You Can't Buy Love Like That

"This work movingly renders the complex emotional landscape of living in and out of the closet." 
―Kirkus Reviews

"At the heart of this book is a question: What is love? Carol Anderson offers more than one definition in her fearless, eloquent, emotionally powerful memoir. After reading these pages, you will be much wiser about the ways of the heart. Anderson's father once told her, 'I really admire your spunk.' We see that spunk here, in this book. We also see grace and clarity. And gorgeous writing. You Can't Buy Love Like That will get under your skin, and you will not be able to stop thinking about it. A grand memoir."
―Judy Goldman, author of Losing My Sister: A Memoir

"This book is a rich tapestry of connections that shows us humanity and love in all of its splendor. Carol's story is everyone's story, and she brings her parents to life in a powerful way by incorporating the tides and messages of that time. Many touching moments helped me know how connected and deeply human we all are. I could not put this book down, it is an amazing piece of art."
―Jane Dutton PhD, coeditor of Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People in Organizations

"We are, according to Joan Didion, well advised to keep on nodding terms with the person we used to be, a declaration that Carol Anderson has clearly taken to heart as she explores her younger self and what it was like, as a gay woman, to have to hide her true identity and her deepest feelings. Written with candor, compassion, and humor, You Can't Buy Love Like That is, like all great memoirs, both specific and universal in its appeal."
―Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author of Uphill Walkers and To the New Owners

"As a scholar who studies gender, I appreciate the rich socio-historical lens Carol Anderson uses to share the experience of a woman coming out in the sixties. As an avid reader and an admirer of authentic prose, I felt privileged to see her soul, all the tender spots and the strong, resilient parts too. I gained so much from this memoir. Truthful and beautifully written, Anderson's insightful journey is a reminder of the privilege of choice, the importance of voice and the power of love."
―Stacy Blake-Beard, PhD, Ellen Gabriel Deloitte Chair of Women and Leadership, Simmons College School of Management

"Finding the love you yearn for requires a courageous step: telling the truth about who you are. And that's especially delicate when all you hear is that you're dangerously different. Carol Anderson's eloquent voice and compelling story pinpoint a time in recent history when secrets held gay and lesbian people hostage, and unspoken truth poisoned our lives. Fortunately, though, her fearless, impassioned words are a particularly vivid reminder that, with a commitment to honesty, curiosity, and love, we can use our own stories―and our own differences―as a resource and an invitation to listen more deeply for the messages of emerging possibility all around us."
―Peter F. Norlin, PhD, Principal, ChangeGuides Consulting, Former Associate Editor of the Organization Development Practitioner

"Carol Anderson's memoir of secretly coming to know and explore her sexuality while growing up in an evangelical family that barely allowed for the idea of gayness is a powerful account of middle American life during the sexual revolution. But it is also something more: - a reflection on the meaning of living in secrecy among those we love. An important contribution."
―Jacob Levenson, author of The Secret Epidemic: The Story of Aids and Black America