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< Salvation Army (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents) > < Be Near Me > < The Vast Fields of Ordinary > < Road to Love > < Brooklyn: A Novel > < American Studies: A Novel > Abdellah Ta,ïa

price：~~$4.78~~
Semiotext(e)
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customer 's review
(Gay in Morocco)

(Interesting to read.)

(Between a rock and a hard place)

("Where does it come from, the darkness of this world?")

Tala, Abdellah. "Salvation Army", translated by Frank Stock with an introduction by Edmund White, Semiotext(e), 2009.

Gay in Morocco

Amos Lassen

Abdellah Tala gives us his autobiographical coming-of-age story that begins in Sale, Morocco where he was raised in poverty. When he was a young adult he fell in love with an older man who showed him Europe and the idea that he could leave home and all of the repression behind, Tala's life is one of breaking taboos which include his incestuous desire for his older brother, a first love with a man, and a meeting in a public bathroom, This is a candid account of growing up gay in a country where it is a crime to be so,
Tala now lives in France and he writes about his first contacts with Europeans. He tells us about his traditional Moroccan family and how he met tourists from Switzerland and his first sexual desire for another young Arab, he writes about his family and he writes about love.
Many of us are tired of reading coming-out stories but this is one unlike any other and it renews our interests in the stories of coming to terms and coming out. It is written simply and quite straightforward and we are with Tala with his self discovery and his sense of uncertainty. He exposes his country in a way that few others have been abode to do. The book is both sensitive and funny and it tells all. We begin with Tala's childhood which existed in family order and latent homosexuality to his sexual awakening in Tangier to his arrival in Europe and his exposure to the ways of the west. We feel his fears and desires as he asserts the differences between Morocco and the world. His country is a theocracy where homosexuality is a crime and there are prejudices everywhere. Tala is the self-proclaimed first openly gay autobiographical writer to be published in Morocco. He has lived in Paris for the last eight years but his work has found its way to his homeland.
This is not an average coming-of-age story because it takes place in a culture where Tala is not even considered to be a part of the population because of his sexuality. Tala has the amazing ability of being able to put things into perspective but unfortunately his story is not fully told-simply because it could not be. However, there is plenty here. Frank Stock has done an amazing job of translation and the scenes and the characters come across as very, very real. This is an eye opener and a book that must be read to be believed.

Interesting to read. Having been in Morocco a number of times, this book perfecftly reflects the Moroccan mentality.

"Salvation Army" by Abdellah Taia is not a complicated on the surface. It tells the story of a young and naive gay Moroccan who grows up in large family and later comes to Europe in the pursuit of sexual freedom. When his lover does not show up at the airport to pick him up, he is forced to seek shelter at the Salvation Army (and therefore the title).

Right? Not really. It is not your average coming out story. Not at all. Taia puts together an amazingly sobering story about growing up in a culture in which your reality is not considered. He is love with his brother and the brother may not even notice. The very fact of having eleven siblings can leave anyone feeling lost in their own family, but Taia retains a distinct personality through and through.

Whether he is writing about North Africa or Western Europe, Taia seems to have found a way to put things in perspective -- at least for himself. He finds North African lovers be warm, passionate and full of love for life. On the other hand, his Western European affairs tend to leave him yearning for more. And while he finds laughter and the exotic bliss of life in his family, it is Western Europe where yearns to find the peace and happiness one finds in freedom.

In the end, for me it was not a story fully told. Perhaps this is the Western jadedness in me. Perhaps I had forgotten what it was to be from the East, cultures where the less people reveal the better they feel. Or perhaps it was all lost in the translation. Whatever it was, I felt cheated. I felt cheated out of the details of a wonderful story. Would I buy it again? Oh, so yes.
I came to this book under the spell of Alistair McCartney's persuasive review in a recent issue of LAMBDA BOOK REPORT. (Part of it is reproduced above.) He had me all excited. And then when I got the book I turned to Edmund White's enthusiastic preface and it was even more enthusiastic than what Alistair had written. But nevertheless, when I finally turned to Taia's text I found a different book entirely than the one the two great novelists had described to me. Were we all blind men, and SALVATION ARMY the elephant in the parable? Yea, I think we are.

McCartney looks at the book as a version of the coming-out novel that was once a staple of gay writing, given new freshness by its unique setting and, perhaps, by the extreme subject position of its main character. White views it partly as a jeremiad against Western sex tourism. I kept reading through the whole thing and couldn't find either of those books; what I saw was the astonishingly frank story of a young boy who knows his feelings are an offense to society, but who persists in them anyhow. His incestuous love for an older brother--a brother much, much older, a brother old enough nearly to be the boy's father--his delight in the brother's company, in his fruity cologne, his body--is the book's core, and then there's another story tacked onto it about having two affairs with Swiss men, and how cold the Swiss guys are compared to the hot, passionate men of Morocco. But whole sections of the novel seem to have slid off the sides of the page, so that I close the book feeling a hunger for what has been left unsaid, unwritten, or censored, perhaps by the same self that has been so eager to detail the intricacies of Abdelkabir's butt in and out of those sexy black underpants.

Frank Stock's translation is pretty amazing, and you feel like you are right there, in Geneva's cold capital, on the hot beaches of North Africa, or wherever Taia chooses to bring you. For me, SALVATION ARMY just needed one more thing, can't tell you what exactly, in order to recommend it to you without reservation.

