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< Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School > < Women without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity > < Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity > < Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men > < Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality > < Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity (Law, Meaning, and Violence) > C. J. Pascoe

price：~~$7.02~~
University of California Press
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customer 's review
(A high school teacher for 36 years speaks.....)

(Excrement on paper)

(I'm Glad I Read This)

("Dude, I'm Not Gay")

(Fight Destructive Pop-Culture)

During the 36 years I taught high school science I occasionally came across a modified type of behavior Pascoe speaks of. I consider that I was "tuned in" to what was going on around me in the "student world."
However, although there were times when students (both boys and girls) would be "picked on" for one reason or another - and, although teens can be hurtful to one another I never experienced kids as vicious nor as "sexual" as the boys who attended Pascoe's River High. River High had a much smaller attendance than where I taught - so - maybe kids at River
interacted more frequently and knew each more intimately than the kids at my school. We all know that hormone levels are running high in teens, but at River High it seems like hormone levels were in "flood stage."
And even that is being too kind for this vile blob of feminist tripe. I've read many books but almost none have reached the level of thinly masked hatred on paper that "Dude, You're a Fag" has. While the title, alone, is offensive, the contents are far more offensive than what one might expect. I was forced to read this book for a class. While I tend to be rather accepting of many things (and admittedly have limited tolerance for others), this book is, without question, one of the most bigoted piles of misandrist garbage imaginable.

After getting over the initial shock of the childish title and glancing through the book, - it appears that the topic of masculinity and sexuality in high school is genuine. Nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, if one can get past the title, the book appears be worth reading. It didn't take long, however, to figure out that not only does this book have an agenda (to bash males) but also served as part of the author's dissertation at UC Berkeley. Pascoe makes it quite clear, from the beginning, that she is looking at male behavior from a "feminist perspective" and launches into her shocking "research" that serves only to reinforce her hatred of all things male.

Pascoe spends a considerable amount of time at the pseudonymous "River High," a school located somewhere in Northern California (apparently, near the San Francisco Bay area). Her main "subjects" included the boys in weight lifting and auto shop classes (ostensibly bastions of "maleness"), drama groups, the school's Gay/Straight Alliance club, and the "basketball girls" (a self-identified group of loudmouthed tough girls). Sounds reasonable to me - NOT! While there is nothing wrong with any of these individual subsets of students found within the educational milieu - I've known plenty of wonderful people (male and female) who are interested in weight lifting, auto mechanics, and sports, as well as many fine people who are gay - Pascoe goes out of her way to find the most dysfunctional kids possible (especially boys) and then generalizes that each is representative of all others within that population.

Of the kids Pascoe studies, she focuses on those with a plethora of problems - the outcasts and kids on the fringe of society. If I remember correctly (I had to constantly guard against my gag reflex from overcoming me), only one of those kids (the lesbian homecoming queen - now, isn't that a paradox in itself?) aspired to attend college. The heterosexual boys were all oversexed fornication machines with one purpose in life (you get one guess as to what that might be) and, no matter how bizarre or sexist the girls behaved, their actions were often described as "playful" (isn't that nice?). Just as disturbing is that in comparison to anything the boys might do, girls who engaged in sexist behavior were described as cute. For example, one girl likes to wear men's ties which, of course, anyone familiar with psychoanalytic theory should immediately associate with a giant phallus. Granted, the obvious association is very clear, even if psychoanalytic theory is now as old as stale bread. Sadly, it would appear that Pascoe also relies upon psychoanalytic theory (which, again, is extremely sexist) as one of the models she utilizes for her "research."

Another rather disturbing thing is that Pascoe frequently refers to the "masculine literature" - something which, of course, she never really identifies and which is certainly lacking from her rather extensive references (nearly all of which come from feminist sources). It came as no surprise when Pascoe finally identifies herself as a lesbian at the end of her book. It's one thing to conduct unbiased research but Pascoe's clear bias as an angry misandrist shines through from the beginning. Hopefully, someone will eventually examine the topic of masculinity and sexuality in high school, without the obvious hatred of men that Pascoe spews, in the future.
This is a fantastic book! It's easy to read, insightful, and incredibly thought provoking. As a teacher and as a man (not that this is a requirement), I whole-heartedly recommend this book to all those interested in society and our schools' reflection of it. It's a great contribution. Thank you.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the punishment males receive througout their lives at the hands of sexism, patriarchy, homophobia and heterosexism.

In my book, 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real Love I write:

Being raised male in the heterosexist culture means avoiding and distancing yourself from being viewed as gay in any way. Gay is synonymous with effeminate. This is inherent sexism, as if being associated with anything female would denigrate you. In our culture, being male is a privileged status, and anything else is viewed as inferior.

A number of times I've had a straight man notice my wedding ring and ask if I'm married. I'll say, "Yes," because I am. When he asks my wife's name, I pleasantly correct him and tell him that I'm married to a man whose name is Mike.

Often, the guy steps back and immediately exclaims, "Dude, I'm not gay!" He may then proceed to ask, "Why did you choose to tell me you're gay?" as if I had a sexual motive, or tell me he was "grossed out" by the idea.

Now, I never implied that he was gay by telling him I was, nor did I have any ulterior motive. I was simply correcting him, just as when people wish me a Merry Christmas. I nicely tell them I am Jewish; whereupon they usually respond politely by saying, "Oh, sorry! Happy Hanukah!" I've never seen anyone back away, exclaiming, "Dude, I'm not Jewish. Now all I can do is imagine you in a yarmulke in synagogue and I'm grossed out. You're trying to convert me?"

"Dude, I'm not gay" and "Dude, You're a fag" are both ways to distance one's self from anything "less than a man" in Western Culture!

I am ordering a copy of this book because I believe that this is a very important subject that exposes a major problem in our culture. Our society tells men to never be emotional and to be as heterosexual as possible through actions, thoughts and speech. Men who do not conform to this mold are ostracized. Women are also imbued with this idea that such one dimensional men embody "masculinity", which causes them to devalue themselves in a quest to live up to the male-defined societal standard of hetero-sexiness. No one can have authentic, deep relationships in a world where everyone is acting on such a narrow script. If there had been a positive force in my life to show me how damaging this process was I likely would not have withdrawn from the world and developed a sex addiction by trying to create a fantasy life through the computer. I think I would not have been emotionally detached from my wife and nearly ruined my marriage that way. I could have avoided the severe depression I experienced in high school and the intense social isolation I felt as a result of having bisexual fantasies. I think that teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and other adults in a position to influence the minds of teenagers should pick up more books like this in an effort to better understand the damage that popular mores (such as gay bashing, hypersexualized media, etc.), when unchecked, have on young adults.
High school and the difficult terrain of sexuality and gender identity are brilliantly explored in this smart, incisive ethnography. Based on eighteen months of fieldwork in a racially diverse working-class high school,Dude, You're a Fagsheds new light on masculinity both as a field of meaning and as a set of social practices. C. J. Pascoe's unorthodox approach analyzes masculinity as not only a gendered process but also a sexual one. She demonstrates how the "specter of the fag" becomes a disciplinary mechanism for regulating heterosexual as well as homosexual boys and how the "fag discourse" is as much tied to gender as it is to sexuality.
Rerations
< Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School > < Women without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity > < Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity > < Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men > < Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality > freaks

< The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World > < Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men > < Ten Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives > < Coming Out of Shame : Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives > < 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real Love > < The Half-Empty Heart: A Supportive Guide to Breaking Free from Chronic Discontent > Alan Downs

price：~~$5.10~~
Da Capo Press
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customer 's review
(The Curtain Has Lifted)

(Great book!)

