The Way from Me to Us

By: Mike Coleman

Narrated by: FR Springer

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Two men in love. A world ready for change.

THE WAY FROM ME TO US is the story of two pioneers. It’s the true account of a love that began nearly 50 years ago in a Nashville gay bar called The Other Side. It was 1977, when coming out could mean you lost everything. Your job. Your friends. Your family.

Mike and Ted were all too aware of the risks at the bar that night. It was literally a step to the other side for Mike, who was nowhere near as accepting of his true self as Ted was of his. “I like being gay,” Ted told him. “I’d like to find somebody who likes being gay with me.”

Mike accepted the challenge. With no instruction manual, the two of them staked out a life together at a time when such things “just weren’t done.” Theirs is a story of two men battling the toughest challenges, some external, some that sprang from within. It’s the story of the triumph of an undeniable love that has lasted nearly half a century.

This uplifting memoir will move and inspire you. It’s living proof that, no matter how vehemently the world works against it, love wins.

©2023 Riverdale Avenue Books (P)2024 Riverdale Avenue Books

Wonderful

This is the kind of thing that gets me excited. There are a ton of amazing stories of gay folks, and we only get a small sliver of the experiences. So every time--and it's rare--that I find an audiobook like this, I'm IN. And this does not disappoint. It's well-written, beautifully narrated, and so so so heartfelt. It's a good one.

A Master Class on Storytelling

I've long been impressed with Mike and Ted as excellent human beings and Northeast Georgia neighbors, and have always enjoyed Mike's writing and stage performances. But this book ... this is really is a master class on storytelling. This is, "how to tell an authentic story of love and resilience and captivate your audience while doing it." Mike's writing is sharp, funny, intelligent, self-assured, accessible, empathic, sometimes sad (without being maudlin or sentimental), brimming with honesty, and rich, colorful detail. His writing doesn't tell us. It shows us. As Mike's friend, I am beyond proud of his achievement. As an avid book listener, I'm blown away by the power and depth of this story about people I know and care about, and also the presentation. The only reason the performance got four stars instead of five is because I would have preferred to actually hear Mike reading it. But the narration was great. It helps that the Mr. Springer had a big and wonderful story to tell. When you put great words in a speaker's mouth, this is what you get.