On May 17, an Ann Arbor District Library and Literati partnership involves an author event featuring author, teacher and LGBTQ activist Chasten Buttigieg. He will be stopping by the Downtown Library for the tour of his new children’s book, “Papa’s Coming Home.”
“Literati is thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome Chasten to Ann Arbor,” David Vogel, Literati’s event director, says. “I’ve read ‘Papa’s Coming Home’ and loved it! It’s a delightful and heartwarming story that’s beautifully written and illustrated.”
Chasten Buttigieg is the husband of Pete Buttigieg, the previous Secretary of Transportation, former presidential candidate, one time mayor of South Bend, and one of the most prominent LGBTQ politicians in the current Democratic Party. Chasten Buttigieg will be greeting people interested in learning more about his children’s book, starting at 6:30 p.m.
The story centers around Jojo and Rosie, two young children who have two fathers in an LGBT family. One of their fathers, Papa, goes away on a business trip and the children get excited when they realize he is about to come back home, and their other father, Daddy, helps them prepare for his return.
“They make signs, they pick flowers, and with Daddy’s help, they bake a cake and pack the car with absolutely everything Papa might have missed while he was away,” the Amazon audiobook description reads in part. “This charming story filled with love celebrates dads and familial bonds. Chasten Buttigieg shines a beautiful light on the humorous musings of toddlers and a parent’s unconditional love for their child.”
Dan Taylor did the illustrations. The art style they went with feels like Pixar meets Arthur.
A family focused LGBTQ book in a time of book banning
Books depicting LGBTQ families, especially ones written by LGBTQ people, are frequent targets of book banning attempts. As the Advocate reported in their review of the children’s book, Buttigieg is a fierce critic of this homophobic tactic, saying that they are homophobic attempts to marginalize queer people under a smoke screen of protecting children from something that does not harm them.
PEN America, a free speech and human rights advocacy organization, found that 39% of the 10,046 book bans implemented in schools during the 2023-2024 school year involved at least one LGBTQ character. That is five percent less than the books who had characters of color.
RELATED: 17 Washtenaw County Independent Bookstores to Support
Indeed, representation in media impacts how people – and especially children – see themselves and how others see them. Buttigieg told People Magazine that it was the twins that he and the former transportation secretary had adopted that motivated to follow up his memoir, “I Have Something To Tell You,” with this children’s book.
The Ann Arbor District Library did not respond to requests for comment. Buttigieg’s representatives did not respond to an interview request.
“Literati is a general interest bookstore, serving a customer base with wide-ranging interests. We do our best to uplift a variety of voices, including authors who may be historically underrepresented. We’re thrilled to host Chasten and celebrate his newest book,” Vogel said.
You don’t have to RSVP, but you can.
The May 17 show will start at 6:30 p.m. Attendance is free and while you don’t have to RSVP in advance, you can if you want to guarantee a seat.
They are looking for as many attendees to RSVP as possible so they can prepare for how many people will be going. An overflow room is being prepared in case they get too many people.
Ann Arbor will be the third of a 10 city tour for Buttigieg. Buttigieg and his husband moved from Indiana to Traverse City during the last Administration, so it makes sense that Michigan is the only state that gets two stops (his Traverse City show is already fully booked).
Papa’s Coming Home will be released two days before the AADL event, on May 15. It is available for preorder.