(A Life-Changing Book!)

(Understanding Internalized Homophobia)

(Alan Downs did us all a favor)

The knowledge and insights of this book are immeasurable. Kept thinking I wish someone had given me this book 20 years ago. Should be required reading for every gay man on the planet. It's like a curtain has lifted from in front of my eyes, and the heavy burdens of guilt and shame I have carried because of my sexual orientation have been lifted. I am free! Thank you Alan Downs! I am free!
This is the first book which dedicates its entire thesis to the concept around the trauma of growing up gay and it is very well done.

Before healing can truly be complete for gay men and lesbians to fully experience the benefits of deprogramming ourselves from the heterosexist mindset that we are damaged goods, we must accept the trauma which exists from being told repeatedly we are damaged goods.

Great book!
This book was suggested to me by my therapist. I found the insights and experiences it shares cut right to the truth of my own life. The book's impact on me was so profound, I immediately bought copies for my closest friends. I've now given the book as a gift at least two-dozen times, and many of my friends have done the same with their friends - all of them feeling the same powerful response that I felt. Some of us have even re-read the book in "book club-style" discussion groups.

When I give the book as a gift, I always warn that the first half can be somewhat painful and depressing - dredging up all the crap of coming to terms with sexuality. But, as you read, the second half is truly awesome with the power to enlighten and transform your life.

I'm SO thankful this book exists. Drawing on years of real-world therapy work with other gay men, this book helped me understand myself in ways I thought no one else could relate. Reading it was a gift - and a seriously spiritual experience. Anyone who grew up gay deserves the gift of understanding and affirmation that The Velvet Rage offers.

I've never met him, but thank you Alan Downs for the gift you've given all of us!
This book is an excellent exploration of internalized homophobia, and specifically targets white gay men. There are a number of consequences that come with being gay- not only external threats like the threat of violence, the reaction of one's family, being out in the world, and other considerations, but the way we perceive ourselves and our own sexuality. There are a number of harmful patterns that get played out in queer communities, but we often don't discuss them as being directly linked to oppression. We often view them as our own failures/inadequacies. This book is an excellent method of explaining and pointing out common patterns and experiences of white gay men. If you are a gay man of color, this book is still useful, though written from a culturally white point of view. I am a queer woman of color, and still found it to be helpful and informative.
I was drawn to the book in the first chapter, and could not put it down. For the most part I recieved confirmation of my own point of view, as I started feeling like an outsider at age 40. Gay men over forty seem to have abondoned the arts for the disco, and still want to date 20 year olds and party cycle continues. Alan downs, put in to words a simle evaluation of where we are today and where we could be if we grow up. Thanks.
A groundbreaking examination of the psychology of homosexuality, why it leads to shame over one's identity and how to overcome it

The gay male world today is characterized by seductive beauty, artful creativity, flamboyant sexuality, and, encouragingly, unprecedented acceptability in society. Yet despite the progress of the recent past, gay men still find themselves asking, "Are we really better off?"

The inevitable byproduct of growing up gay in a straight world continues to be the internalization of shame, a shame gay men may strive to obscure with a faade of beauty, creativity, or material success. Drawing on contemporary psychological research, the author's own journey to be free of anger and of shame, as well as the stories of many of his friends and clients,The Velvet Rageoutlines the three distinct stages to emotional well-being for gay men. Offering profoundly beneficial strategies to stop the insidious cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior,The Velvet Rageis an empowering book that will influence the public discourse on gay culture, and positively change the lives of gay men who read it.
Rerations
< The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World > < Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men > < Ten Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives > < Coming Out of Shame : Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives > < 10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real Love > freaks

< The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction > < The History of Sexuality, Vol. 2: The Use of Pleasure > < The History of Sexuality, Vol. 3: The Care of the Self > < Discipline&Punish: The Birth of the Prison > < Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Routledge Classics) > < Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason > Michel Foucault

price：~~$2.80~~
Vintage(1990-04-14)
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customer 's review
(The History of Sexuality an Introduction by Michael Foucault)

(Foucault - the smart kid who doesn't do homework)

(Foucault's Pendulum of Human Sexuality)

(At the Bottom of Everything Lies the Struggle for Power)

(Foucault)

"The History of Sexuality" by Michael Foucault was a very good book. It is a very confusing book. I was assigned this book for my LGBT studies book in college and it was even difficult to understand for most of my class. Michael definitely crosses the line into some topics that some authors would not even consider to go into. The chapter about The Repressive Hypothesis was very interesting to me since I am a psychology major; it was neat to correlate both of my classes to this book by Michael Foucault. I would definitely recommend this book, if you would like to be challenged but are definitely ready for a good read!
More like a 3.5 if that was an option. Part of me hates rating this book so low, but I really have to. Here's why.

I love and hate Foucault more than just about any other philosopher. He is probably the pre-eminent French philosopher of his generation. The problem is that he is probably also the worst French historian of all time.

Foucault certainly has his moments and he's consistently entertaining (he's a very good writer and judging from his lectures, a great lecturer), but underneath it all, he's fundamentally lazy - he never does research studies or clinical work, he never looks outside France, he uses translations and secondary sources when he should be using original texts, he cites literature as if it is representative of the masses in the society in which it was written. Yet his writing is so confident, and his ideas so interesting and self-assured people believe him without checking his sources or his historical assertions.

He reminds me of the student I always have in my class who comes up with the best ideas but is unwilling to follow them through. The B student that should be an A+ student. He doesn't do homework, he doesn't show his work. I have to give them split grades. I'd give Foucault a split grade if I could - Ideas 5/5. Reasoning and Research 2/5.

In Foucault's case, he didn't do research outside France, he didn't reference or respond to contemporary History of Ideas works on Sexuality (e.g. Otto Kiefer's Sexuality in Rome and Greece, Van Gulick's Sexuality in Ancient China), he failed to develop a basic understanding of medicine, he cherrypicked texts that suited his arguments and failed to consider opposing arguments, and his Greek and Latin leave something to be desired.

