Hello Stranger

Praise

“Betancourt is funny, warm, and brilliant. Reading this collection of essays is like sitting down with your most well-read friend, firing away with connections that show how much our experiences have in common across time and space.” —Booklist

“The chapters strike an exhilarating balance between steamy and cerebral . . . The result is an intoxicating invitation to push beyond one’s comfort zone in pursuit of pleasure.” —Publishers Weekly

“Betancourt is a fluid stylist, demonstrating his intelligence in investigating subject matter that most readers—queer or otherwise—can relate to. As a witty, intuitive observer of human behavior, he validates rather than demonizes the delicious recklessness of meeting strangers and the intimate thrill of the anonymous encounter . . . A rewarding and insightful exploration of risk, desire, and anonymity.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Betancourt beautifully captures the push and pull of intimacy, where love’s contradictions can both comfort and confine—a compelling exploration of connection and what’s revealed about ourselves in pursuit of it.” —Ryan Fitzgibbon, editor of A Great Gay Book

“What fun! Betancourt encourages us to flirt with a stranger. Inside that interaction is the kernel of so much of queer culture. Strangers can help us to shed shame and rethink our self-image. They can teach us how to be a good neighbor and how to extend care and empathy to people we meet. In Hello Stranger, Betancourt uses film to pick apart comforting fantasies about how relationships are made and sustained, and in the process, he puts strangers in the spotlight, right where they belong.” —Marcus McCann, author of Park Cruising

“Hello Stranger is a thoughtful and fearless exploration of the oft-overlook relationships that matter as much, if not more, than our romantic relationship with our ‘better half.’ With his brilliant examinations and keen observations, Betancourt illustrates what we might discover about ourselves (and others) when we start unpacking these intimate (and sometimes fleeting) relationships through an unfamiliar lens.” —Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut