After completing a PhD in English at Rutgers University, Gary taught at several colleges and universities, but his most memorable experience was a brief 12 week stint at the same high school he (and Haskell) graduated from, teaching side by side with some of the same teachers he once endured. Gary Seigel was raised in Encino, California where his debut novel, Haskell Himself, takes place. Of course, like most things in life, it comes with a heavy price Haskell’s not certain he’s willing to pay. If he plays his cards right, it could catapult him into Hollywood stardom. Rather than give in to the irrationality of this hate, Haskell fights back, eventually finding an unlikely outlet to vent his frustration and angst-playing a bully in a screen test for a major motion picture. And as much as Haskell attempts to hide his true self, carefully navigating the tricky and risky terrain of being queer, he’s still taunted and teased relentlessly. And though Time Magazine claims the sexual revolution is in full swing, the freedoms straight people are enjoying don’t seem to apply to everyone. Even if he does manage to find a boyfriend, their relationship would have to be secret and invisible.Īfter all it’s 1966. In fact, he could be the only gay person in the valley, maybe on the entire planet. But that doesn’t do much for him when he’s dumped at his aunt’s house in the suburbs of Los Angeles to face an assortment of neighborhood bullies. At sixteen he’s already garnered some fame as a former child actor and star of a popular cereal commercial.

Haskell Himself by Gary Seigel