His concept of the "repressive hypothesis" in this book is extremely interesting and well-reasoned (apart from the historical examples). His notion of biopower is also fairly intriguing, though not fleshed out in sufficient detail here (Psychiatric Power has more on it), and seems to be a kind of extension of the Hegelian for-itself (which is conceived in terms of relationships). He also very briefly, mentions third sex/intersexed individuals, which became a jumping off point for a lot of queer theory. Buyer beware - if you're looking for queer theory, it's only about a page or two, so you'll probably be disappointed.

Here's the real problem with this book - the examples, the historical scholarship. Foucault, determined as he is to prove (like Nietzsche did quite a bit more convinvingly in Beyond Good and Evil) the lack of foundation of contemporary morality bends the truth and fails to see things that are very obvious to medical professionals and more objective historians.

Case in point:

In a passage (31) and elsewhere in references to Ancient Greece, Foucault more or less writes an apologia for pedophilia. There is a problem though with all this - the unstated biological injunction. As someone who was an EMT - I can tell you something that should be obvious to someone as smart as Foucault, but wasn't - apart from normative moral concerns (which wouldn't concern an anti-foundationalist) - sexual intercourse with children physically and biologically injures them. I won't go into the gory details. If they're young enough, it could kill them. There's also the way young people respond to STD's. Sometimes, that's different, too.

Even if you completely dispense with normative morality and enact purely utilitarian laws based upon simply minimizing biological damage or instead engage in a minarchical system with protective services, this would still be largely prohibited either by law or contracted mutual assent.

In addition, Foucault does not understand biology very well and often uses outdated medical references like Pinel to represent current medical practice. The thing is Foucault is clever about it. It's a straw man, but it's a clever straw man, because he cites Pinel in a historical context and later as a means of (falsely) explaining the contemporary. Either that, or he just doesn't get medicine all that well.

Then there's Christianity. Oh, God, is Foucault ever wrong on this frontier. He even claims (117) the first treatise on sin was written in the 15th century. Off the top of my head, there are writings on sin as early as Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century (and perhaps earlier). You're ten centuries off, Foucault! That kind of oversight borders on ridiculous. How no one else has picked up on that baffles me.

I'd definitely read this book, but read it critically. It's not as inept in the scholastic sense as Madness and Civilization (which famously contains references to the non-existent Ship of Fools) but some of the scholarship is abysmal.

The French/Greco-Roman focus is a tad trying too, especially considering the wealth of available laws of quite a number of other major civilizations, which Foucault overlooks, presumably because they have male to male sodomy prohibitions which problematize his central arguments, or because of his obvious ignorance of other languages.

If this sounds overly negative, bear in mind - I like this book, and wholeheartedly recommend purchasing it. Just take it with a grain of salt. It has some extraordinarily interesting ideas, but alas, when I see it, I see what could have been if the author was more disciplined in his approach. If there wasn't so much there that was good, I wouldn't be nearly as upset by Foucault's sloppy scholarship.
In "the History of Sexuality", Foucault tried to use Nietzsche's genealogical approach that views concepts as changing constantly to fit the needs and provocations over time. Nietzsche used the genealogical approach gracefully in Beyond Good and Evil, and though I'm not completely convinced his ideas are correct; the gracefulness of his argument, and his personal experience with the chaotic political and moral nature of the European society he reacted to, form a compelling argument for his genealogical theory.
Foucault mocked Nietzsche's approach but prematurely formulated his "repressive hypothesis" of thinking by which concepts result from the inexorable avalanche of history, and that sexuality has been repressed throughout our political history, therefore the only way to political liberation is sexual liberation.

A side note: Foucault's "The History of Sexuality" is one of the basic justifications for the queer theory that proclaims the intersection between politics, sexuality, and gender. The whole normals vs. abnormal arguments are pointless and vague, as no one can tell what is normal or abnormal in the world. The arguments presented make no sense to me, are too relativist and do not rely on any scientific reason. It is a world devoid of absolutes where we must assume that anything and everything is permissible. This queer thinking recalls my college years, when I was irritated by new societies such as "The Society of Women Engineers" and the "The Society of Black Engineers". Next we will have" The Society of Queer Engineers" and "The Society of Tall Engineers'. What happened to treating humans as humans, who share life regardless of their gender, color or physical appearance? How can we ask for equality between genders when we defeat the whole purpose by being feminists or some other separate group?

Back to "The History of Sexuality", Foucault reviews history to find out why our sexuality became the key to unlocking the truth about us, and arrives at the relationship sex has with power and knowledge. Foucault traces the emergence of sexuality to the seventeenth century, when the Christian emphasis on sins of the flesh led to an increasing awareness of sexuality in family relations. His road to the genesis of human sexuality ends with the bourgeois of the nineteenth century, who effectively invented what we think of as "sexuality," and used it as a way of protecting and separating themselves from the other groups. Foucault acknowledges that sex is not our essence, but rather it is a social construct that makes it easier to control humans. Here Foucault didn't provide any definite prove to his theory. It even sounds more convincing that the opposite is the truth: Sex and all its biological drives are an essential part of our nature and, therefore, it makes us more susceptible to control.

The point Foucault tried to make in many lengthy ways is that how we understand certain concepts has a lot to do with what other concepts we link them to, and in this thought construct, sexuality is not a concept as much as means of linking concepts to each other. Foucault strong, initial argument that our sexual desires or behaviors themselves do not express profound truths about us, rather it is the discourse we have built up around those desires and behaviors that suggest the profound truth. These discourses are not fixed and changeable with time and needs. The growing importance of sexuality in our society reflects the fact that we have found more and more concepts that we can connect through sexuality, and in this way the "deployment of sexuality" is the way that we use sexuality to join different concepts. The history of sexuality is a history of class dominance, where sexuality is a social construct that can be used to link power and knowledge to sex in a variety of different ways.

Finally, Foucault arrives at the conclusion that human life (and its aspects including sexuality) throughout history came to fall under the control of politics, where "bio power" or the new power over life controls life through the discipline of the body and through the regulation of population. It's beyond me how Foucault arrived at this conclusion while discussing how wars got fiercer than ever, how the death penalty became a safeguard not an act of destruction, and how power seems now to control life and population.
I suspect that Foucault, through his arguments, wanted to weaken the concept of sexuality. By simply calling it a social construction, he will weaken the political powers themselves. I also suspect by the way that Foucault identified the four centers that have power and knowledge related to sex(hysterization of women's bodies, pedagogization of children's sex, socialization of procreative behavior, and psychiatrization of perverse pleasure) that he was trying to differentiate by what is socially considered a normal behavior and what is not. This is again a losing argument since it's purely a personal way of looking at things.

