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The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,095 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In a time when much of the country sees red whenever the subject of gay marriage comes up, Dan Savage—outspoken author of the column Savage Love—makes it personal.
Dan Savage’s mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says “no thanks” because he doesn’t want to act like a straight person. Their six-year-old son, D.J., says his two dads aren’t “allowed” to get married but that he’d like to come to the reception and eat cake. Throw into the mix Dan’s straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone—gay or straight, right or left, single or married—howling with laughter and rethinking their notions of marriage and all it entails.
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"I really liked this book. Dan Savage is witty, interesting and does a good job at presenting arguments. I read this book in hopes of being able to, for lack of a better phrase, walk in the shoes of someone else. Savage's book was eye-opening for me and I appreciated his blunt honesty. "
— Sara (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The strongest argument here, which [Savage] brilliantly plays down, is that family means everything to these people: married, not married, blended, gay, straight, whatever.”
— Washington Post -
“Most of all, a book about creating and appreciating family.”
— Seattle Times -
“I think America would be a better place if everyone on every side of the gay marriage debate would read this book.”
— Ira Glass, host of the public radio show This American Life -
“As funny as David Sedaris’ essay collections, but bawdier and more thought provoking, this timely book shows that being pro-family doesn’t have to mean being antigay.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Energetically ambivalent memoir of a gay wedding as a family milestone. Despite his arguments to the contrary, Savage takes a resigned pleasure making an honest family man of himself.”
— Kirkus Reviews
The Commitment Listener Reviews
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" I'm only about halfway through the book, but it's totally addicting. Meditations on life, sex, marriage, parenting and more, with Dan Savage's wonderful humor. Maybe it's just because I'm a lesbo about to get married, but I am really enjoying it. "
— Christina, 2/4/2014 -
" Well written, funny, thought provoking - not bad for a road trip read. I strongly recommend. "
— Lhymowitz, 2/3/2014 -
" More like 3.5 stars. Some of it was really interesting, but overall, I thought it was just meh. "
— Megan, 1/30/2014 -
" A good and essential read for anyone considering what it means to get married, to be married, or too create a family. "
— Jennifer, 1/27/2014 -
" Fun, interesting, easy read. Recommend...especially if you are a Dan Savage fan. "
— Tanya, 1/18/2014 -
" Dan Savage tackles gay marriage using his own first-hand experience. It's funny, insightful, and overall a delightful read. "
— Patrick, 1/17/2014 -
" Very insightful analysis with a fresh perspective on gay/lesbian marriage. "
— Raquel, 1/1/2014 -
" Not for the uber-conservative, this book explores marriage, love, weddings, adoption and family expectations from the perspective of a gay couple and their adopted son. "
— Jenny, 12/24/2013 -
" Hilarious! I love the brutal honesty of Dan's writing style. "
— Aidenpants, 12/21/2013 -
" Don't talk to me about gay marriage, unless you've read this book. So good-- explains how I feel to a T. Oh, and... Supes liberal, if you didn't already guess that. "
— Shannon, 12/20/2013 -
" I really enjoy Dan Savage but the reader of this audiobook was annoying so I couldn't get into it... "
— Nicole, 12/13/2013 -
" Interesting and entertaining story about same-sex marriage. Recommended for anyone interested in the marriage debate. "
— jillbertini, 11/26/2013 -
" Simply hilarious. I kept on wanting to read it out-loud to whoever was near me. "
— Charlotte, 11/18/2013 -
" Dan Savage is not half as funny as David Sedaris. However, the subject matter in this book is interesting. Dan makes up for his writing skills with some great situational humor. "
— Karen, 11/8/2013 -
" Loved it. Nothing more to say. "
— Ashley, 5/28/2013 -
" I love everything Dan Savage does. "
— K, 5/9/2013 -
" After reading this book and his other memoir, I feel like I know Dan's family, and it's great to catch up with them. Dan makes many different points about the gay marriage debate from a very personal perspective. "
— Lori, 3/27/2013 -
" This was better than I expected. I'm now interested to read his previous book. "
— Corinne, 2/5/2013 -
" Good; but not as good as the Kid. "
— Sarah, 9/5/2012 -
" Not as good as "The Kid," but still a thoughtful, amusing look into quote-unquote nontraditional families. "
— Stephan, 8/31/2012 -
" Somewhat repetitive of his earlier books, and even within this one. But it's great to hear more about Terry and D.J. and is (of course) very irreverent and funny. "
— Julie, 5/30/2012 -
" I wish I could give it four and a half stars. It wasn't quite amazing, but it was smart and engaging and sweet, and I had trouble putting it down. "
— Missy, 12/18/2011 -
" This is a book about the gay marriage debate, written as a memoir, with a good bit of research and current events thrown in. It tells the tale of the author Dan Savage and his partner and their decision to get (or not get) married. This book was thought-provoking and at times quite funny. "
— Jen, 12/11/2011 -
" Fun, interesting, easy read. Recommend...especially if you are a Dan Savage fan. "
— Tanya, 6/26/2011 -
" Loved the book. A great account of an everyday gay family. My only criticism is that some conversations in his retelling sounded a bit like Savage was making an argument more than telling his story. Regardless, a very good book--one that I'll re-read soon. "
— Joshua, 5/25/2011 -
" I laughed out loud so often reading this book - I absolutely loved it. He is so engaging and likeable and his observations are spot on. Read it and cry laughing, my friends. "
— Haley, 5/22/2011 -
" Good book, insightful, but not 'literature'. "
— Judy, 5/15/2011 -
" I enjoyed the more autobiographical parts of the book, but the places where it got more political were a bit dull (maybe because the news is 5 years old). Overall was a fast, enjoyable read. "
— Anastasia, 4/4/2011 -
" Dan Savage is hilarious and shocking. Sometimes his anger is hard to stomach but he has his reasons. "
— MaryKate, 3/28/2011 -
" Funny... for sure different than his podcast. Can't wait to read the next one. "
— Gerard, 3/21/2011 -
" After adopting a child, Dan and his boyfriend discuss marriage. They let their son weigh in on it. Savage's books about his own life are both funny and incredibly touching. A must read. "
— Marfita, 3/21/2011 -
" In addition to be funny beyond belief, it's heartfelt and brilliant in its presentation of family as a living, breathing, imperfect, miraculous bond of love. "
— Christopher, 3/12/2011 -
" Hilarious! I love the brutal honesty of Dan's writing style. "
— Aidenpants, 3/12/2011 -
" Dan is one of my favorite social commentators, funny, genuine and smart!!!! "
— Christopher, 2/26/2011 -
" I loved it. Both funny and thought-provoking, it was also one of the most humane and touching works I've read in a long time. "
— Charlotte, 2/20/2011 -
" Loved it. Nothing more to say. "
— Ashley, 2/8/2011
About Dan Savage
Dan Savage is an author, journalist, and activist widely known and appreciated for his mordant wit, political commentary, and commonsensical approach to all manner of sexual issues. He is the author of the internationally syndicated column “Savage Love” and the editorial director of The Stranger, a weekly newspaper in Seattle. His writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the op-ed pages of the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Salon.com, Nest, Rolling Stone, The Onion, and many other publications. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his husband Terry Miller.
About Richard Powers
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.