An autobiographical novel by turn naïve and cunning, funny and moving, this most recent work by Moroccan expatriate Abdellah Taïa is a major addition to the new French literature emerging from the North African Arabic diaspora.Salvation Armyis a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Taïa's life with complete disclosure—from a childhood bound by family order and latent (homo)sexual tensions in the poor city of Salé, through a sexual awakening in Tangier charged by the young writer's attraction to his eldest brother, to a disappointing arrival in the Western world to study in Geneva in adulthood. In so doing,Salvation Armymanages to burn through the author's first-person singularity to embody the complex mélange of fear and desire projected by Arabs on Western culture.

Recently hailed by his native country's press as "the first Moroccan to have the courage to publicly assert his difference," Taïa, through his calmly transgressive work, has "outed" himself as "the only gay man" in a country whose theocratic law still declares homosexuality a crime. The persistence of prejudices on all sides of the Mediterranean and Atlantic makes the translation of Taïa's work both a literary and political event. The arrival ofSalvation Army(published in French in 2006) in English will be welcomed by an American audience already familiar with a growing cadre of talented Arab writers working in French (including Muhammad Dib, Assia Djebar, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Abdelkebir Khatibi, and Kātib Yāsīn).

Native Agents series
Distributed for Semiotext(e)
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< Salvation Army (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents) > < Be Near Me > < The Vast Fields of Ordinary > < Road to Love > < Brooklyn: A Novel > freaks

< Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr > < Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door > < Pieces of My Heart: A Life > < Audition (Vintage) > < American Prince: A Memoir > < Perry Mason - Season 3, Vol. 1 > Starr Michael

price：~~$8.48~~
Applause Books
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customer 's review
(Quick read)

(Kindle version leaves much to be desired)

(Hiding in Plain Sight)

(Disappointing but not without value)

(Disappointing Biography!)

If you are looking for a biography that dishes out the dirt on hollywood then dont read this book. I found the book interesting but no big revelations about Raymond Burr. Worth a read.
This addresses only the Kindle version of "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr" Wow, what a huge disappointment. I downloaded the sample (First chapter) and was dismayed to see that it appeared to be a REALLY bad photostatic copy. The text looks like it was simply scanned (without any editing or reformatting) and is being sold as a Kindle version. The font is terrible, the spacing is bizarre...in short it is a mess and not worth 99 cents, never mind $9.99. This is the first Kindle book (other than some free titles of very old copyright free titles) that I have encountered this problem and I sure hope it will be the last. I would be glad to pay 9.99 for a properly formatted edition, but not for what looks like a 1980 Xerox copy.
This book about Raymond Burr was everything I had expect. I bought it for a great price and have it with all my other Perry Mason/Raymond Burr collection. Anyone who likes the Perry Mason series and the actor himself (Raymond Burr) would definitly like this and want to add to their collection.
Cheers to Michael Seth Starr for devoting a book to a beloved character actor the likes of whom rarely receive the biography treatment. Raymond Burr's name never appeared above the title on the big screen, but unlike other actors who never made the A list, he was a genuine superstar of TV and more recognizable than many brighter marquee names.

Unfortunately, "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr" emerges as little more than a summary of the actor's career, seemingly patched together from news clippings and TV Guide interviews. The title is almost too perfect in that Burr remains hidden even after his biographer is done with him. The closest thing to a revelation here isn't much of a revelation at all: Burr was gay, and concealed his homosexuality with elaborate tales of marriages that never occurred and conveniently ended in tragedy. Burr even fabricated a son whom he claimed he took on a world tour prior to his death from leukemia. Remarkably (or should I say predictably?), the press never questioned these tales during his lifetime and faithfully repeated them in the numerous profiles that appeared through the years.

It's certainly no secret why Burr created this smokescreen. Homosexuality was even more of a taboo in his heyday of the `50s and `60s than it is now. The slightest whiff of a lifestyle that didn't conform to the mainstream majority could end a career, especially for a burly actor with a tough guy persona who didn't fit the fey stereotype. But however active his sex life, Burr was discreet. Unlike other closet cases, he left behind no trail of lovers to corroborate the rumors. Burr left only Robert Benevides who quietly shared much of his life. As a result, Starr provides little insight into his subject's homosexuality or whatever toll the need to hide took on his personal or professional life. There was an incident involving a female impersonator in a Greenwich Village bar that made a minor ripple in the tabloid press in 1961, but otherwise Burr avoided any hint of scandal. As for public pronouncements, the closest Burr came to coming out of the closet was an offhand comment about bedding a GI that he supposedly made to a TV producer.

There are other problems with Starr's book. His repeated references to Burr's weight seem borderline nasty, and he could have used a more diligent fact checker. Burr never hosted "Saturday Night Live" as Starr claims (he's probably mistaking the star of "Perry Mason" for Broderick Crawford of "Highway Patrol" who did indeed share a stage with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players), and I'm pretty sure that the "ridiculously curly wig" Burr wore in the failed "Mallory" pilot was actually his own curly hair (as seen in Hitchcock's "Rear Window") during a time out from the barber.

Ultimately, "Hiding in Plain Sight" fails to be anything but a fleshed out catalogue of Burr's acting credits and a rehashing of known facts about a man who lived an all together exemplary life. Admirably, Starr acknowledges Burr's concern for those less fortunate. The actor not only adopted several Vietnamese children, but also financed the educations of others who lived on the island he purchased with his "Perry Mason" fortune. That won't be tantalizing enough to make it a best seller, but it does give Starr's book value.

Brian W. Fairbanks

I was really looking forward to reading this biography about Raymond Burr as I knew little about his private life. Like many others, I admired him as an actor in both films and T.V.

Mr. Starr apparently discovered that there few facts about Mr. Burr's private life available since he used many pages to give us three basics facts. First, Mr. Burr was gay and allowed disguising profiles to be made up about him by the studios. Second, he was overweight for most of his life. Last, his typical response to inquiries was "I don't talk about that."

This book is a waste of your money for sure! Perhaps you will find it mildly interesting if you check it out from the library. It certainly can be read quickly!
The complete story of the actor's career, including his secret gay life. Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir star regularly known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window, he delighted millions of viewers each week with the top-rated shows Perry Mason and Ironside, which ran virtually uninterrupted for 20 years. But Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when such a lifestyle was akin to career suicide. He invented a tragic biography for himself in which he was mythologized as a heartbroken husband and father. There was even an invented affair with a teenage Natalie Wood, 21 years his junior. He fought for truth as Perry Mason and Robert T. Ironside, yet he couldn't admit his own deception. Burr met his partner, struggling actor Robert Benevides, on the set of Perry Mason, and they remained together for over 35 years until Burr's death. Together, they built a business empire, traveled the world, and shared their passion for orchids and fine wine - keeping the true nature of their relationship a secret from all but their closest friends - a secret revealed here for the first time in depth.
Rerations
< Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr > < Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door > < Pieces of My Heart: A Life > < Audition (Vintage) > < American Prince: A Memoir > freaks

< Death Without Weeping: The Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil (Centennial Book) > < Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India > < Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman > < Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village > < Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World > < Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor (California Series in Public Anthropology, 4) > Nancy Scheper-Hughes

price：~~$2.90~~
University of California Press
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customer 's review
(Too many errors, factual, historical, literary...)

(a gripping ethnography)

(This book in NOT a representation of life in Brazil!!!)

(Classic Modern Ethnography)

(Routina)

It's hard to take this work seriously when it's so full of errors. The author became a self-proclaimed Brazilianist overnight and it shows. A good ethnography requires more than what went into this work, although it's an interesting topic and a great job of anthropological showboating.
Giving birth to a healthy human being and watching it grow into personhood is something most Americans take for granted. Many cultures the world over see the concepts of `personhood' and `human-ness' very differently than we view them here in the U.S. Americans would likely see granting responsibility to a neonate his/her own will to live or die as a form of abuse. This culture-bound perspective lies in stark contrast to societies that grant (often out of economic necessity) the newborn the agency to determine for his/herself the right to live or die.

The book Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes and the article "When Does Life Begin?" by Lynn Morgan explore the ideas of `human-ness' and `personhood' from two different perspectives. The examination of both works leaves me to ponder the stark contrast between my own culture and that of the Alto de Cruziero, as described by Hughes, while begging the question of whether babies of the Alto are pre-social persons.

Lynn Morgan's article attempts to highlight the oftentimes subtle and arbitrary distinction between `human' and `person.' She argues that humans are biological beings while persons are humans that have been socialized into their culture. By Morgan's definition, a person has a socially recognized moral status and by virtue of certain rites of passage, assumes rights and responsibilities in society. Additionally she describes a pre-social person as a living being that must endure said rituals and steps to become a person. Unlike Morgan's cross-cultural survey, Hughes describes one society, the poverty-stricken region of the Alto do Cuiziero. The women of the Alto face an astonishingly high infant mortality rate. Perhaps that economic-based reality figures prominently in the notion that, unlike here in the U.S., the neonates are seen as pre-social persons with the right (and responsibility) to determine whether they will live or die.
In the minds of Alto parents, the neonates are born into the world having already made the decision whether or not to live. Any weak or otherwise unhealthy baby is said to have, "Come into the world with an aversion to life" (Hughes: 368). The weak or ill babies are "too under demanding, too willing, and too likely to die" (Hughes: 386). Says one Alto mother; " I think that if they were always weak, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves in life. So it is really better to let the weak ones die." (Hughes: 369). Hughes suggests that babies are born knowing that their life will be difficult, even if they survive the first year or so when they are finally seen as humans. Says another mother of the Alto, " If she died, it was because she herself, on seeing what was ahead, what was in store for her, she decided to die." (Hughes: 370).
Perhaps the babies are presumed to know that it will be easier on their families if they die early on. Since the parents face staggering poverty and blight, it is clear that certain economic factors control the allocation of love as a resource. A compelling reality exists for all mothers in the poor shantytown according to Nancy Hughes: "part of learning to mother on the Alto includes knowing when to let go of a child who shows that he wants to die." (Hughes: 364). Hughes clearly believes that the relationship between mother and child in the Alto is based largely on a culture of poverty. She addresses the concept of "Mother Love" as being learned behavior--and not biological instinct- that enables the women of the Alto to cope with the inevitable deaths of many of their young.
It is difficult to definitively answer the question of whether babies are `person' or `human' because different cultures view and define various social statuses differently. Lynn Morgan states: "the infant must `prove' itself worthy of personhood; first by managing to survive, then by exhibiting the vigor and health of one destined to become a functioning member of the community. If it survives and thrives, it is ready to pass through the social birth canal, to be ceremoniously welcomed as a person into the community." Other than a physical evaluation upon their birth, the babies of the Alto do not have the luxury of proving their survivability to their parents. If seen as not healthy or strong enough, they do not receive the resources of care necessary to survive. Morgan also states: "Social birth gives the neonate a moral status and binds it securely to a social community." The so-called social birth of Alto babies occurs simultaneously with their biological birth. Unlike in the U.S., they are pre-social persons born with the knowledge and the agency to decide if they live or die.
As readers, people should always be careful about the way they write a review of a book such as this: it is not in any way shape or form a representation of "life in Brazil." It is a representation of what life in some, I repeat, some poorer areas of Brazil can be like... but even so, being originally from Brazil and having traveled in my country, I can give anyone a million examples of poor or people who live under the poverty line, who are loving, decent, clean, concerned with the well-being and protection of others first before their own. I despise it when people file anything under the "generalization" category about other countries, and Brazil seems to always get a bad wrap in this sense. Brazil is an amazing country, culturally rich and diverse, geographically gorgeous and varied, and when speaking of a country with 186+ million inhabitants, how can anyone generalize under any one specific term about this or that factor? Not all mothers -- by a very very long stretch -- in Brazil fit the mode portrayed in "Death without weeping," and hope to have made that absolutely clear here: misinformation of this kind is absurd, and using the subhead "The Violence in Everyday Brazil" even more irreponsible from such a noted author.
Scheper-Hughes not only crafts a thorough, complex ethnography, but she takes a risk by putting a piece of herself into it as well. Here is the introduction I wrote for a term paper about this book:

Anthropologist Nancy Scheper-Hughes covers rough territory in Death Without Weeping, an ethnography about sugar cane workers in Northeastern Brazil. In chapters eight and nine she discusses the concepts of maternity and infanticide in a manner that dissolves their seemingly diametric natures and exposes an enigma of conflict and confluence inherent in their layered reality. But how can we contrast our established notions of maternity and infanticide with Scheper-Hughes' statements about them in a context that is emically true to the population her research is based on? Some things about maternity might seem clear: positive maternity encompasses nurturance and doting love, while negative maternity suggests neglect and even murder; yet Scheper-Hughes brings into question commonly held notions about the biological necessities and cultural expectations of maternity that reveal contradictions, blind alleys, and misleading parochial assumptions. This ethnography about the sugarcane workers of the Alto do Cruzeiro slum in the town of Bom Jesus, Brazil causes us to re-evaluate our understanding of maternity in the face of established cultural and biological contexts, and invites a more detailed, elemental, philosophical gaze. The observations made in Death Without Weeping force us to retreat in search of a neutral ground free from the biases we may hold about `American' or `Brazilian' maternity, and abandon our fear of naivety by asking, what in fact is maternity, and what do we know about it?

A gripping book, a masterful ethnography.
This book doesn't tell us anything we don't already know. Also it tries to interpret events. Anybody with internet access can read about favelas of Rio and the "parallel government" that rules the shanty-towns.

In fact, at least two groups in Rio give tours of these slums. And you will find things quite peaceful (the tour operators have not been injured in over 15 yrs of giving tours).

In a word: it's all about (drug) money.
When lives are dominated by hunger, what becomes of love? When assaulted by daily acts of violence and untimely death, what happens to trust? Set in the lands of Northeast Brazil, this is an account of the everyday experience of scarcity, sickness and death that centres on the lives of the women and children of a hillside "favela". Bringing her readers to the impoverished slopes above the modern plantation town of Bom Jesus de Mata, where she has worked on and off for 25 years, the author follows three generations of shantytown women as they struggle to survive through hard work, cunning and triage. It is a story of class relations told at the most basic level of bodies, emotions, desires and needs. Most disturbing - and controversial - is her finding that mother love, as conventionally understood, is something of a bourgeois myth, a luxury for those who can reasonably expect, as these women cannot, that their infants will live. The author also wrote "Saints, Scholars and Schizophrenics: Mental Illness in Rural Ireland".
Rerations
< Death Without Weeping: The Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil (Centennial Book) > < Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India > < Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman > < Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village > < Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World > freaks

< Players > < Heavenly Bodies > < Watermark > < Playing Hard to Get > < Uncovered: Rare Vintage Male Nudes > < Champions > Rick Day

price：~~$33.30~~
Bruno Gmunder Verlag Gmbh
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customer 's review
(Rick Day)

(Sexy, Masculine, Beautiful!)

I had to put the book down halfway because it was just overwhelming beauty of male physiques!
This is an incredible collection of sexy men. The quality of the book is exceptional! Every photograph is well staged and captures the true physical beauty of these male models.
His models have an exhibitionistic tendency. Photos are worked over to give the bodies a strong and special glow. 'I wanted to blur the lines of sexuality with this project. Men and women should be able to turn the pages and lose themselves in beauty and lust' - Rick Day.
Rerations
< Players > < Heavenly Bodies > < Watermark > < Playing Hard to Get > < Uncovered: Rare Vintage Male Nudes > freaks

< Marked > < Slave Boy > < The Assignment > < With Caution > < Diving in Deep > < Crossing Borders > Joely Skye

price：~~$1.72~~
Samhain Publishing(2008-10-28)
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customer 's review
(An Unusual Werewolf Story)

(Engaging, fun)

(disturbed me)

(Interesting story!)

(Marked by Joely Skye)

Skye, Joely. "Marked", Samhain Publishing, 2009.

An Unusual Werewolf Story

Amos Lassen

Liam and Alec are two alpha males and their story is filled with drama and hope, tension and tenderness. This is the story of a romance that is a fun read.
Alec has been marked as prey but he refuses to fall for Liam, a werewolf. However, he must turn to Liam for protection. Alec is attracted to Liam but he is not sure about a relationship with him. Alec has had an experience with a werewolf before Liam and he has been marked for death. Liam wants to protect Alec even if it means he must kill some with whom he once ran. This is because Liam has chosen Alec to be his mate.

There were many things I liked about this book. The plot was fast paced and the writing was strong. The paranormal element of this story was very well done- it was very clear that the werewolves were *wolves*- with their own disinct body language and society- and not humans with the ability to shapeshift. I also found the characterization very strong, and the characters' actions- by and large- made sense to me.