As a big fan of Nietzsche (his method of debate not his actual ideas), I don't think that Foucault even came close to Nietzsche's genealogical approach. Foucault took a very exciting topic and managed to destroy his argument with a lengthy complicated delivery, the biggest problem with some philosophers is that they are trying so hard to be original that they overlook the obvious or they wrap it up in such a complex knot you can't possibly untie it. .

Michel Foucault has based his entire corpus of history on the premise that society has been waging a battle between those at the center of society who wield power and those who live at the periphery and lack it. In THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY, VOL I, he does not present a history of sexuality so much as yet another opportunity to delineate another marginalized subgroup, those who wish to succumb to their inner sexual desires but feel refrained by society. Ironically enough, Foucault notes that until the Victorian Age, prudery more often reigned over licentiousness throughout history. It was not until the 19th century, that society began to allow greater freedom for those who wished to explore their own sexuality. There is an inner irony here that is not present explicitly in the book. Foucault himself was a total sexual hedonist who frequented San Francisco's bathhouses where he may have caught the AIDS virus that killed him in 1984. Further, he openly expressed his belief that adults should feel perfectly free to have sex with children. He alludes to this in the book as he writes of a simple minded country youth who shares a "milk curdling" experience with a prepubescent girl.

Foucault saw the 19th century as a true explosion of discourses on sexuality, the totality of which was to demolish the then emphasis on keeping sex and the topic of sex behind closed doors. The struggle for power shifted from a repressive state controlling the environment in which sex might reasonably be expected to thrive to one in which those who had been previously bereft of the right to deal openly with sex to now having an overabundance of that very right. THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY then is a minor variation on Foucault's obsession with accusing the center of massed power of first identifying, then declaring aberrant, then ultimately marginalizing those on the fringes. Oddly enough, this book is one of Foucault's more coherent explorations of those on the fringe.
Great introduction in the area of sexuality. Can be an asset to refrencing in academic work. In my opinion not really a book you could 'take to bed' as difficult to read.
The author turns his attention to sex and the reasons why we are driven constantly to analyze and discuss it. An iconoclastic explanation of modern sexual history.
Rerations
< The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction > < The History of Sexuality, Vol. 2: The Use of Pleasure > < The History of Sexuality, Vol. 3: The Care of the Self > < Discipline&Punish: The Birth of the Prison > < Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Routledge Classics) > freaks

< Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 > < Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology > < Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade (Strebor Quickiez) > < Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love > < Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment > < Succulent: Chocolate Flava II (v. 2) > Zane

price：~~$4.80~~
Strebor Books
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customer 's review
(Another great anthology from Zane.)

(The night time book)

(Missionary no More:Purple Panties 2)

(Similar And Almost The Same)

(missionary no more)

Purple Panties takes on some girl on girl action in the more bi-curious stand point. The stories are very adventuresome and really do pique the imagination. However, I would not recommend this one to the squeamish or faint of heart. This is real sex done by real women and it's quite graphic, which I liked. I thought it was refreshing to see such erotica on the market today, for those of us who might not take a walk on the wild side, but don't mind standing on the fence. Overall, a good and hot read, along with another in the same arena: The Other Woman: A Story of Ménage à Trois.
This book was so hot, it was smokin! I left this book right beside my bed at night and lets say it was my night cap. Smile
I had the first one so I needed the second one. I love Zane
MISSIONARY NO MORE is a collection of short stories geared towards the lesbian community. The stories vary in style and presentation. The stories within this compilation are graphic, some stories deal with fetishes and there is even a science fiction erotic tale.

The most memorable story to me is "Caged", which details the rise and fall of a young woman whose looks made prison a living nightmare and left her facially disfigured. Life for the young woman didn't get better behind bars until she allowed herself to be used sexually by the other inmates.

MISSIONARY NO MORE, as with the previous Purple Panties anthology, has to be read with an open mind. Even with my open mind, I was not as enthralled with many of the stories and at times, the stories were so similar they were unexciting. Although the writing wasn't bad, some of the stories were a bit too explicit for my taste and this collection lacked the sensuality of the original anthology.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

i am sad to say that i was kind of disappointed when i read this book. after i read purple panties i had very high expectations for this novel. but i was let down. for me personally i could have done without the males in this book, i was looking for strictly female on female only. dont get me wrong it did have some good stories. my personal favorite was the mile high club. what would be the coincidence that my name is also sasha lol
Steamy, sensual and poetically hypnotic,Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2is the follow-up to the bestsellerPurple Panties.

No one can debate the fact that Zane knows sex. The Queen of Erotic Fiction has hit home run after home run in the literary arena with her literary offerings. Now comes the latest, a collection of lesbian erotica that will have readers squirming on the edge of their seats, curling up beneath the sheets, and fantasizing about the possibilities.

Including such stories as "The Namma's Nectar," "Coast to Coast" and "She Loved a Girl,"Missionary No Moregives an insight into a world where love and lust have no boundaries. Come take a journey through the eyes of several women who have one thing in common: an appreciation for female sensuality.
Rerations
< Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 > < Purple Panties: An Eroticanoir.com Anthology > < Head Bangers: An APF Sexcapade (Strebor Quickiez) > < Dear G-Spot: Straight Talk About Sex and Love > < Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment > freaks

< Happy Onion > < Faith&Fidelity > < St. Nacho's > < Acting Naughty > < Tigers and Devils > < The Wolfe Proxy > Ally Blue

price：~~$2.81~~
Samhain Publishing
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customer 's review
(Cute)

(Sexy and Romantic)

(The Happy Onion)

(Really Happy Onion)

(A funny, sexy, sweet and romantic one from Ally)

After reading this I thought it was really cute. I usually like the bigger guy on top and the pretty and smaller guy on bottom but it was a surprising change. I really love it.
Blue, Ally. "The Happy Onion", Samhain Publishing, 2009.

Romantic and Sexy

Amos Lassen

Phillip Sorrells owns The Happy Onion, a restaurant and his manager hires Thomas Stone to be the new bartender. It just so happens that Thomas once slept with Phil and he hopes this will not cause complications. Phil, however, has not forgotten Thom and he is glad to have him on staff. Phil feels that Thom may be the man that he can spend the rest of his life with but Thom has a policy of not sleeping with the boss. Thom decides to find another job and this will give the two men a chance to be together without the boss/employees pressure. It doesn't quite work that way however as Thom's new job causes differences that neither of the two men were aware of and they could destroy any chances between them.
The book has humor, emotion, suspense and sex. Thom and Phil are great characters who are drawn well and their conflicts are realistic. Phil is the perfect balance for Thom--he is somewhat quiet and reserved where Thom is full of life. Phil is tall and blonde and quite the hunk and is the dominant of the two. Phil loves him and the two who would seem to be an unlikely match go well together. Their dialogue is fresh and their characters are three dimensional and are the kinds of guys that any of us could meet. When they come together the sex is hot. At other times they are protective of one another. This is both a touching and fun read.

