff."
The
McCain-Palin campaign denied Palin's involvement in the case despite witness accounts claiming otherwise.
Other notable attempts to censor the book are listed below:
About the author
Prior to writing ''Daddy's Roommate,''
Michael Willhoite was a cartoonist for the ''
Washington Blade
The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...
'', a gay newspaper.
His cartoons have been published in two different collections by
Alyson Books
Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "th ...
.
In the tenth anniversary edition of ''Daddy's Roommate'', an afterword is included by Willhoite reflecting on the book's tumultuous early history.
Acknowledging that the book was the target of numerous acts of censorship, including burning, theft, and defacement, Willhoite thanks librarians across the country who "fought like tigers on the book's behalf."
Demonstrating pride that the book was "still, triumphantly, what
efirst intended: a mirror in which children of gay parents can see themselves", Willhoite acknowledged that the book has been widely utilized to educate children about gay families.
Willhoite also wrote a sequel, ''Daddy's Wedding'', which was published in 1996.
The book features the same characters, and in this installment the boy serves as best man for their commitment ceremony.
See also
*
Homosexuality in children's literature
Gay literature is a collective term for literature produced by or for the gay community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior.
Overview and history
Because the social acceptance of homosexual ...
* ''
King & King
''King & King'' is a children's picture book co-authored and co-illustrated by Stern Nijland and Linda De Haan. ''King & King'' tells the story of a young prince whose mother is forcing him to find his princess. However, after meeting many prince ...
'' by Stern Nijland and Linda De Haan depicts the marriage of two male princes.
* ''
Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin'' by
Susanne Bösche features a child that lives with two fathers.
* ''
And Tango Makes Three
''And Tango Makes Three'' is a children's book written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole which was published in 2005. The book tells the story of two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who create a family together. Wit ...
'' by
Justin Richardson
Justin Richardson (born 1963) is an American author and psychiatrist best known for co-authoring ''And Tango Makes Three'' with Peter Parnell.
Richardson was profiled in the New York Times is 1997 in an article entitled "Elite Schools Face the Ga ...
illustrates the story of two male penguins who fell in love at the
Central Park Zoo.
References
{{subject bar, portal1=Children and Young Adult Literature
1991 children's books
1990s LGBT literature
Children's books with LGBT themes
American picture books
Lambda Literary Award-winning works
Obscenity controversies in literature
LGBT-related controversies in literature
Alyson Books books
Censored books