Divinely inspired: the gloriously transgressive drag star returns, as seen by friends and his mom. (Music / Books).

When we think of Divine--drag's late, great leading lady--we envision him surrounded by the extended film family of trash auteur John Waters. Picturing Divine with an actual mom and dad is more of a stretch. Which is one reason why your friends in and out of cha-cha heels will appreciate My Son Divine. Frances Milstead brings an unassuming sweetness to the story of her son, Glenn (known to his friends as Divine or Divy). Full of photos, including many never published, the book also features reminiscences by friends and colleagues, including photographer Greg Gorman; Hairspray costar Ricki Lake; and, courtesy of past interviews, Divine himself.

Divine (Interview magazine, 1988): "[When John Waters was making his first films] he used his friends. He called me `Divine' because he thought I was ...

"John started giving lectures where he'd introduce me as `the most beautiful woman in the world, almost.' I would come out and have a `modeling fit,' throw a fish at the audience--Baltimore is a big seafood town--and rip telephone books in half."

Greg Gorman: "He would constantly be doing a spoof of the Divine character around all of his friends. We were having dinner together ... once, and everybody will tell you how much Divy loved to eat. We were ordering, and Div had this incredibly soft voice, almost a whisper. The waiter had to bend down almost to the center of the table to hear him murmur, `I'll have a Caesar salad and the pork chops with the fettuccini on the side.' Suddenly, the dining room shook with the booming, inimitable Divine voice: `AND DON'T BRING ME ANY OF THOSE FAG PORTIONS!'"

Frances Milstead (Divine's mom): "One of the nicest things he ever did was to dedicate one of his disco singles, `Walk Like a Man,' to his dad and me. Every time I hear the record, I think of the scorn he endured in junior high and high school, being told he walked like a girl. Of course, Glenn did what he wanted to do no matter what people said, and he found a way to touch many lives through his talents as a performer. That, I think, is what it truly means to `walk like a man.'"

Gay Astrology: The Complete Relationship Guide for Gay Men by Michael Yawney (Warner, $12.95) Meet, greet, date, mate: savvy advice for gay men from a gay astrologer.

Vanishing Rooms by Melvin Dixon (Cleis, $14.95) Dixon, who died of AIDS complications in 1992, wrote this sexy '70s interracial love story set in Manhattan's West Village. First published in 1991, this is his final novel.

Love, Above the Reach of Time: Two Stories of the Ladies of Llangollen by Anna M. Curren (LadyePress, $22.95) Noted textbook author Curren turns to romance with the true story of Lady Eleanor Butler and the Honorable Miss Sarah Ponsonby, who eloped in the late 18th century and lived together more than 50 years.

Milking the Moon: A Southerner's Story of Life on This Planet by Eugene Walter, as told to Katherine Clark (Crown, $25) Eugene Walter (who died in 1998) was a Southern boy whose adventures in New York and Europe included appearing in Fellini films and palling around with the likes of T.S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas. A delightful oral autobiography.

Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography by Anne Edwards (St. Martin's, $27.95) Anne Edwards (biographer for Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, and others) brings her lively way with a story to bear on the life of the diva's diva.

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Spy: An Original Jane Bond Parody by Mabel Maney (HarperEntertainment, $14) What happens when James Bond loses his nerve? His lesbian twin sister, Jane, steps in. Out satirist Maney (The Case of the Good-For-Nothing Girlfriend) comes up with a zany spoof. Great for the killer woman in your life.

The Lantern Bearers by Ronald Frame (Counterpoint, $24) A brooding story, set on the coast of Scotland, of a young boy's gay awakening via a fierce crush on a young composer. Winner of Scotland's prestigious Saltire award for 2000.

Cher: If You Believe by Mark Bego (Cooper Square, $27.95) Well, really, no synopsis necessary. Suffice it to say that the facts come thick and heavy in this entertaining bio, which even includes a "boyfriendography."

Outbound: Finding a Man, Sailing an Ocean by William Storandt (University of Wisconsin Press, $29.95) This fine memoir hops between the storms of Storandt's coming-out and the adventure of an ocean sailboat voyage with Brian, the man he loves. A handsome gift for landlubbers and salts alike.

The Song of the Earth by Hugh Nissenson (Algonquin, $24.95) This 2001 novel had cult status the minute it appeared, combining science fiction, the pursuit of art, and gay obsession. In the near future, a young man is genetically--and illegally--engineered to be an artist. Like his mother, he's gay. Way out there.

Positively Gay: New Approaches to Gay and Lesbian Life, Third Edition, edited by Betty Berzon (Celestial Arts, $14.95) The original edition of this book brought gay info to a generation. This revised and updated edition includes all the latest on same-sex partnerships plus much more. Essential. --A.S.