Although this book has a bit of a 'fated mates' storyline, it isn't shoved down your throat the way it is in JL Langley or Christine Feehan's novels. I found Alec's reaction to the whole 'you're my mate' revelation quite believable- I really like that the book didn't turn into a gigantic sap-fest. Both of the main characters have seriously messed up histories and huge psychological issues that aren't going to be fixed in a few days time, and I'm glad the author didn't try to wrap everything up in a neat little package.

I had two issues with this book. The ending felt very abrupt- the story didn't feel like it was over, and it was honestly a bit jarring to have it end where it did. From what I understand, though, the author plans to write more books in this world, and so perhaps at a later date there will be more of a resolution (the main plot is resolved, I should point out, but several secondary plots concerning female characters- Sharon and Claire- are not).

My second issue was with the sex. While I bought into the romance, and loved Liam and Alec together... I didn't buy into the sex. I suspect the author is not all that familar with the mechanics of anal sex- there was far, far too little foreplay for the actual intercourse to be plausible, especially when the charactering bottoming was mostly unfamiliar with doing so. Rough sex is possible, but only with an appropriate build up (both Jordan Castillo Price and KA Mitchell write excellent rough sex without veering into BDSM territory). So while I'll read this story again for the romance, I'll be skimming over the bulk of the sex scenes (and this is quite disappointing for me, as the lead up to these scenes is very, very hot!).

Overall, this is a strong paranormal romance and I enjoyed reading it. I will definitely be buying more of this author's works.
I just read half the book, and don't plan on finishing.
The character developement is very shaky in this book.
Alec, main character, self discribed Top who a year prior to the start of the book was drugged kidnapped and marked to be dominated by power crazy wolves. He is a normal guy that lives as anti social min wage book shelver who only talks to one other coworker and reads books to young teens. He lives in constant fear and self doubt but doesn't do anything.
Liam, other main character, Top Alpha wolf who loses control half the time when he is doesn't demand to be completely in control of himself and the sexual situation.
Blah, story starts out sexy and interesting but falls into a awkward gay b-rated movie plot. I visualized the bad acting and everything.
The characters really try to be likable, and any of their flaws might be lovable, but they don't make it.
The plot goes from interesting, to disturbing, to silly.
Again I didn't finish it, I keep flipping through it to see if it might get better. No luck yet. I would be interested to see what this writer also comes up with, because I really wanted to like the book.
I have been reading a few e-books now and then and I came across this one. I have really been enjoying the m/m stories. Skye writes the story well. I was impressed and look forward to reading more of her books.
This is I think the most unusual werewolf story I have ever read. Alec is a young gay man. We don't have much physical description about him, but I can imagine him like a nice guy, handsome but not stunning. And he has had a very bad experience one year before with a quad of rogue werewolfes which has left him with scars on the body and in the mind. He fears anything and anyone. So when Liam, the older brother of a child he has known in the library where he works, begins to approach him, Alec reacts badly.To be true Liam is not much of a word, and his sexual approaches are a little rough. But Alec, despite his mind screams abuse, finds his body react to this man.

Liam is a very young (24 years old) and very hansome man. He could have anyone he wants but he has a strange behaviour and most people go away after the first encouter. And now he has a little brother to take care and so it's almost two years that he hasn't met no one. But what he draws him to Alec, is not only sexual need, it's also the calling of his mate. Cause Liam is a werewolf and now he has to protect not only his little brother from the rogue quad, but also his new-found mate.

Liam is an alpha male but he really doesn't act like that. He is tender and uncertain. He has strong feeling and hard reaction, but he is also very young, so he really doesn't understand all what happening around him. Alec is somewhat more adult, but he has fear. He doesn't trust no one, but he is not a bad man, so when Ian approaches him more like a wrestler than a lover, his first impulse is to refuse him, but then he maybe sees the need of physical contact in the eye of the younger man.

I really have some problem to well describe what has drawn me in this book. It's maybe the writing style, or the strong connection I can feel between the two characters. It's maybe the fact that both men are really strong but at the same time they show weakness and a need to be hold into the arms of a lover. The sexy is very hot, but "realistic": they fight and then they make sex and after sex they are too tired to continue the fight... a really good way to stop the fighting!
Marked as prey, Alec refuses to fall for a werewolf. Until he's forced to turn to Liam for protection. Alec Ryerson carries a scar over his heart and scars on his psyche, ugly reminders of a nightmare that still doesn't seem quite real. Even a year later, he stays inside on full-moon nights and avoids most peopleuntil he meets the strange and beautiful Liam. Liam feels an undeniable pull toward Alec. However Liam is a werewolf; Alec is a human who clearly has trepidations about a relationship. Then Liam discovers he is not the first werewolf Alec has encountered. Alec has been marked for death by the murderous "quad," a group of twisted werewolves who prey on humans. Now the quad's sights are set on recruiting Liam's eight-year-old brother into their murderous pack. Liam will do everything in his power to protect both his brother and Alec from the wolves, even if it means calling in favors and killing those with whom he once ran. Because Alec, like it or not, is Liam's chosen mate.
Rerations
< Marked > < Slave Boy > < The Assignment > < With Caution > < Diving in Deep > freaks

< I Told You So > < What the L > < Kate Clinton: The 25th Anniversary Tour > < Poseidon and the Bitter Bug > < Justice for All > < Don't Get Me Started > Kate Clinton

price：~~$9.20~~
Beacon Press
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customer 's review
(Fun-To-Read)

(K8's Gr8t!)

