Sweet Tooth: A Memoir

Written by Tim Anderson

International Book Awards Winner in Non-Fiction: Gay & Lesbian

“A gifted writer, Anderson is...delightful in his irreverence, and astutely aware of himself and his particular perspective. His observations are often laugh-out-loud funny and will leave readers with the desire to...keep turning the pages...” —Publishers Weekly review for Anderson, author of Tune in Tokyo and Sweet Tooth

What’s a sweets-loving young boy growing up gay in North Carolina in the eighties supposed to think when he’s diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? That God is punishing him, naturally.

This was, after all, when gay-hating Jesse Helms was his senator, AIDS was still the boogeyman, and no one was saying, “It gets better.” And if stealing a copy of a gay porno magazine from the newsagent was a sin, then surely what the men inside were doing to one another was much worse.

Sweet Tooth is Tim Anderson’s uproarious memoir of life after his hormones and blood sugar both went berserk at the age of fifteen. With Morrissey and The Smiths as the soundtrack, Anderson self-deprecatingly recalls love affairs with vests and donuts, first crushes, coming out, and inaugural trips to gay bars. What emerges is the story of a young man trying to build a future that won’t involve crippling loneliness or losing a foot to his disease—and maybe even one that, no matter how unpredictable, can still be pretty sweet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480589216

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson has done many amazing things in his life. Well, two amazing things. OK, one thing that he did twice. But he’s got nothing on his older brother, who can play his teeth like a xylophone with his thumb. As for Tim, he is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he was inducted into both Phi Beta Kappa and the Golden Key National Honor Society. (These honors have yet to pay off.) He has worked as a waiter, a data-entry clerk, a photocopier repairman, a freelance writer, a music editor, a middle-school teacher, and a depressed employee of the state of North Carolina. He dreams of one day being an underwear model/bookie. Until then, he will keep working as an editor and living in Brooklyn with his boyfriend, his cat Stella, and his viola, which he plays in the band Simple Shapes. To learn more about Tim, visit his blog at seetimblog.blogspot.com or the Tune in Tokyo website, www.tuningintokyo.com.

Reviews for Sweet Tooth

[lahochstetler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What happens when a candy addict is diagnosed with diabetes? This is what happened to Tim Anderson, diagnosed as a child with type 1 diabetes. The memoir is his story of growing up as a sugar-obsessed, gay, alternative music fan in conservative North Carolina. Anderson does an excellent job writing about his teenage awkwardness, but there is also far more discussion about the indie music scene than I really cared about. I found the parts about music to be a rough slog. I was also not as taken with the stream-of-consciousness sections which are renditions of the author's blood sugar spiraling out of control. I guess I wanted more traditional memoir than I got. This book was interesting enough for me to read, but it's probably not something I would go out of the way to recommend.

[bookworm_naida · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sweet Tooth is Tim Anderson's candid memoir. He shares his story not only openly, but with humor as well. He takes us through his young teenage years beginning in the 1980's, when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes through his college years and into adulthood.There are the usual teenage crushes, the embarrassing moments at parties and all the awkwardness teens go through as they find themselves and struggle to fit in. Added to all of that, Tim has diabetes and his condition and all that it entails is a serious one. Changes in his diet and insulin shots are part of his daily life.I love that there are 80's and 90's references throughout as Tim channels Molly Ringwald and drinks Boone's Farm, the latter which I had not thought of in many years.Tim is a talented writer and he cleverly tells his story. He seems like a down to earth type of person and I enjoyed reading his memoir. I laughed out loud a few times and cringed some others and I liked Tim's voice right from the start. He shares about a trip to D.C. he took with classmates, one where his diabetes finally sent him to the E.R., and he made it funny. As serious as his condition is, he infuses humor while telling it.I recommend this one to anyone looking to read a good memoir and one that is not too depressing. This memoir is not for shy folk, as there is no sugar coating anything here, no pun intended.disclaimer: TLC Book Tours provided me with a free e-copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, such as this one, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

[joann_palmieri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Positively loved this book. it had me laughing at the times i should not have been... Although some of the parts were sad the way the story was told was a good way for the story to be told. Very well written. Comedy at its best. It was great to see that he found his husband in then end. Even the credits were funny to read.

[hmjoneswrites · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tim Anderson had me in tears, not sad tears (though his life could have been sad with what he had to deal with), but tears of pure mirth. This memoir, primarily a coming of age story from a closeted homosexual, diabetic, awkward boy into a openly homosexual, severely diabetic, awkward man kept me reading. His honest portrayal of raging hormones,the discovery of his sexuality and the terrifying truth of it was expertly crafted to make his reader extremely uncomfortable, but also hysterical. I pictured him shoving stolen porn down the front of his pants, dripping sweat, guilt hanging his shoulders, fantasizing increasingly unlikely love scenarios with incredibly straight dudes.It was painful to read, in the sense that it reminded of my wild teenage imagination and the heartbreak that often accompanied it, as I was inevitably let down. Anderson bares all in this memoir, which is sure to endear him to readers of many persuasions and tastes. If you like funny, you will like this book. His crazy diabetic episodes have got to be the most embarrassing, gripping tidbits I've ever read. Thank you, Tim, for sharing your awkwardness honestly. It really made this equally awkward reviewer's week to experience your life, which must have been a lot harder than you let on in this comedic portrayal.