The Diary of a Sugarbaby

"I was a sugarbaby, I admit. I am not proud of it, though others seem to sensationalize the lifestyle. They see glitz and glamor, never food or a place to sleep. Film and literature have only shown one side of a sugarbaby's life. They villainize us and make us out to be either sluts or golddiggers or airheads. And well, they're right. I am no saint. I am a whore. A selfish, greedy, ageist whore who is worth nothing except in bed. Life was no fairytale as a sugarbaby. But it was one grotesque, unlawful act after another. Yet somehow, that life pales in comparison to my life as a Minor. While sugaring and Minority have similarities, no one could've prepared me for what the Divided did to us."

In J. Q. Gagliastro's dystopian future, the aging patriarchy and rising hate crimes have led to a mass genocide of queer Americans. Oppression has killed what was left of the United and sired what has now become the Divided, a world where human trafficking is legal, the youth are sexualized, and heteronormativity is enforced. Dime, a former sugarbaby, chronicles his experiences as the nation around him embraces gerontocracy, and he himself becomes the property of an Elder. Deprived of his freedoms, his family, and even music, Dime clings to his memories all the while grappling with the concepts of family, home, and depth in love. A scathing satire on queer erasure, a cautionary tale on the capitalization of American universities, and a brutally honest reflection of its time!

Author: J. Q. Gagliastro
Publisher: Gaggy Press
Published: 11/03/2023
Pages: 306
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.73lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9798218254834


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
BlueInk Review 02/27/2024
Publishers Weekly 07/08/2024

About the Author
Gagliastro, J. Q.: - J.Q. Gagliastro is the author of The Diary of a Sugarbaby and Mercury to the Moon. The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a #1 bestseller in LGBTQ+ Fiction on Amazon's Bestsellers List, a #2 bestseller in Dystopian Fiction on Ingram's Bestsellers List, a #45 bestseller in Epistolary Fiction on Amazon's Bestsellers List, and a Top 250 in Political Fiction on Kindle's Bestsellers List. NYC's Queer Book Club selected The Diary of a Sugarbaby as their October 2024 book. An instructor at the University of Florida shortlisted The Diary of a Sugarbaby as required text for their queer studies program. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Adult Fiction for books published in 2023. In August 2024, Gagliastro appeared on Chicago's WGN TV with journalist Sean Lewis. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was featured in The New York Review of Books, both April and May 2024 issues. Gagliastro developed the sugarbaby merch line and completed an eight-stop Sugarbaby Book Tour that included NYC, D.C., Chicago, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Annapolis, Keene, and Philadelphia. Over 1,000 copies of The Diary of a Sugarbaby have been sold within the first year of its publication. The Manhattan Book Review called The Diary of a Sugarbaby "The Handmaid's Tale on steroids!" Kirkus Reviews called it "a frightening novel about an unthinkable future!" And according to The BookLife Prize, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a "dark satirical work of sci-fi!" While The Diary of a Sugarbaby is fiction, Gagliastro ties in their experiences as a homeless sugarbaby and twists them into a dramatic political satire. Mercury to the Moon is an illustrated fantasy space odyssey for all ages and is set to release in 2025!