John Steven Welch The One Who's Gonna See You Through - John Welch

“GJ, you is blessed. . . .You got Daddy! Your momma ain’t no different than Ida upstairs or me down here, she just can’t ’cept it. But your daddy, your Daddy ‘gonna see you through.”

The One Who's Gonna See You Through

The One Who’s Gonna See You Through is a work that bridges the commercial/literary divide.

The gay interracial theme here is seldom explored and the absent mother/loving father configuration brings a different lens to this work. The approach to the story in The One Who’s Gonna See You Through sets the more familiar trope of the angry, Black, homophobic father aside and abandons the more well-trodden storyline of steadfast single Black motherhood. By the story’s end, GJ recognizes that his father’s early and invaluable acceptance of difference laid the foundations for the happiness and realization he has experienced as a gay man throughout life. He resolves within himself that he must finally accept his legitimacy as both a Black man and an upper-middle-class one.

A searing portrait of GJ, a young black man growing up in a non-conventional household, The One Who's Gonna See You Through by John Steven Welch is a unique sociological snapshot of the gay experience in America. GJ grows up in a strictly codified neighborhood where social status is clearly defined along lines of color, work, and behavior, while also trying to find his way in the insular black gay bar scene of his adolescence. The inhabitants in each of these communities are finely drawn with detailed observations, straddling the line between fiction and memoir with a compelling cast of characters. The effect is a zeitgeist captured through the lens of a young man exploring his burgeoning gay identity and learning how to navigate the wider class-driven world around him, resulting in a historical work that is also deeply insightful about contemporary life."

A powerful work of autofiction told through the lens of a gay black man growing up in the United States, The One Who's Gonna See You Through by John Steven Welch turns stereotypes upside down and offers a fresh tale of life in America. GJ's father stands by him through thick and thin, while his mother is absent due to her drinking and lifestyle choices. As he grows up, GJ struggles with his sexuality and the chaotic world around him, only discovering later how strong of a support system his father was in his life. A story that is intensely personal while illuminating the struggles in larger communities, Welch's novel shines a light on facets of the American experience that are too often misrepresented or ignored.

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“Our very own pint-size version of Liz Taylor in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf materialized in the midst of an otherwise mundane family evening.”

The quest over many years was to unearth my dream and allow its pursuit to nourish a longing soul.

Author John Steven Welch

John Steven Welch loves writing and has pursued different forms of it throughout his life. Welch holds a doctorate in art history from Princeton University with his dissertation on nineteenth-century British photographer, Roger Fenton. He also holds a master’s from Princeton and a bachelor’s from Columbia University (GS). Welch has authored numerous articles and served as assistant editor and author for a special issue of on the State of Black Museums, The Public Historian, August 2018.

An art historian with 15+ years of museum experience including positions as: Director of Education, Program Manager, and Administrator. His work as a Museum Educator focused on strategic planning, community outreach, K-12 program development, museum volunteer (docent) training and management, and audience engagement.

Turning now to fiction, Welch has produced a debut novel which charts an urban black Youth’s coming of age in Washington, D.C., during the 1960s and 70s. It blurs the line between literary and commercial fiction, written from the perspective of a gay Black man coming to term with his sexuality, race, and class—a story about unique paths of love and difference leading to elevation and, ultimately, self-actualization.

I knew though Landon and I had a shared existence as bullied kids at school today, and possibly as gay men in future, we would always be different in the eyes of middle-class black respectability stalwarts.

A relentlessly honest reflection on surviving and thriving as a gay black man in America, The One Who’s Gonna See You Through by John Steven Welch is a triumphant and revelatory novel. The life of GJ Boils is rarely easy, from navigating the boarders in his childhood home to reckoning with an intentionally absent mother and his own culturally frowned-upon desires, his story is one of struggle, adaptation, and inspiring resilience. Welch’s moving portrait examines the unresolved and too often undiscussed conflicts of race and sexuality in our modern age, doing so through vulnerable and endearingly flawed characters. Written with a compelling narrative voice, pointed dialogue, and a powerful undercurrent of social commentary, this is a standout read that takes on issues rarely covered in fiction or memoir.

The One Who's Gonna See You Through

"The One Who's Gonna See You Through" is available at these online retailers

"The One Who's Gonna See You Through"
is available at these online retailers