“An achingly tender memoir that is, at its heart, the story of how many gay men must leave behind loved ones in search of their chosen family. Bennett carefully deconstructs memoir as a form and then constructs a compelling narrative that is uniquely his own.”
— Steve Majors, author of Man Made: Searching for Dads, Daddies, Father Figures, and Fatherhood
“As much about the future as the past, this memoir is a battle cry disguised as a love letter to anyone in search of queer utopia.”
— Ned Asta, illustrator of The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, and former Lavender Hill resident
“Bennett’s beautiful memoir is as much about a fascinating time and place as it is about one charming, idealistic, fragile, brave young queer soul trying to find a chosen family—and himself. I’d follow this beguiling narrator anywhere!”
— Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika
“The 1960s–70s era was a time of social upheaval and transformation in the US and beyond. Bennett’s memoir, focusing on his ventures into communal living and coming out as gay, among other things, provides a personal and intimate exploration of those tumultuous times.”
— Timothy Miller, author of The 60s Communes: Hippies and Beyond
“Takes us back to an era when ragtag groups of queer folks had the courage to be their true selves—together. With buoyant earnestness and self-deprecating charm, Bennett vividly retraces his path from virginal teenage hitchhiker to long-haired communard to slowed-down but still fabulous elder. A story about finding family in the least expected places and a testament to the power of feeling needed, Bennett’s tale reminds us, in our current hopelessness, that the heart of any true revolution is optimism. Qtopia is a tonic for our times.”
— Michael Lowenthal, author of Place Envy
“Bennett’s triumph here comes from placing his past in the service of the now: Qtopia informs and invigorates current interests in how we live with intention and protect LGBTQ+ rights and families. His captivating story offers both inspiration and cautionary wisdom.”
— Patrick Davis, National Book Critics Circle lifetime voting member
“The sweet, rollicking charm of Bennett’s commune memoir is Candide in reverse—a suburban gay boy, seemingly destined for the military, instead seeks out Eden and finds new family, first love, and a (forested) room of his own. Qtopia provides a touching and granular glimpse into the lived experience of dropping out, showing up, sharing everything, and sticking it out—even when the best of intentions start to unravel. Bennett went looking for a way of life and discovered, in this book, a way to see.”
— Austin Bunn, director of Lavender Hill: A Love Story
“Vivid and sharply crafted. Bennett’s journey is both an on-the-road adventure and a coming out story. With unusual honesty and humor, Qtopia newly illuminates the converging promises of the hippie movement and gay liberation, and their challenges too.”
— Stephen Vider, author of The Queerness of Home: Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Domesticity After World War II
“Bennett’s beautiful memoir is as much about a fascinating time and place as it is about one charming, idealistic, fragile, brave young queer soul trying to find a chosen family—and himself. I’d follow this beguiling narrator anywhere!”
— Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika
