River Days, River Nights: …true gay adventures at the Russian River

by Mark Abramson

Mark Abramson, a Minnesota farm boy, moved to San Francisco from Minneapolis in 1975 and dived right into the debauchery of gay life in that pre-AIDS world, including many day trips and overnight stays at the Russian River, ninety miles north of the city. In 1981 he decided to join a group of friends in fixing up an old house south of Guerneville, California. He soon found a job at the legendary Hexagon House/Woods Resort, where he got to meet a plethora of boyfriends, tricks, and celebrities including Divine, Charles Pierce, Sylvester, and Etta James. This is his story of those magical years before the plague.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2020

About the author

Mark Abramson was a bartender and producer of events such as "Pier Pressure" and "Men Behind Bars" before writing the "Beach Reading" series set in San Francisco's Castro District. He is also working on a memoir called "Castro Street Diaries." "

Reviews

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
This wasn’t what I’d expected but still enjoyable. What I thought was fiction was actually a bit of a memoir of a small time in the author’s life.

[Sam Beadle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun look at NorCal in the pre aids era. Written very directly, easy fun and interesting read really enjoyed it

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abramson’s memoirs are like little vacations to a bygone gay era. It was nice to escape to the Russian River for a few days.

This is the fifth (?) book of Abramson’s that I’ve read, and it’s probably his best.