After moving from Santa Fe to Asheville to start a new job, Thomas Stone is not pleased to find out the club he's supposed to be managing isn't opening yet. Broke and in need of a place to stay, Thom sets off to find a temporary job. He ends up finding a job bartending at The Happy Onion, a vegan restaurant. He celebrates by going out to a club, intending to get laid.

Philip Sorrells is bored with the scene at his favorite hangout, at least until a hot young man walks in the door. He's more than glad to pick the guy up, and the night and morning that follow are incredible. Things get weird, however, when he learns his one-night stand is working at his restaurant. Phil wants to pursue a relationship with Thom, but Thom's reluctant to have any sort of relationship with a boss. Other issues intrude as well. Can these two very different men figure out a way to be together?

The Happy Onion has a little something for everyone. There's humor, emotion, hot sex, and even some suspense. The characters are all very likeable, especially the hot-tempered, young-looking Thom and Phil, whose delight in annoying Thom just to get a reaction made me snicker. The conflicts between Thom and Phil struck me as realistic, especially given how different the two men were and how Phil felt about Thom's future employers. Of course, the love scenes between them are hot and sometimes emotional as well. While The Happy Onion won't be replacing Eight Arms to Hold You or Willow Bend as my favorite Ally Blue book, it was certainly an enjoyable read. If you're a fan of Ms. Blue or just gay romance in general, you're sure to enjoy The Happy Onion just as I did.

Cassie
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Liberal vegan meets corporate carnivore. What could possibly go wrong?

Never sleep with the boss. Ever. Thomas Stone has one cardinal rule and he broke it unintentionally when the man he slept with his first night in town just happens to be his new boss. His life is screwed up enough and the last thing he needs is another complication, which is exactly what Phil would be if he allows his one-night stand to develop into something more. But he can't seem to keep his hands off the man. What's a guy to do?

Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant The Happy Onion is the hot little blonde he slept with and can't forget. Thom is Phil's dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy and he's tempted to follow it. But Thom, who had a very bad experience with his previous boss, decides that his personal health and welfare are too important to risk even for the hottest sex he has ever had and he tells Phil that as long as he remains in his employ it's hands off. Then the original job for which he had been hired is back in play and romance is in the air once again. But things don't run smoothly for our two lovers - Phil is a nature-loving tree hugger and Thom sits on the other side of the fence as a corporate climber. These differences in ideology raise their ugly heads time and again and threaten their fragile bond. Thom and Phil find that their new relationship may not be able to sustain the pressures of everyday life.

Hunky 6 ft Phil and small, gorgeous, blonde Thom have an unlikely sexual relationship as Thom is the Dom in bed and out of it and Phil can't get enough of his `little' man, whom he lovingly calls "Bubbles" for reasons you can read about in the book. What I really love about this couple is that no matter how mad they are they always look out for each other. The sex was truly exceptional and enlightening. I don't want to spoil some of the surprises in the book, but I would like to know where the author conducted her research and did she use live subjects. The sex was hot as a poker just out of the fire, smooth as butter and when you mix in the emotion emanating from Thom and Phil you get an incendiary, combustible explosion.

The dialogue in The Happy Onion is sparkling, fresh and incredibly funny and the characters of Thom and Phil are so real and three dimensional you wouldn't be surprised to meet them in the local vegan store or neighbourhood bar. The twists and turns of the plot kept me engaged until the end and the villains were very well drawn and realistic. Ally Blue is a truly gifted writer. The Happy Onion rocks!
Not Allys' usual but she has given us one amusing, sweet, charming and light hearted romance with 2 very likable characters. A hunk who loves to bottom and a little spit-fire who tops. When these 2 come together the sex sizzles. Certain scenes are just pure fun and sexy. The dream featuring a blanket, Phil insisting Thom resembles one of his favorite carton characters (no spoiler here) have me chuckling aloud.
Thom and Phil are so different in character but that is where the fun is. Phil annoying Thom because he finds a fired-up Thom so sexy is just comical. And it is nice to have the seemingly submissive Phil in their relationship so possessive and protective over Thom, who is forced to be tough throughout his life because of his smaller physique and pretty face.
Of course Ally manages to inject some angsy moments into her romance too. I have a fun time reading this one and I thought Thom, who has nothing in the beginning of the story, finally finding a home with Phil is just touching.
Liberal vegan meets corporate carnivore. What could possibly go wrong? Thomas Stone has one sacred rule: Don't Date The Boss. Ever. So when he finds out his new employer is the man he took to bed his first night in town, he's less than happy. He doesn't need any more complications in his life, and the way Phil makes him feel definitely qualifies as a complication. Especially since he can't seem to keep his hands off the man. Philip Sorrells is thrilled to discover that the new bartender his manager hired for his restaurant, The Happy Onion, is the aggressive little blond he slept with once and can't forget. Thom is Phil's wet dream come true, from his angelic face to his fiery temper. For the first time, Phil hears the siren song of monogamy, and he's tempted to follow it. When Thom leaves The Happy Onion for a job managing an upscale nightclub, it looks like a chance for him and Phil to be together without the whole boss/employee thing hanging over them. Instead, Thom's new position brings out previously unsuspected differences in their world views. Differences with the power to destroy their fragile bond. So how will this nature-loving tree-hugger and corporate-ladder climber navigate this political minefield in the name of love? Very carefully. Warning, this book contains bad language, good music, vegan personal care products and lots of hot, dirty mansex.
Rerations
< Happy Onion > < Faith&Fidelity > < St. Nacho's > < Acting Naughty > < Tigers and Devils > freaks

< Small Packages (Shaken series) > < Blue Skies > < No Strings > < Justice for All > < Stranded > < Warming Trend > KG MacGregor

price：~~$4.78~~
Bella Books
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customer 's review
(3rd time is another charm!)

I really enjoyed this 3rd story in the Shaken series. Lily&Anna are settling nicely into married life, when, by chance, Lily's past&family drop a "small package" into their midst. On KG's site is a quote, "While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." - Angela Schwindt. It sums up the book nicely. Lots of fun, love&angst. Those who have read the Shaken book (or story online) will recognize the addition of a real twist toward the end that, I feel, adds so much to the story&the depth of the characters.

The epilogue is a surprise&happily, ensures 1 more book in the series. At least it better or KG will need her own security detail!!

Yes, I enjoyed the heck out of it&"Highly Recommend" it.

InWithout Warning, they fell in love. In Aftershock, that love was tested and reaffirmed. Now Anna and Lily Kaklis face questions about family and future when a homeless woman is killed in San Francisco, leaving a three-year-old who happens to be Lily's nephew in foster care.

Lily will not allow her birth mother to ruin another childhood, but ways to save the little one rapidly dwindle. She can't arrange for adoption herself, not when Anna is clearly terrified at the prospect of raising a child.