Just finished this book, it was fun-to-read, Clinton is smart and funny and an enjoyable writer. -- Annette Williams

Just saw Kate in Asheville, NC a few weeks ago, she was hilarious. I got this book as soon as we got back. She is funny, way funny, but more than that, she is wicked smart and right on target. She should have her own tv show a'la Jon Stewart. Get this book, you will laugh out loud, and learn something in the process.

I Told You Sois a hilarious, bittersweet, and politically acute survival guide. In collected columns and routines, Kate Clinton gleefully details personal coping techniques tested over a lifetime. They’re perfectly suited for political and cultural upheaval: wildcatting for democracy, curbing your cynicism, and changing the climate. Read them and you’ll never be voted off the island.

Clinton’s new collection spans refreshingly disparate topics: sexual hypocrisy and gay marriage; girls gone wild and boys gone to war; Hillary Clinton and U.S. politics; Obama props and prop hates; baptism and waterboarding, as well as intelligent design, families of choice, and even bee colony collapses. With intriguing titles such as “The Sistine Shusher,” “Lights out on Bush,” and “The Closet and the Confessional,” the essays in the book are classic Clinton—provocative, thoughtful, and edgy.

As a humorist for over twenty-five years, Clinton believes that making light—light enough to see and light enough to move—is what sustains us. What unites the essays is a Möbius strip of humor intended not to dissipate outrage but rather to motivate action.

Rerations
< I Told You So > < What the L > < Kate Clinton: The 25th Anniversary Tour > < Poseidon and the Bitter Bug > < Justice for All > freaks

< Punishment With Kisses > < September Canvas > < No Leavin' Love (Matinee Romances) > < Between the Lines > < Blue Skies > < Stranded > Diane Anderson-Minshall

price：~~$4.78~~
Bold Strokes Books
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customer 's review
(A Book You'll Want to Enjoy Over and Over)

I don't normally read books more than once, but I'm already well into the second reading of "Punishment with Kisses." What a great book. Parts of it were hard to read, but those parts were so necessary to the story. I loved the characters and really wish I could have met Ash.

The depiction of Portland and all it has to offer made me want to hit every place at once.

My favorite part was when Megan found Tabitha's shrine to Ash and decided to masturbate on her bed with the red dress. I was cheering all the way! That was AWESOME!

And the fact that the author could add so much dimension and give so much life to the characters while writing it all in first person POV was impressive.

Seriously - one of my new all time favorite books
Home from college, Megan spends her days in her east wing room of her parents' palatial estate overlooking the pool house where her sister has taken up residence. Her sister Ashley spends her days wildly bucking convention, bringing home a bevy of female lovers, each one more dangerous than the last, and making love to them by the pool--in plain view of her sister, their conservative parents, and their bewildered staff. Ashley stays out all hours, goes places that she doesn't tell anyone about, and keeps secrets that only she knows. Then one night, Ashley is murdered, and when the case grows cold, Megan immerses herself in her sister's underground life in order to find out who killed her and why. She starts by finding Ashley's diary and begins a sexual odyssey all her own. Will she find the answers she seeks or will her growing relationship with one of Ash's exes blind her to the real truth?
Rerations
< Punishment With Kisses > < September Canvas > < No Leavin' Love (Matinee Romances) > < Between the Lines > < Blue Skies > freaks

< Tales of The City Audio Collection > < More Tales of the City (Showtime Tie-In Edition) > < Further Tales of the City (Tales of the City Series, V. 3) > < Babycakes (Tales of the City Series, V. 4) > < Significant Others > < Sure of You (Tales of the City Series, V. 6) > Armistead Maupin

price：~~$44.95~~
HarperAudio(2000-05-30)
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customer 's review
(Over the Rainbow)

(No heart!)

(Maupin: Well known, but new to me.)

(An All-Time Favorite)

(Sister Carrie Goes to San Francisco)

If you're looking for a wonderful trip to a fantasy land, this is the book for you! The good news is that the trip won't end after this book. There are five more books in the series.

I was given this book over twenty years ago and I immediately went out and bought each of the others after I had read the preceding ones. I have read through the entire series at least three times and it has been just as refreshing each time I have done so.

If you're gay, you will love these books. They will take you on a nostalgic trip back to a time when gay life was indeed gay. Of course, it was a bit crazy, just as these books are, but that was part of the charm of coming of age.

Whether or not you are gay, you will fall in love with the endearing characters in this book. They represent a cross-section of humanity. They get involved in some of the most delightfully comical situations. The book is full of laughs.

I especially appreciate that since I am the author of a series of comedic books. [...] Armistead Maupin has undoubtedly been a significant influence upon my own writing.

The nice thing about this book is that you could read it over the course of a long rainy afternoon. It could also be savored like a box of chocolates by just reading a chapter at a time. That is not my style. I love an engaging book and this is one that will make you want to keep turning the pages.

This book, as is the case for the others in the series, is bound to become a classic. It paints a wonderful picture of a simpler time in the beautiful surroundings of San Francisco. Get ready for a trip over the rainbow.

Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

I know I am going to be in the minority here, but this is the most overrated novel I have read in a very long time. In fact, I did not even keep it after reading, but rather donated it to charity.
I had heard many good things about this text for years, and finally picked it up. Based on reviews, and what I had heard I was expecting a book in the vein of Dickens, with characters that leapt off the pages and spoke to the human condition. Only one character, in my view, lived up to that expectation. The landlady of Barbary Lane, Mrs. Madrigal. The other characters felt one dimensional, and as a reader I was completely uninterested in their lives. This is a dangerous thing for a character driven novel to do.
Tales of the City felt like a soap opera to me, not at all the interesting character study so many have made it out to be.
My advice, read E.L. Doctorow instead for great realistic characters.
Or, if you want the San Francisco setting, then read Christopher Moore's vampire series set in San Fran. This series might not be considered "great literature", but at least you recognize the characters and see their humanity.
As for the Tales of the City volumes...my trip through those tales is cut short.

