Tramps Like Us
A Novel
by Joe Westmoreland
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Pub Date Jun 03 2025 | Archive Date Jul 03 2025
Description
"Tramps Like Us charts an incredible moment in the 20th century, the 70s and 80s, when the young roamed around America like wild dogs, randomly having sex and taking drugs, concerned about clothes and music and maybe enjoying the landscape. From 'here' it seems fantastic. So much of that land is gone, yet this writer speaks like a sweet and unworldly citizen of a place you'd like to know. Sometimes it's just plain youth. As told by Joe." ―Eileen Myles, author of a "Working Life"
A treasured cult classic following a young gay man crisscrossing 1970s and ’80s America in search of salvation. Now reissued with an introduction from Eileen Myles and an afterword from the author.
Abused by his father and stifled by closeted life as a teenager in Kansas City, Joe, the wide-eyed narrator of Tramps Like Us, graduates from high school in 1974 and hits the road hitchhiking. But it isn’t until he reunites with Ali, his hometown’s other queer outcast, that Joe finds a partner in crime. When the two of them finally wash up in New Orleans, they discover a hedonistic paradise of sex, drugs, and music, a world that only expands when they move to San Francisco in 1979.
Told with openhearted frankness, Joe Westmoreland’s Tramps Like Us is an exuberantly soulful adventure of self-discovery and belonging, set across a consequential American decade. In New Orleans and San Francisco, and on the roads in between, Joe and Ali find communities of misfits to call their own. The days and nights blur, a blend of LSD and heroin, new wave and disco, orgies and friends, and the thrilling spontaneity of youth—all of which is threatened the moment Joe, Ali, and seemingly everyone around them are diagnosed with HIV. But miraculously, the stories survive. As Eileen Myles writes, “I love this book most of all because it is so mortal.”
Back in print after two decades and with an introduction by Myles and an afterword by the author, Tramps Like Us is an ode to a nearly lost generation, an autofictional chronicle of America between gay liberation and the AIDS crisis, and an evergreen testament to the force of friendship.
A Note From the Publisher
Joe Westmoreland is the author of the novel Tramps Like Us. He lives in New York City with his partner, the artist Charles Atlas.
Advance Praise
"An achievement, in the major category." ―Hilton Als, author of My Pinup
"An achievement, in the major category." ―Hilton Als, author of My Pinup
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780374614003 |
| PRICE | $19.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jon M, Reviewer
Joe Westmoreland’s *Tramps Like Us* is a compelling, heartwarming novel about a group of misfits. It captures the essence of what it means to be a found family. The dialogue is sharp and realistic, often laced with humor that provides moments of lightness amidst the novel's more serious undertones. This is a book that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, and it’s an unforgettable read. Highly recommended for anyone in search of a story that’s both poignant and uplifting.
Reviewer 1221514
Tramps Like Us feels like a confessional, a celebration, and reflection, and a love letter all rolled into one. We follow Joe, our narrator, as he brings us through his life. From beginnings in the south, hitchhiking across the country, and his years in San Francisco.
The novel is full of booze, drugs, sex, finding chosen family, immeasurable loss, and, at its core, hope and love - even in the midst of what will become the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Joe’s chosen family only grows with each passing page and some of these characters you come know and to love as if they could be your own friends. Westmoreland’s storytelling makes the reader an active participant alongside Joe and his friends as they dance in packed clubs, drive here there any everywhere, and comfort each other in hospital rooms.
The new forward and afterward further enrich the story told within the pages between them. The afterward made me cry just as much as the novel itself did (which is a lot)
I am so glad this is being republished! I hadn’t heard of this before perusing NetGalley and I fear it would be lost to the ages should this not happen. I cannot recommend this enough for anyone who reads gay literature. Tramps Like Us feels like it will be a classic cornerstone piece of gay literature among the likes of Giovanni’s Room and Stone Butch Blues.
Jimmie K, Reviewer
This book was an absolute emotional rollercoaster, and I just couldn’t put it down. I was so drawn into Joe’s journey as he grows up, leaves his small town, and builds a found family. It’s a powerful exploration of the ups and downs of adolescence, and the search for who you really are along the way.
What really spoke to me, though, was how the music of the time was woven throughout the story. There’s something so powerful about how music shapes our identities, and I loved how Joe connected his life to the songs and sounds around him.
The parts about the AIDS crisis were tough to read, but so important. I couldn’t help but reflect on the author’s afterword, where he mentioned how little the AIDS crisis is discussed nowadays—and that hit me hard. So many queer lives were lost, so many stories never told. This novel brings those stories to life in a way that feels both raw and necessary.
I truly loved this book. It’s destined to be a queer classic, one that will stick with me for a long, long time.
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