Anna is happy to let Lily do the temporary parenting necessary until a suitable adoption placement can be found. It won't last long, and then their lives will go back to normal. At least that was the plan, then Lily is called away. Anna finds herself alone with her worst nightmare: a toddler.

In this third book of The Shaken Series, 2007 Lambda Literary winner KG MacGregor continues the compelling tale of two women who discover that real love has no limitations.
Rerations
< Small Packages (Shaken series) > < Blue Skies > < No Strings > < Justice for All > < Stranded > freaks

< Justice for All > < No Strings > < Blue Skies > < Warming Trend > < Stranded > < Secrets in the Stone > Radclyffe

price：~~$5.42~~
Bold Strokes Books
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customer 's review
(A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet...)

(Visiting old friends)

(Not Disappointed)

(Die Hard Radclyfee fan forever)

(Eagerly awaited and fabulously rewarding read)
This latest in Radclyffe's Justice series really stands out and deepens the dimensionality of the characters. However, the quality of the storyline is only enhanced by the sheer erotica of the text. Three protagonist couples - Rebecca and Catherine, Michael and Sloan, Dellon and Sandy - combined with this author's tendency to maximize masterfully-written sex scenes yields a book that could be considered an erotic anthology as well as the drama it is intended to be.

Radclyffe was my first exposure to LLL fiction. Of all her books, I have only been disappointed by two (gave 4 stars instead of 5). One of those was the latest installment in the Honor series (Word of Honor) because the story is losing steam. I was afraid that would happen with the Justice series as well with this 5th book (not including `A Matter of Trust'), but it has certainly held on. You can read the other reviews, especially the one by E.B. Mulligan, to see the story details. My intent here is to tell you this is a great book and shouldn't be missed.

Bottom Line -- This reader considers `Justice for All' to be one of the best in the series. Excellent continuation of a great storyline.

Latest addition to Radclyffe's Justice series.

I have no idea why I love this bunch of people as much as I do, and I must say that the book could probably be really crappy and I wouldn't have noticed. Ok, so I might notice, but I'm not sure I would care.

It wasn't crappy, not at all. It picked up right where the last one left off and was action packed right to the last page.

There were some things that didn't work for me as much as the previous books in this series did though. There was an additional POV that I don't think existed in the previous books, the one of the 'bad guy'. I'm not entirely convinced that it was necessary to the story or that the information it provided could not have been provided in any other way. It felt awkward in the flow, especially since there really wasn't a lot of it. I also felt that the Rebecca/Catherine relationship in this book was more a rehashing of the previous books and didn't provide much in the way of development as it did for the other couples featured in this series.

But none of that stood in the way of me thoroughly enjoying the story and getting to visit with old pals

I have been waiting for Radclyffe's "Justice for All" from the moment I read her last book in the Justice series. And I was not disappointed!
Well I must say I own 99% of Radclyfee books and I love them all including this new one "Justice For ALL". The story is so believeable and the feelings thye seem so true. Now I know this is fiction but damn I wish it was true!!! Take it from a working, lesbian, single mom who loves to read this romance, drama, and mystery stuff Radclyfee is the BEST!!!
Has it really been four years since 'Justice Served' was published? The characters are so vivid!

From the first chapter involving the sinister and diabolical thirty-seven year old Kratos Zamora the head of a Philadelphia crime syndicate the reader is enveloped in the story.

Back at the heart of the novel are the determined Lieutenant Rebecca Frye and her elegant and tender lover Doctor Catherine Rawlings. Their romance and intense regard for each other is beautiful to read.

The strength of the relationship between Dellon Mitchell, a young police officer and Sandy a eighteen year old prostitute/and one of Rebecca's informants grows while Dell goes undercover with a Russian woman brought into the country illegally who turns informant for personal reasons.

Integral to the plot are JT Sloan, an internet security consultant and her lover of over a year Michael Lassiter, a theoretical design CEO of her own company.

Fleshing out the story are Watts the hard-boiled detective and right hand to Lt. Frye, Jason McBride the computer genius working with JT Sloan who has a double life of his own and the bars and the streets of the city come to life so vividly that they too become characters of the story.

The terrific thread that they all share is that each has a different conflict that must be faced during the course of the story, how they address their conflict, right or wrong, puts a tremendous pull on the reader to not put the book down until the final satisfying page.

Don't miss any of the books in this terrific series -

A Matter of Trust
Shield of Justice
In Pursuit of Justice
Justice in the Shadows
Justice Served
Justice for All
While Detective Lt. Rebecca Frye's elite unit attempts to uncover the connection between the local organized crime syndicate and a human trafficking ring, she and her team, and those they love, unwittingly become targets.

As part of the operation, Dellon Mitchell goes undercover with a young woman posing as her lover--a woman with a secret agenda that might cause them both their lives. Before long, the hunters and the hunted are caught in a complex web of doublecrosses and desire where the lines between good and evil blur, and justice may be the ultimate victim.
Rerations
< Justice for All > < No Strings > < Blue Skies > < Warming Trend > < Stranded > freaks

< Blue Skies > < Justice for All > < Stranded > < No Strings > < Warming Trend > < Small Packages (Shaken series) > Ali Vali

price：~~$5.42~~
Bold Strokes Books
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customer 's review
(Very current)

(Escapism At Its Best!)

(Over the top - but fun)

(Not quite to standard...)

(ltpsp)
This book is so current it is almost frightening. Intense in action, I found it to be quite feasible that this scenario could easily happen in current American culture/counter culture.

The characters were interesting and believable. Their humanity showed through in spite of almost super-human accomplishments in the line of duty.

This book shows that sometimes it is hard to know who the good guys are from the bad, and that love truly can win a war. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt...more of a beginning than an ending. Room for a sequel, perhaps?
Top Gun Instructor Commander Berkley Levine flies a secret sortie over North Korea that is complicated by political intrigue and treason. Berkley's lover and superior officer for the mission is Aidan Sullivan, Captain of the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. This romantic adventure is escapism at its best - two courageous women with potent military toys on a dangerous operation in enemy territory.
The plot is a little too much 'ripped from the headlines' of the current political climate; where a militaristic/sexist prior administration's hanger-ons are determined to sabotage the new administration's efforts to open up the military. Even the two protagonists, both career Navy, are a little too risky with their relationship onboard a carrier.

What Ali Vali does do well is bringing out the feelings of her characters in a realistic manner, both in dialogue and their actions. Both of the women are independent, dedicated and honorable. This creates a conflict with their feelings for each other that in the past led to a bad choice. The plot circumstances bring them together and they are given one last chance to decide what course is important to them and how much duty will drive their decision.