Who am I to review this man's writings? Still, it's fun to be asked to share my ignorance. Many books, by todays' authors, are touted as being hysterically funny, etc. Unfortunately, for me, I find that although I am said to have an excellent sense of humor, these fall rather flat well before the end of the stories.

Maupin allows us to enter the world of the Gay and Straight communities, without forcing either on us as being the "correct" one. I enjoyed how brief he made each chapter, yet (at any given point) tied them together and continued the stories of the several lives, to whom he has introduced us.

There were some "whimsical" moments, and fewer "outright humorous" scenes, however, I had no trouble finishing the book, and look forward to reading his next two installments.

As they used to say on one of the 1950's Teen Dance Shows, on TV, "It's a catchy tune, but a little hard to dance to. I'll rate it as a 7. I will rate this book with 3 stars. If I had laughed, 'til I had tears in my eyes, I'd have given it 5 stars.
This book will make you laugh, cry, and leave you hungry for more. Do yourself a favor and read the entire series. Maupin creates a coterie of friends that I love and revisit often. They may be fictional, but I think of his characters as family.
This is a fun, late-20th Century take on the old theme of the virtuous midwestern girl who moves to the big city. Ulnlike Sister Carrie, though, Mary Ann Singleton is not so much the focus of the book as she is the touchstone by which other characters are measured and reveal themselves. Unfortunately, she lacks some of the emotional depth and appeal of Siste Carrie. Indeed, most of the characters in the book are paper thin. The result can be amusing and an excellent vehicle for satire, but not something that has great literary value. Maupin is more like Tom Wolfe than Dreiser in his ability to spin amusing yarns that have a good sense of the pulse of American culture, but without the depth and pathos that make for great literature.

The real hero of the book is not so much Mary Ann as it is the two most appealing gay characters (Michael Tolliver and the closet gay gynecologist) who, despite their untraditional lifestyles, conduct themselves according to a moral code that would resonate with traditional American and Christian values. Indeed, perhaps the book is most significant for its ability, 30 years ago in a different and less tolerant time, to portray gay characters realistically and sympathetically.

I find some of the upper class characters to be unbelievable and less than paper thin. Maupin is at his best in portraying the less lofty. Also, as a heterosexual who lived in San Francisco just a couple of years after this was written, I did not witness the ridiculously loose sexual mores portrayed in the book. Either Maupin is exaggerating to an unpardonable degree, or I horribly mis-spent by youth.

The plot is a soap opera, but the book on a whole is entertaining and worthwhile.
All six Tales of the City novels available in one audio edition with a special introduction by the author Armistead Maupin's uproarious and moving Tales of the City novels have earned a unique niche in American literature; not only as matchless entertainment, but as indelible documents of cultural change in the seventies and eighties Among the cast of this groundbreaking saga are the lovelorn residents of 28 Barbary Lane: the bewildered but aspiring Mary Ann Singleton; the libidinous Brian Hawkins; Mona Ramsey, still in a sixties trance; Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, forever in bright-eyed pursuit of Mr. Right; and their marijuana-growing landlady, the indefatigable Mrs. Madrigal. "Maupin, with all his elegance and charm, has found a place among the classics." -The Observer Includes: Tales of the City More Tales of the City Further Tales of the City Babycakes Significant Others Sure of You

Since 1976, Maupin'sTales of the Cityhas etched itself upon the hearts and minds of its readers, both straight and gay. From a groundbreaking newspaper serial in theSan Francisco Chronicleto a bestselling novel to a critically acclaimed PBS series,Tales(all six of them) contains the universe--if not in a grain of sand, then in one apartment house.
Rerations
< Tales of The City Audio Collection > < More Tales of the City (Showtime Tie-In Edition) > < Further Tales of the City (Tales of the City Series, V. 3) > < Babycakes (Tales of the City Series, V. 4) > < Significant Others > freaks

< The Secret Tunnel > < The Back Passage > < The Palace of Varieties > < Hot Valley: A Novel > < The Assignment > < Murder Most Gay > James Lear

price：~~$5.83~~
Cleis Press
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customer 's review
(The Return of Edward Mitchell)

Lear, James. "The Secret Tunnel", Cleis, 2008.

The Return of Edward Mitchell

Amos Lassen

James Lear has the knack of combining erotica with a good story and I look forward to his books. "The Secret Tunnel" is a great combination of sex, seduction and a good detective story. One thing about Lear's erotica is that it is always fresh and when he combines it with a good mystery, we have a book that is hard to put down. As sexy as this book is, the language and the story are what wins the reader over. The sex is graphic but it is accompanied by a good deal of comedy and this makes it a pleasure to read.
Edward "Mitch" Mitchell who we met in Lear's previous book "The Back Passage" returns in a parody of Dame Agatha Christie's famous "Murder on the Orient Express". Mitch is traveling to meet his ex, Morgan and when he boards "The Flying Scotsman", he discovers that he has an interesting group of fellow travelers. There is Daisy Atheneasy, a movie actress who is known for her sleazy roles, her publicist, Peter Dickinson and a Belgian power bottom named Bertrand. Also on board is a group of soldiers in kilts, railway workers, and a dead body in the loo.
When all of these come together, we get a story unlike others that will keep you worked up, guessing and laughing.

