Circus of Books

Circus of Books is not a documentary about the LGBTQ community per se, however, it shows a slice of the community history from a perspective of a straight couple that, given the opportunity, decided to make a living with a gay porn magazine and film store. From a more critical perspective, it shows hypocrisy from a religious mom that profits out of the gay culture (big corporations do that these days) but who is also homophobic to some degree towards her own gay son -- I appreciated that the daughter, who's also queer, shows this raw side of her mother without trying to cover it up. As they also show the mother's own journey to learn how to accept and love her gay son. From a political perspective, the documentary quickly shows the persecution and religious moralism that the US government used to oppress the community, which we can see happening again under the current administration. It also touches the sad times of the HIV crisis, though focused more on how it affected the porn store. Finally, from a cultural perspective, it nostalgically shows the 80's and 90's gay habits to go out and meet face to face, at the store, or at a nearby alley - things that no longer happen in the current online days.Overall, it's a really interesting and emotional documentary, a family story with just a glimpse of the challenges, glory, resistance and beauty and of the gay community!

This documentary is both a family history and a history of gay culture and society in the USA. The couple in this story are both looking for a break, when they answer an advertisement to distribute Hustler magazine. This leads to them taking over a bookstore, which they soon discover is also a gay and sexual aid store. Rather than be discouraged, they roll up their sleeves and dive into the business, running it successfully and soon becoming large players in gay movie distribution. There are moments both serious and humorous, including the mother's challenge to accept her own son's sexuality, which is a bit ironic considering what her business is. An easy going watch with a lot of heart.

This is a very interesting documentary of the life of a straight Jewish couple. Seeking income of any sort, they start distributing Hustler magazine, then take over a bookstore whose owner has been delinquent in payments. It turns out that the bookstore's main business is gay porn, and they manage to make a success of a business they don't fully understand. Their good reputation in the porn community lead to their producing gay porn movies, including ones by superstar Jeff Stryker. Along the way, they have to deal with people disappearing in the AIDS era, a porn prosecution under the Regan administration, keeping a blind eye to what was happening in their "back room", and keeping their 3 children from learning what the "bookstore" really sells.

The last part becomes ironic, when 1 of their sons had to come out as gay, which did bother his religious mother. Meanwhile, this movie was a project of their daughter, who managed to get intimate confessions that would not be possible with a stranger

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this program.

Understanding how the family got involved in the business, footage from when the parents met and through their family's growth made for very emotive viewing.

Having grown up in the late 1970s and the era of the early years of this family's journey with The Circus of Books store, this film played with my heart the entire time. From with flashbacks to bygone times, through heartwarming reality and crises, clearly perseverance and love abound in each of their lives' chapters.