Secret Love — Bart Schneider

 “This extraordinary novel explores our deepest yearnings for joy and self-realization.” �" The Washington Post
 
Jake Roseman is a forty-five-year-old attorney and media darling who leads civil rights protests with a surer touch than he manages his personal life. When Nisa Bohem, a young black activist and actress, is drawn to Jake, the two start a playful, complex romance. Nisa's actor friend Peter also crosses the color line in his love for Simon Sims, the estranged son of a renowned Baptist minister, who tries to reconcile his homosexuality with his participation in the Nation of Islam. As they open their hearts to love, each struggles for personal and spiritual equilibrium �" a daunting task amid the political and social upheaval surrounding them in mid-1960's San Francisco.
 
“Hip, soulful . . . irresistible . . . Secret Love is simultaneously a love story and a fine-grained investigation of race relations . . . Schneider is a savvy and empathetic writer. . . . He leaps into his characters' souls with the brashness of a bop trumpeter.” �" The New York Times Book Review
 
“Heroes as thoroughly good-natured as Roseman don't appear very often in contemporary fiction. He's an absolute mensch, a big-hearted, brave, self-effacing hero.” �" San Francisco Chronicle