What do you think?
Rate this book
There's Only One Sin in Hollywood
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26A cinematic, razor-sharp novel following a backlot fixer’s daring investigation into the suspicious death of a closeted Black actor within the glamorous world of Hollywood, from the bestselling author of My Government Means to Kill Me
Xavier C. Barlow, one of Hollywood’s young Black stars taking the industry by storm in the late 1950s, is Skyline Studios’s ambitious attempt to rival Sidney Poitier's burgeoning success. His arrival into the industry is calculated, his charm is magnetic, and his seductive screen presence appeals to both audiences and celebrities across generations.
But years later, after Xavier dies at the height of his fame, Aaron Touissant—Skyline’s designated backlot fixer who helps the studio’s stars stay as deep in the closet as humanly possible—is finally ready to expose the powerful culprits responsible for his untimely death.
Written as part-confessional, part-cris de coeur from Aaron's panoramic lens, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is a searing portrait of the movie industry as a manicured minefield and a compelling journey into the queer history of Los Angeles.
Xavier C. Barlow, one of Hollywood’s young Black stars taking the industry by storm in the late 1950s, is Skyline Studios’s ambitious attempt to rival Sidney Poitier's burgeoning success. His arrival into the industry is calculated, his charm is magnetic, and his seductive screen presence appeals to both audiences and celebrities across generations.
But years later, after Xavier dies at the height of his fame, Aaron Touissant—Skyline’s designated backlot fixer who helps the studio’s stars stay as deep in the closet as humanly possible—is finally ready to expose the powerful culprits responsible for his untimely death.
Written as part-confessional, part-cris de coeur from Aaron's panoramic lens, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is a searing portrait of the movie industry as a manicured minefield and a compelling journey into the queer history of Los Angeles.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
1 person is currently reading
1750 people want to read
About the author
Rasheed Newson
2 books322 followersRasheed Newson is the author of the national bestseller "My Government Means to Kill Me." The novel was a Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times.
His forthcoming novel, "There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood," is slated for publication by Flatiron on June 2, 2026.
Rasheed is a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow. He is also a television drama writer, producer, and showrunner. Along with his screenplay writing partner, T.J. Brady, he co-developed and is an executive producer of "Bel-Air." The drama series has won two NAACP Image Awards and has been nominated several times for Best Drama Series.
Additionally, Rasheed has worked on "The Chi," "Animal Kingdom," and "Narcos," among other drama series.
Rasheed was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.
His forthcoming novel, "There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood," is slated for publication by Flatiron on June 2, 2026.
Rasheed is a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow. He is also a television drama writer, producer, and showrunner. Along with his screenplay writing partner, T.J. Brady, he co-developed and is an executive producer of "Bel-Air." The drama series has won two NAACP Image Awards and has been nominated several times for Best Drama Series.
Additionally, Rasheed has worked on "The Chi," "Animal Kingdom," and "Narcos," among other drama series.
Rasheed was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of Georgetown University. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
A remarkable work. Newson is the undisputed king of gay, historical fiction.
While not literally being a prequel to My Government Means to Kill Me, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood feels like one. In his previous book, we follow a much younger and less jaded character, Trey Singleton, as he grows up and finds meaning in the New York City of the 1980s. Aaron Touissant, the narrator of There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, lives on the other side of Stonewall from Trey. He matured in a world much more hostile and dangerous to queerness. As Aaron says while reflecting on the next generation of more activist young queers, “I am haunted by a society that was eviler and crueler than the one you’ve met.”
From the first chapter, we’re told that this will be a tragedy, and it is. Aaron loses so much because of the cruel and evil society that he lives in. But he does live in it. He does find, for however brief the time, happiness and community, sexual fulfillment and even love. Aaron narrates the story like he’s telling it to an old friend over drinks. He is utterly honest, never shying away from deep pain or splendid joy, the brutal facts of Hollywood or his erotic life, triumphs or tragedies. And the story loses nothing despite knowing that it is doomed from page one.
Like his previous book, My Government Means to Kill Me, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is told in the style of a memoir. Newson’s ability to weave together real history, compelling and complex characters, and a propulsive plot into a format that feels utterly truthful is uncanny. Part One sets up Aaron’s early life, his relationship with Black fighter ace Horace “Hornet” Dixon, how he came to be a backlot “fixer” for a major Hollywood studio, and how another hotshot (this time an actor, Xavier Barlow) came into his life. Part Two brings all of the various threads together in a way that feels inevitable and breathtaking. Part Three plays out the almost Greek-level tragedy of Barlow trying to bring Dixon’s story to the screen, homosexuality and all.
As with My Government Means to Kill Me, Newson has done remarkable research into the era and features numerous real life people as characters. The world he crafted of Black stars and homosexuality in 1950s and 1960s Hollywood feels gritty and lived in and real. And it is real. There were real closeted gay movie stars trying to survive and, perhaps, even bring some of their truth to the screen, only to be swatted down by the system. Newson inhaled that truth and life in his research and breathed it out on to the characters in There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood.
While not literally being a prequel to My Government Means to Kill Me, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood feels like one. In his previous book, we follow a much younger and less jaded character, Trey Singleton, as he grows up and finds meaning in the New York City of the 1980s. Aaron Touissant, the narrator of There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood, lives on the other side of Stonewall from Trey. He matured in a world much more hostile and dangerous to queerness. As Aaron says while reflecting on the next generation of more activist young queers, “I am haunted by a society that was eviler and crueler than the one you’ve met.”