If you are looking for a great summer page-turner and are willing to overlook the hyperbole of the plot/bad guys, it is a fun read. Vali does keep the plot moving and does great a great action/adventure that hums alongside the rekindling of the protagonists' romance.
I own every book that Ali has had published thus far. I love her work. Her writing is crisp, clear, simply wonderful and she has no problem keeping the reader interested. This new book, "Blue Skies" I am sorry to say is not quite to her usual standards. It seems that she became too involved in technical and governmental;not to mention sexist aspects of her story and forgot about her main characters. However, in all fairness when she focuses on them; she does tell a beautiful tale. They are likable enough, but the story is too convoluted. It leaves you thinking what the heck was all that about. Definitely not as satisfying as all her prior books.
Ali write a good book, only one con is too many women in front positions. I know this is fiction, but in real life, that doesn't happen and to me it takes away from her great writing. The story flows very well.

Commander Berkley Levine is content with her life as a Top Gun instructor in Fallon, Nevada, flying F-18s for the Navy and trying to get over the death of her sister. A change of government and a new equality initiative places Captain Aidan Sullivan at the helm of the Navy's newest carrier, the USS Jefferson. Her first mission could have serious international consequences if she fails. Aidan's orders are to destroy two sites housing the nuclear program of an unfriendly nation, and she can think of only one person she trusts enough to get the job done: her old lover Berkley.

Blue Skieswill take you from Fallon, Nevada, to the Sea of Japan and beyond, as Berkley leads an elite group of pilots over enemy territory. As they embark on this adventure, Berkley and Aidan try to rediscover what they gave up for family, duty, and country.
Rerations
< Blue Skies > < Justice for All > < Stranded > < No Strings > < Warming Trend > freaks

< The Age of Innocence (Broadview Literary Texts) > < The House of Mirth (Everyman's Library) > < A Streetcar Named Desire > < Dubliners (Norton Critical Edition) > < The Great Gatsby > < One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) > Edith Wharton

price：~~$1.60~~
Broadview Press
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customer 's review
(Use Your Illusion)

(A masterpiece of emotion and obligation)

(The ambiguity of innocence)

(Love, Loneliness and the Strictures of Society.)

(Age of Pretense)
Edith Wharton is perhaps best known as a writer who never offered her readers a simple, quote-unquote happy ending. "The Age of Innocence" is her thorough examination of the strictures society placed upon its citizens in the late nineteenth century. It is a tale of a love that can never be lived, a life that can never be set free. It is, quite rightfully, one of the best novels of the twentieth century.

Newland Archer is a young man about to be married to May Welland, a woman he admires for her beauty and for his ability to shape her future thoughts and dreams. When her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, reappears in his life, Arhcer's ideas about love and convention are shaken to the core. For he falls desperately in love with Ellen, but cannot admit it, knowing that any admission or secret life would be unacceptable in his society. And although Ellen returns Archer's love, she would never betray the trust of her family, and will not degrade herself to be with him solely as his mistress. Meanwhile, Archer's wife, May, is not quite as innocent and unknowing as he believes her to be, and Archer must choose between the reality of his life in an unreal world, or the illusion of happiness with the real love of his life.

"The Age of Innocence" is truly an ironic title, for no character in the novel is innocent. In the society of Old New York, all secrets were known and hypocrisy was the order of the day. Wharton is an expert at laying bare that which truly goes on in the minds and hearts of human beings. This is a novel that will stand the test of time, for at its core are questions about loyalty and longing that are timeless.
Newland Archer, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, opens this story as an almost haughtily optimistic and self-satisfied young man - at the top of New York society, about to announce his engagement to the beautiful and sought-after May Welland, with little to mar what seems to be a life of uninterrupted happiness and fulfillment. Wealth, industry, friends, family, a fiancé he loves dearly....what more could a young man want from life? He can even afford to have a few radical ideas, one of them being the opinion that women should speak their minds and be genuine in their deportment and self-awareness, shaking off - just a little, perhaps - the stringent and elaborate rituals of conformity forced on them by a well-meaning but ultimately hypocritical society.

Despite the slightly smug impression we get of Archer at the beginning, it is this examination of himself that makes the reader realize there's more to him than most men of his age and class; that he possesses a sensitivity and longing for what is real, despite that reality's drawbacks, and it endears him to us. Early on he states, to the shock of his friend, that "Women should be free--as free as we are." Soon after, we get this insight into his mind as he reflects on what he sees around him in the marriages of his friends, parents, and relatives, which is precisely what he is determined to avoid between himself and May:

"What could he and she really know of each other, since it was his duty, as a "decent" fellow, to conceal his past from her, and hers, as a marriageable girl, to have no past to conceal? What if, for some one of the subtler reasons that would tell with both of them, they should tire of each other, misunderstand or irritate each other?

He reviewed his friends' marriages - the supposedly happy ones - and saw none that answered, even remotely, to the passionate and tender comradeship which he pictured as his permanent relation with May Welland. He perceived that such a picture presupposed, on her part, the experience, the versatility, the freedom of judgment, which she had been carefully trained not to possess; and with a shiver of foreboding he saw his marriage becoming what most of the other marriages about him were: a dull association of material and social interests held together by ignorance on the one side and hypocrisy on the other.

.....In reality they all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but only represented by a set of arbitrary signs."

So, this is where Archer is in life when May's cousin Ellen comes to New York from Paris, fleeing an illustriously-placed but disastrous marriage, and her entrance into New York society is tinged with scandal. When Archer falls in love with Ellen against all his better judgment and to what he knows would be the detriment of everything he deems crucial to his happiness, it's a torturous love that nearly drives him mad.

That description may make it sound like a forgettable bit of romance, but forgettable bits of romance don't generally win Pulitzers, and the true heart of this story is about the decisions we make that shape our lives one way or another, and what kind of devastating emotional havoc the `wrong' love can wreak on a person's soul. Archer is forced down an emotionally-tormented path few of us would choose, I think, and in many ways it's both beautiful and tragic to watch his story unfold. I was incredibly moved by it.

As mentioned, The Age of Innocence won Wharton the Pulizer Prize for fiction in 1921, making it the first time a woman had ever won the award.

Exceptional writing on the cultural and individual experiences of living in post war New York society. The question is: what really represents the age of innocence-- the appearance of stability by clinging to the conformity and rituals of the closely monitored, severely judged society or following one's true desire and passion that may disgrace, even destroy you and your family. The conflicts of the characters, and the discoveries in the end are heartbreaking and beautiful.
Imagine living in a world where life is governed by intricate rituals; a world "balanced so precariously that its harmony [can] be shattered by a whisper" (Wharton); a world ruled by self-declared experts on form, propriety and family history - read: scandal -; where everything is labeled and yet, people are not; where in order not to disturb society's smooth surface nothing is ever expressed or even thought of directly, and where communication occurs almost exclusively by way of symbols, which are unknown to the outsider and, like any secret code, by their very encryption guarantee his or her permanent exclusion.

