I’ve never received a book for review that comes with a box full of edible goodies – not until a recent delivery that is. Alon Ozery’s new book, Even the Sidewalk Could Tell: How I Came Out to My Wife, My Three Children, and the World (Regent Park Publishing, 2021) was accompanied by delicious treats from Alon’s two businesses of which he is the co-founder: Ozery Bakery in Vaughan, Ontario and Parallel Brothers in Toronto.

First the book: Everyone should tell their coming out story. No story is the same and the approaches can be as unique as the tellers. (I’m thinking of My Autobiography of Carson McCullers which was Jenn Shapland’s innovative coming-out story as it related to her research into the life of American writer Carson McCullers.)

Alon Ozery’s memoir is written chronologically and in a way that can be shared with his ex-wife, children and family members. He describes his life from being raised in Israel to more recent times living with his male life partner in Toronto.

Alon moved with his parents and two brothers, Guy and Aharon, to Toronto when he was sixteen and got early work experience working for Coleman’s, a Jewish deli. Following his graduation from high school, he worked at Coleman’s and  then went back to Israel to fulfill the obligation of army service for three years.

When Alon returned to Canada at twenty-one, he earned an undergraduate degree in hospitality management from Ryerson University.  He and his father opened a restaurant that evolved into a wholesale bakery. Alon’s wife Michelle also worked there and his brother Guy joined them four years after they opened. Alon and Michelle’s first son was born two years after opening the store. Two more children followed: another son and a daughter.

Alon doesn’t name his children which I can understand. They’re teenagers now and will have their own stories to tell. (I think of Alison Wearing telling the story of her gay father in a stage production as well as in her book: Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter: Growing Up with a Gay Dad.)

Although he had come out to his wife Michelle as well as family members and close friends, Alon and Michelle set aside a time to sit down with the children one evening to tell them. Some people know they’re gay from childhood while others, such as Alon, grow up suppressing any desire towards the same sex.

When he had his first sexual encounter Alon said “it felt as if my body had been waiting for this my entire life.” He later realized: “I had finally aligned with my true self.” Some lesbians and gay men have felt pressured to do what was expected of them (to get married to someone of the opposite sex for instance). From his own experience, Alon says: “I had trained and brainwashed myself about who I ‘needed’ to be for so long that was able to ignore the signs about my sexuality that were there from the very beginning.”

There are some charming drawings in the book which may have been done by Alon. One drawing shows the three kids sitting on the couch in the living room as he and Michelle tell them the news that would change their lives as a family. One son wanted to know if they would still have family dinners on Fridays. That tradition has continued along with Alon and Michelle’s new partners.

Alon Ozery’s memoir about coming out as a gay man describes a very positive experience as he didn’t suffer estrangement from family, a custody battle for children, physical harm or other effects of homophobia. It’s s true testament to love to come out to a beloved spouse and have that love returned in supporting the path you need to take.

I’m thinking of a less positive experience by Irish poet and theologian, Padraig O’Tuama, raised Roman Catholic, who suffered “exorcisms” for being gay. He says: “Since beginning to tell the truth of my sexual orientation more widely a number of things have happened. First, I have begun to realise the taste of relief. It is always a good thing to tell the truth. I have also found myself on the outside of the halls of holiness.” At the beginning of In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015), from which the quote is taken, Padraig says: “Hello to the need for shelter. Hello to the stories that shelter us.”

Fifty percent of the profits from the sales of Even the Sidewalk Could Tell are being donated to Friends of Ruby in Toronto, an organization dedicated to the progressive well-being of LGBTQI2S youth through mental health services, social services and housing.

As for the food, I tried the halva first as I am a big fan of the sesame treat.  Alon Ozery is co-owner of Parallel Brothers, a restaurant and sesame butter brand in Toronto.  The halva I received is infused with chocolate and black sea salt with sesame seeds sourced from Humera, Ethiopia. It’s so light and delicious. I was having a little portion after lunch and after dinner. The take-out menu at Parallel Brothers looks delicious. For you Toronto folks, the restaurant is at 217 Geary Avenue. You can also order products online at parallelbrothers.com.

Alon is also the co-founder of the Ozery Bakery that produces products that can be purchased online. I tried all three of the Keto Snacks that are baked clusters of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax) with very little sugar. My favourite was the sweet and salty. Who doesn’t want a snack while they’re reading? You can order them from ozerybakery.com.