From the first chapter, we’re told that this will be a tragedy, and it is. Aaron loses so much because of the cruel and evil society that he lives in. But he does live in it. He does find, for however brief the time, happiness and community, sexual fulfillment and even love. Aaron narrates the story like he’s telling it to an old friend over drinks. He is utterly honest, never shying away from deep pain or splendid joy, the brutal facts of Hollywood or his erotic life, triumphs or tragedies. And the story loses nothing despite knowing that it is doomed from page one.
Like his previous book, My Government Means to Kill Me, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood is told in the style of a memoir. Newson’s ability to weave together real history, compelling and complex characters, and a propulsive plot into a format that feels utterly truthful is uncanny. Part One sets up Aaron’s early life, his relationship with Black fighter ace Horace “Hornet” Dixon, how he came to be a backlot “fixer” for a major Hollywood studio, and how another hotshot (this time an actor, Xavier Barlow) came into his life. Part Two brings all of the various threads together in a way that feels inevitable and breathtaking. Part Three plays out the almost Greek-level tragedy of Barlow trying to bring Dixon’s story to the screen, homosexuality and all.
As with My Government Means to Kill Me, Newson has done remarkable research into the era and features numerous real life people as characters. The world he crafted of Black stars and homosexuality in 1950s and 1960s Hollywood feels gritty and lived in and real. And it is real. There were real closeted gay movie stars trying to survive and, perhaps, even bring some of their truth to the screen, only to be swatted down by the system. Newson inhaled that truth and life in his research and breathed it out on to the characters in There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I expected Rasheed Newson to excel in the imagery, the visual storytelling as someone who executive produces Bel-Air and writes for shows like The Chi and Narcos. Exceptional storytellers are in those fields so of course he will be good at that. But I was not prepared for how well written this story is. The story is told from the POV of Aaron, a Hollywood fixer, - think Olivia Pope but for entertainers. He wants to expose those he feels are responsible for the untimely death of Xavier Toussaint, the new it guy in Hollywood films positioned to rival Sidney Poitier. You can read the synopsis. The chapters alternate between Aaron’s life experiences with both Xavier and Horace (who he worked for while in the military). The story is presented as if it is about Xavier. But because of how beautifully written it is, Aaron is really giving us HIS story. We see how he navigates his sexuality through different periods of his life and with different people. It’s a testament how time, maturity and circumstances impact our relationships - platonic and romantic. It’s a reckoning for Aaron and for us as readers as we see how our own internalize biases impact the lives of others especially when it comes to sexuality. And then even with all that we get cameos from Belafonte, Diahann Carroll. It’s giving Black excellence. The book pulls you in immediately. They may or may not be getting a lil hot and heavy in the first chapter. It’s sexy without being sexual - that’ might be a bar. As a historical fiction, you can tell the amount of research that went into this story making me wonder how long it took Rasheed to write this. Baybee Sidney Poitier was a whole ass mess. I was trying to figure out which of the places or events were real. I see this as a series on Netflix. and I mean Rasheed you’re right there. Can’t you option your own book? Anyway, the book comes out June 2026. Definitely pre-order it so it is on your doorstep on the 6th. I’m finta pre-order right now myself because I have to have a physical copy of this one.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I fell in love with historical fiction because of Rasheed Newson’s debut novel MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME, a book about a Black queer New York transplant finding his way to himself during the AIDS crisis. The historical period this book centers is different. It’s the Golden Age of Hollywood, which includes the rise of iconic Black actors like Sidney Poitier and Diahann Carroll. Like his debut, Newson’s extensive research allows him to render fictitious but ultimately authentic interactions of his main characters with these icons. The book follows Aaron, our veteran turned fixer, as he navigated his queerness + race in an era and in spaces where being gay is absolute no-no—the military, the movie industry, everyday life in LA. And as queer folks and Black folks have been doing since the history of time, he manages to assert his agency and experience the full emotional spectrum of his humanity despite the structural constraints he faces. There is so much action that happens in this book—war, love, moviemaking, sex, religion, more sex—so it’s hard to sum up. All I’ll say it’s a page turner, which is why my copy is all tattered up. I couldn’t put it down. For the sociologist in me, it was also a treat to have a front row seat to the literal production of culture, and how all the micro-level decisions that are made can have serious consequences for every actor involved both on and beyond the silver screen.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Newson has quickly become an auto-read for me. After this brilliant sophomore novel I will read anything he puts out.
I was blown away by his first novel My Government Means To Kill Me and I am equally in awe of him here where we go to 1950-60s Hollywood. Newson has a talent for melding a fiction book into the crevasses of true events and telling deeply meaningful stories of the Gay Black men who are often overlooked in these times and places.
Aaron is a well thought out rounded character, and highly believable in this Hollywood machine. Xavier is a force and I enjoyed their relationship, how it felt naturally grew and changed.
A soulful and interesting read that had me questioning what was real and what was fiction throughout in the best possible way.
I was blown away by his first novel My Government Means To Kill Me and I am equally in awe of him here where we go to 1950-60s Hollywood. Newson has a talent for melding a fiction book into the crevasses of true events and telling deeply meaningful stories of the Gay Black men who are often overlooked in these times and places.
Aaron is a well thought out rounded character, and highly believable in this Hollywood machine. Xavier is a force and I enjoyed their relationship, how it felt naturally grew and changed.
A soulful and interesting read that had me questioning what was real and what was fiction throughout in the best possible way.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews