The Old Man and the Queer: The Transformative Story of a Retired Mayor and the Barber Who Freed Him from Bigotry

The Old Man and the Queer is the transformative story of a mid-70s retired Mayor and CEO of a billion-dollar real estate development company and the 23-year-old barber who changed his life. The Old Man is politically and socially conservative. The barber is heavily tattooed and pierced, and as the Old Man later learns, identifies as non-binary and queer.

Was it an accident or fate that placed the Old Man in this barber's chair? Who knows, but his haircut appointment was anything but what he expected. He loved the haircut so despite his discomfort, or perhaps because of it, he booked another appointment 6 weeks later. The Old Man and his new barber began having easy and honest discussions about the differences in their lives and it didn't take long before they saw each other more as friends than as adversaries. The haircut appointments continued and soon they included a hot towel shave. The Old Man remarked that he must be getting comfortable since he was allowing this barber to cover his face and take a straight razor to his throat.

The book chronicles the lives of each of them through their successes and disappointments. The Old Man has had many accomplishments and a full life. The Queer faced scorn and ridicule, even from their own devout Christian parents. Rather than a "woe is me" story, it's a tale of triumph. The Queer, whose pronouns are they/he, comes through the struggles and takes control of their life.

In alternating chapters each of the authors detail their life from children to the present. Along the way several additional chapters are written jointly providing separate perspectives of the same occurrences. Of interest to note is that Comerchero solely writes of his life and experiences, while Radford writes of their own. The reader will notice the two distinctly different writing styles. It's the intent of the authors to demonstrate the chasm between them. The much older Comerchero's chapters show a comfort with the written word and more stylistic sophistication. Radford's youth comes through in their writings and although they may lack the same sophistication, they provide great insight into the psyche of a young person going through a traumatic time. Interestingly, as the book progresses, Radford's writing becomes more literary and deeper.

The final 3 chapters of The Old Man and the Queer deal with the colliding of their worlds and the coming together of two completely different individuals who would you suspect could never find common ground. Completely out of character for them both, they forge a unique and beautiful friendship. As a result, their lives are forever changed. These final chapters are about tolerance, love, hope and triumph. Jeff and E.J may have many differences but share perhaps the most important attribute of all, their humanity. Follow their journey from the impossible to the remarkable.