Joe O’Donnell was born and raised in Massachusetts before finding his true home in San Francisco. His professional career peaked prematurely when he became the manager of a suburban record store in the 1980s, before evolving—more conventionally—into a long career in marketing, brand creation, and creative direction. Often described as “just too gay,” Joe spent decades in therapy, which eventually (and perhaps inevitably) led him to pick up a pen after a dare from his therapist.  His debut memoir, Another Generation Ruined, was a finalist for the Santa Fe Writers Program Literary Award. Excerpts from the book have appeared in Avalon Literary Review and as a featured essay on I Have That on Vinyl. He is currently developing a screenplay adaptation.  Joe lives in San Francisco.

ABOUT AGR
Set in the suburbs of 1980s Massachusetts, Another Generation Ruined follows a boy trapped inside a divorce so vicious it spills into national headlines, leaving him caught between his mother’s wrath and a church eager to condemn. As his family implodes under surveillance, shame, and control, his deepest secret—being gay—feels not just unspeakable, but dangerous. Refuge comes in unlikely forms: a suburban record store, the voice of Tina Turner, and pop music—loud enough to almost drown everything else. Against a Gen X backdrop of heavy metal, roller skating, drugs, and estrangement, Another Generation Ruined is a brutally candid and darkly funny memoir about secrecy, survival, and a boy determined to escape the story written for him.

PHOTO: JAMES WILLS