By Lars Eighner
In 1993, the first edition of Travels with Lizbeth was released to critical acclaim. The memoir became a New York Times Book Review editor’s choice pick. St. Martin’s Press is releasing the 20th-anniversary paperback edition, complete with a new afterword by the author. The memoir chronicles the author’s travels between Austin and Los Angeles, alone but for his dog, Lizbeth, in a now-historical look at what it meant to be gay and homeless in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Eighner’s insight stands the tests of time—even one economic boom, bust, and quasi-recovery later. He casts a sardonic eye over the social issues and fraying welfare nets of 1993, issues all too familiar in 2013. One-third of the U.S. states have now passed legislation in favor of same-sex marriage, but LGBT rights are still insecure; despite political efforts like Giuliani’s late 1990s “Clean up the Streets” campaign, homeless populations are on a post-recession rise. Eighner’s commentary, then, isn’t prescient; it’s a voice in the wilderness, warning America against itself, before it’s too late. St. Martin’s Press (us.macmillan.com). —Troy Carrington