Handsome, muscular Edward "Mitch" Mitchell is back in this steamy send-up of Agatha Christie'sMurder On The Orient Express, travelling from Edinburgh to London for a reunion with his ex, "Boy" Morgan. All aboard the Flying Scotsman for a ride that's anything but smooth, as Mitch discovers his fellow travellers include Belgian power bottom Bertrand, sleazy starlet Daisy Athenasy and her butch publicist, Peter Dickinson. Add to the recipe a group of kilt-wearing soldiers, some very accommodating railway workers and a dead body tumbling out of the toilet, ant you have a magical mix of comedy, mystery and non-stop sex.
Rerations
< The Secret Tunnel > < The Back Passage > < The Palace of Varieties > < Hot Valley: A Novel > < The Assignment > freaks

< On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep with Men > < Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment > < On the Up and Up: A Survival Guide for Women Living with Men on the Down Low > < Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America > < Coming Up from the Down Low: The Journey to Acceptance, Healing, and Honest Love > < The Straight-Up Truth About the Down-Low: Women Share Their Stories of Betrayal, Pain and Survival > J. L. King

price：~~$2.59~~
Harlem Moon(2005-04-05)
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customer 's review
(Good trendsetter, but now we have Keith Boykin, so who needs this book now)

(All Black Woman Should Read This Book)

(on the down low)

(When Opportunity Knocks)

(real stuff)

Great when it first came out because it was such a novel issue, but if you really want something good go to Keith Boykin. thats it. JL King fails to answer the most straightforward question his book poses: What is DL? He walks around it, then does summersaults around it, then runs circles and finally wrappes it with layers of gift wrap but FAILS to answer what Down Low is. Maybe he is being down low about the definition of Down Low.
I read this book in one day...I couldn't put it down. After reading this book I was discussing it with one of my guy friends and he told me that he was actually on the down low. I suspected him long ago but after reading this book...I knew and he came clean and told me. We had a lot to talk about and this book helped me understand him and what he was going through. I was truly educated.
This book is an eye opener I think young men and women should read this book to become aware of what is going on in todays society.
Sounds like this King character is nothing more than an opportunist. I find it amazing 1) that he only decided to talk about this AFTER he had been caught/exposed; 2) that he does not condemn the behavior, and his only words of encouragement to those practicing such behavior is to "protect yourself". Even though his secret has been discovered, what says he has stopped this foolishness? Remember, he claims to have had these tendencies since he was a teen, and first acted on those tendencies when we was 19 years old! The message that he is sending is LOUD and CLEAR...He does not condemn the behavior and has no problem exploiting it for gain -- a book first, and now a "tour" with his ex-wife? Wake up PPL...He claims to be a God-fearing man, so what is Godly about the position and stand that he has made?...The Bible has a word that describes people like J. L. King;

2 Peter 2:12-15 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Every woman need to read this, If we pay attention the signs are their this is a manual for all ladies to live by...
A bold exposé of the controversial secret that has potentially dire consequences in many African American communities
Delivering the first frank and thorough investigation of life“on the down low” (the DL), J. L. King exposes a closeted culture of sex between black men who lead “straight” lives. King explores his own past as a DL man, and the path that led him to let go of the lies and bring forth a message that can promote emotional healing and open discussions about relationships, sex, sexuality, and health in the black community.
Providing a long-overdue wake-up call, J. L. King bravely puts the spotlight on a topic that has until now remained dangerously taboo. Drawn from hundreds of interviews, statistics, and the author’s firsthand knowledge of DL behavior,On the Down Lowreveals the warning signs African American women need to know. King also discusses the potential health consequences of having unprotected sex, as African American women represent an alarming 64 percent of new HIV infections. Volatile yet vital, On the Down Lowis sure to be one of the most talked-about books of the year.
“A survey by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta found that nearly a quarter of black HIV-positive men who had sex with men consider themselves heterosexual.”
—Essence
The closer a secret is kept, the more powerful the impact once it is finally revealed. Such is the case with author and activist J.L. King's intriguing look at the lives and lifestyles of black men who sleep with other men but do not consider themselves to be gay. These men live "on the down low," the "DL" for short, and their sexual activities have gained significant notice as the rate of HIV/AIDS infection in black women has skyrocketed, with the vast majority of cases coming from heterosexual sex. King is a veteran of the DL himself and his book serves partly as a social and psychological survey of the other men he has surveyed and partly as highly candid memoir. King was well regarded in his community, popular at his church, successful in his career, and married to a woman who had no idea that his secret life existed. But when she caught him in a lie and with another man, the marriage collapsed and King's long and painful path to self-awareness began. King cites the negative image many socially conservative black men have of homosexuality as an obstacle to those men being honest with their partners and themselves about who they are. Among the more intriguing elements ofOn the Down Loware the peculiar approaches men on the DL have to the sexual act, seeking a strictly physical sexual relationship with their secret male partners while remaining in more traditional arrangements with women. Whether this discrepancy is a product of scrupulously guarded secrecy and shame or the natural preference of an understudied sexual identity is one of the numerous questions raised by this book. Though the infection statistics make the DL a huge public health issue, King is neither a sociologist nor a medical professional. And while a more clinical look at this issue would be welcome, King accomplished what he set out to do: provide light and insight into a world that so many have worked so hard to keep in the shadows.--John Moe
Rerations
< On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep with Men > < Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment > < On the Up and Up: A Survival Guide for Women Living with Men on the Down Low > < Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America > < Coming Up from the Down Low: The Journey to Acceptance, Healing, and Honest Love > freaks

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