The Commitment

Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family

By: Dan Savage

Narrated by: Richard Powers

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

In a time when much of the country sees red whenever the subject of gay marriage comes up, Dan Savage - outspoken author of the column Savage Love - makes it personal.

Dan Savage’s mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says “no thanks” because he doesn’t want to act like a straight person. Their 6-year-old son, D.J., says his two dads aren’t “allowed” to get married but that he’d like to come to the reception and eat cake.

Throw into the mix Dan’s straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone - gay or straight, right or left, single or married - howling with laughter and rethinking their notions of marriage and all it entails.

©2005 Dan Savage (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The strongest argument here, which [Savage] brilliantly plays down, is that family means everything to these people: married, not married, blended, gay, straight, whatever.” (Washington Post)

Smart and Entertaining

The insights in the book are spot on, but they are wrapped up in a story that makes the book fun and quite entertaining. Good for you Dan & Terry!

Entertaining and Touching

If you could sum up The Commitment in three words, what would they be?

Favorite of mine.

What other book might you compare The Commitment to and why?

Pretty much any of Dan's other books. His signature wit and sense of humor are all over this one.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael Garcia’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not, but I liked this performance a lot. It would have been nice to have heard Dan read it, but this performance was very well done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A lot of laughs. I don't know how many times I actually laughed out loud at this audiobook... Too many times to count. A lot of the stories are very touching too.

Disappointing but useful

I am a Dan Savage fan, having read his sex advice column for many years. He offers good information that other writers wouldn't dare publish. And like his columns, this book contains a core of thoughtful history and insights on marriage, gay and straight. I learned from him. But, alas, Savage's personal history and relationship with his husband wasn't one to which I could relate -- a series of argumentative, unpleasant encounters, especially when the two of them were on the road with their son. Since the memoir leads up to the decision of whether to get a tattoo or get married, Savage convinced me that they should have the right to the legal and social benefits of marriage, but I couldn't help feeling that perhaps marriage wasn't best for this couple, a feeling cemented by his description of the ceremony.

Perhaps my negativity was compounded by the reader, who read slowly and with overly clear diction. I found him unable to convey the narrative voice and humor of the book in the spoken voice.

This was so entertaining, and informative

I just loved this book. So full of juicyness. And, as a straight person, I really learned a lot. So fun, so human.

Thought provoking for anyone thinking of marriage

Whether you're gay or straight (or somewhere in between) this book is a good read for an objective look at what it means to be married from someone who isn't allowed.

Like the book, hate the narrator

I liked the book. It was very interesting and fascinating information and back story (what happened to the toy poodle's other eye?). However, after reading his columns for years and listening to hundreds of his podcasts, the performance was lacking. It didn't go with the subject matter at hand. The narrator was far too formal for Dan's writing.

Love it!

I am still laughing to myself. I will definitly read this again. I felt like I was listening to a good friend tell me a story.

Good book; prefer a Savage narration

I enjoyed the book as I have all of Dan's books, but this is the only one I heard with a different narrator. The characters (Dan's family members) come across much differently in his voice.

Heartwarming

I enjoyed listening to the snippets of Dan Savage and Terry Miller's perceptual evolution into the idea of marriage. I have considered some of the points mentioned by Dan and Terry and how they relate within the context of my own life. Which I believe is the mark of a good book and good author. Throw in the perfect narrator for the dialog at hand, and you have a mandala of the evolving family that Dan, Terry and D.J. are creating.

I have listened to the book twice now, and had an even better experience the second time.

Dan Savage is well known to me for his advice column, and his efforts to stop bullying. I often agree with what he has to say, and this book is just another example of his wit, grasp of social dynamics, solid emotional morality, and his willingness to drag poor Terry into the limelight! (You’re shameless on that one Dan!)

This book left me with a stronger sense of family (no quotes needed there) and even helped me provide a framework for what exactly I'm trying to achieve with my own marriage.

Absolutely wonderful book!

Fun Story but kinda of Preachy

There's a lot of this book I love and some parts I hate. Savage does a wonderful job story telling and bringing you into the moment. But at times he writing style and opinion gets preachy. There's some point of views in this that are very dated. At times I feel he fat shames others and drags other gays through the mud that don't fit his same appearance. As a gay married father myself i found things very relatable but a times felt ostracized by savages opinions.