As a tall, blonde, blue-eyed gay man raised by a loving family, hairstylist Mark Okun has the feeling that his genes are at war with his upbringing, as he tries to figure out how he fits in his own world in A Short Jew in the Body of a Tall W.A.S.P.

Collaborating with longtime friend, Hillary L. Brower, Okun shares his personal love, loss and often late-night adventures.

With dashingly good looks as a young gay man, doors opened at an early age for acceptance into the world of hard partying, rock ’n’ roll, drugs and sex. It was a wild and fun ride, yet it came with a toll to pay. When the alcohol and drugs wore off and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS hit hard, it was the strong family values of his adoptive parents that provided him with the strength to overcome the odds.

Filled with colorful characters of the times in the gay world of ’70s and ’80s, A Short Jew in the Body of a Tall W.A.S.P. tells stories of the party life, the struggles in the gay community for acceptance and how everything crashed around him as Okun watched as his friends ~ one by one ~ get sick and die from this unknown disease.

Finally coming full circle by choosing sobriety and a healthier lifestyle, Okun is encouraged to find his biological family. True to his flamboyant nature, he agrees to meet them on The Gordon Elliot Show. His reaction to the unification is not what you would expect.

“Growing up, I loved to tell stories. As a hair stylist, I have a great platform at which I can really open up about my past experiences,” said Okun, a practicing hairdresser with clientele in Miami, Palm Beach, and Memphis, with a home base is New York City at Salon 02. “In hearing my stories, friends, family and clients continually encouraged me to write a book. Knowing my friend Hillary loved to write, we agreed to collaborate when I met my birth family ~ and this is the story.”

Hillary L. Brower is currently a practicing attorney at Hillary L. Brower, LLC. Brower primarily practices criminal defense and family law. Her overriding passion is for writing. Her long-standing friendship with Okun produced the collaboration for the book.

A Short Jew in the Body of a Tall W.A.S.P. is available at amazon.com and bn.com.