The Rain May Pass by Alan Shayne is the memoir of one of the television industry's most prominent giants, donning as many hats as one could possibly wear as an actor, writer, casting director, producer, film executive, and president of Warner Brothers Television. But before Shayne became a Hollywood powerhouse, he found himself in a much lonelier place as he grew up in Massachusetts. As a child, Shayne's backstory feels normal, even privileged to a degree, in a working-class family with a crotchety old grandmother whom he helped out over the summer in Cape Cod. Changes begin to manifest in Shayne's life and he is awakened to his own sexual identity at a time when being gay was unacceptable. As he grows up, his romantic encounters grow with him, and he experiences love while on the cusp of working as a paid actor.

The Rain May Pass is an exceptionally well-written book that takes a reader into Alan Shayne's coming of age and his entry into the world of acting. Part of the reason I selected this book is that I'd read Double Life, an autobiography written by both Shayne and Norman Sunshine, which was incredible in its profound and unapologetic honesty. This solo memoir is equally brilliant but the voice of a younger Shayne who still has the innocence of youth really shines through. When he meets Roger, that boyish energy still exists, more so even against Roger's maturity. The backdrop of war and the physical and emotional toll of distance are central to Shayne's ability to assess his trajectory, and the room he needs to spread his wings is beautifully portrayed. Once again, Shayne delivers a heartfelt story that allows a further peek into the life of a legend. Very highly recommended.

Alan Shayne began life as Alan Schein. The Rain May Pass opens when he is fifteen, living with his parents, and dogged by uncertainty. His future, his sexuality – nothing is clear - and his parents are an ill-matched, argumentative couple. His father is a health freak, and his mother appears to inhabit a world rarely touched by reality. Summer, as always, Alan is to spend helping distant, cold Nana with her Cape Cod shop, unpaid. Into this maelstrom step older boys experimenting with homosexuality, which leaves Alan deeply ashamed. It takes a long time for a memory of child abuse to resurface and explain the root of his fear. Roger, an attractive man of thirty, opens Alan’s heart to love and his mind to his future – the theater.

The Rain May Pass by Alan Shayne is incredibly open and honest. It would help youngsters of either sex to appreciate that we are what we are and the rocky road to acceptance is also the path to happiness. It is one of the few full-length books I have read literally in one sitting. Alan speaks from the pages as if he is talking to a friend, and it would be rude to interrupt. Mentally, I climbed beside him as he clawed his way up the ladder to his first professional appearance on Broadway. I had had no idea that he overcame humble beginnings to reach the heights that he has – actor, director, producer – as a president of Warner Brothers Television. Alan Shayne has demonstrated yet another talent with his dazzling memoir, The Rain May Pass.