Goodbye to E. Lynn Harris

On Thursday, July 23rd one of the greatest authors, E. Lynn Harris, died at the age of 54. I was first exposed to his books while in college. My stepsister used to talk about his books and I'd tell her that I wasn't really interested in hearing about gay men and their relationships.

I'll admit, I was somewhat ignorant to the homosexual/bisexual lifestyle and refused to accept such behavior. Growing up, there were always gay people at school and in the church, but I was never able to relate to their way of life.

By the time, I read my first E. Lynn Harris book, Invisible Life (also his first book) I began to change my way of thinking. Truthfully, I felt like a new world opened up to me. Although his books were fiction, they were always so real, so captivating. I could easily read his books in one sitting. If you're an E. Lynn fan, I can still picture what Basil and Raymond would look like if I ran into them on the street. I feel like I know his characters and their inner most feelings. Not many fiction authors have been able to touch me in such a way.

A full collection of every E. Lynn Harris book, even his collaborations and his memoir, sit on my bookshelf in order of publication. He was an amazing writer, who helped me to realize that homosexuality is a way of life. No matter what opinions people have on it, it exists and it's not going anywhere.

When Invisible Life, the movie comes out I will be the first in line. I'll miss you E. Lynn Harris! Thank you for opening my eyes!