Such, in faithful imitation of Victorian England, was the society of late 19th century upper class New York. Into this society returns, after having grown up and lived all her adult life in Europe, American-born Countess Ellen Olenska, after leaving a cruel and uncaring husband. She already causes scandal by the mere manner of her return; but not knowing the secret rituals of the society she has entered, she quickly brings herself further into disrepute by receiving an unmarried man, by being seen in the company of a man only tolerated by virtue of his financial success and his marriage to the daughter of one of this society's most respected families, by arriving late to a dinner in which she has expressly been included to rectify a prior general snub, by leaving a drawing room conversation to instead join a gentleman sitting by himself - and worst of all, by openly contemplating divorce, which will most certainly open up a whole Pandora's box of "oddities" and "unpleasantness:" the strongest terms ever used to express moral disapproval in this particular social context. Soon Ellen, who hasn't seen such façades even in her husband's household, finds herself isolated and, wondering whether noone is ever interested in the truth, complains bitterly that "[t]he real loneliness here is living among all these kind people who only ask you to pretend."

Ellen finds a kindred soul in attorney Newland Archer, her cousin May Welland's fiancé, who secretly toys with a more liberal stance, while outwardly endorsing the value system of the society he lives in. Newland and Ellen fall in love - although not before he has advised her, on his employer's and May and Ellen's family's mandate, not to pursue her plans of divorce. As a result, Ellen becomes unreachable to him, and he flees into accelerating his wedding plans with May, who before he met Ellen in his eyes stood for everything that was good and noble about their society, whereas now he begins to see her as a shell whose interior he is reluctant to explore for fear of findingmerely a kind of serene emptiness there; a woman whose seemingly dull, passive innocence grinds down every bit of roughness he wants to maintain about himself and who, as he realizes even before marrying her, will likely bury him alive under his own future. Then his passion for Ellen is rekindled bya meeting a year and a half after his wedding, and an emotional conflict they could hardly bear when he was not yet married escalates even further. And only when it is too late for all three of them he finds out that his wife had far more insight (and almost ruthless cleverness) than he had ever credited her with.

Winner of the 1921 Pulitzer Prize and the first work of fiction written by a woman to be awarded that distinction, "The Age of Innocence" is one of Edith Wharton's most enduringly popular novels; the crown jewel among her subtly satirical descriptions of New York upper class society. By far not as overtly condemning and cynical as the earlier "House of Mirth" (for which Wharton reportedly even saw this later work as a sort of apology), "The Age of Innocence" is a masterpiece of characterization and social study alike: an intricate canvas painted by a master storyteller who knew the society which she described inside out, and who, even though she had moved to France (where she would continue living for the rest of her life) almost a decade earlier, was able to delineate late 19th century New York society's every nuance in pitch-perfect detail, while at the same time - seemingly without any effort at all - also blending together all these minute details into an impeccably composed ensemble that will stay with the reader long after he has turned the last page.

Also recommended:
Wharton: Four Novels (Library of America College Editions)
Edith Wharton: Vol 1. Collected Stories:1891-1910 (Library of America)
Edith Wharton: Vol.2 Collected Stories 1911-1937 (Library of America)
Henry James : Novels 1881-1886: Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians (Library of America)
Henry James: Novels 1901-1902: The Sacred Fount / The Wings of the Dove (Library of America)
Ethan Frome
The House of Mirth
Washington Square
The Portrait of a Lady
The Wings of the Dove
I really liked Wharton's "House of Mirth" but could not stand this book. I think it was my extreme dislike of all the characters--all shallow, manipulative people who rigidly followed the aristocratic social mores of the time. The language was stilted and the social scenes boring. Read "House of Mirth" and forget this one.
The Age of Innocence marks the pinnacle of Edith Wharton’s career as one of the finest American novelists of her era. The narrative follows Newland Archer, of upper-crust 1870s New York, whose passion for the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska, leads him to question the very foundations of his way of life. Written in the aftermath of World War I, the novel explores the psychological and cultural paradoxes of desire in a world undergoing unprecedented transformations.
This edition includes a critical introduction and a range of appendices that contextualize the novel in terms of its modernist themes and tensions.
Somewhere in this book, Wharton observes that clever liars always come up with good stories to back up their fabrications, but that really clever liars don't bother to explain anything at all. This is the kind of insight that makesThe Age of Innocenceso indispensable. Wharton's story of the upper classes of Old New York, and Newland Archer's impossible love for the disgraced Countess Olenska, is a perfectly wrought book about an era when upper-class culture in this country was still a mixture of American and European extracts, and when "society" had rules as rigid as any in history.
Rerations
< The Age of Innocence (Broadview Literary Texts) > < The House of Mirth (Everyman's Library) > < A Streetcar Named Desire > < Dubliners (Norton Critical Edition) > < The Great Gatsby > freaks

< Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community > < Justification: God's Plan&Paul's Vision > < The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity > < The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible > < Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge > < Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why (emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith) > Andrew Marin

price：~~$4.80~~
IVP Books
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customer 's review
(This is what love looks like)

(Review of Love is an Oreintation by Andrew Marin)

(Building a Bridge)

(Important)

(yes, it is all about love)
I literally read this book in 24 hours... I could not put it down and have been recommending it to others ever since. Why? Simply because Andrew's life and ministry is a testimony of what love, God's unconditional love, looks like and should look like in His Church. This kind of love is about freedom: the freedom to love others without worrying about the outcome... the freedom to be loved by others without worrying about the outcome. Oh how I wish that we all could love this way... our world would be turned upside down!
"Every stereotype can be broken with a face, and every face has a story. Even leaders in both the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GBLT) and the Christian community tell me they know that something needs to change -- but nothing is changing because we've all been conditioned to dig in and fight. So where are we to go from here?"
-Andrew Marin Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community

In his book Love is an Orientation, Andrew Marin takes us along with him on his immersion into the gay neighborhood "Boystown" in Chicago. Examining the current reality of the relationship (or lack thereof) between the Christian community and the GBLT community Marin seeks to build bridges between the two camps. Marin teaches from his experiences in the gay community in a way that is both thought provoking and entertaining. If you're looking to find scientific answers to the "gay-gene" question, you're gonna be out of luck here. But if you're looking for helpful insight into the lives of gay men and women, along practical tools to authentically reflect the love of Christ to those you encounter (even in church..surprise!) this is a great place to start. Be warned this book will challenge your thinking and force yourself to question how you view people. Do you really love people as God does them? Remember God made them.

Although sometimes a bit theologically messy and seemingly unorganized, Love is an Orientation did a great job of resourcing me in my ability to relate to, understand and overcome the issues surrounding the Gay/Faith culture wars. The ultimate goal being that my interaction with gays and lesbians would be a "wonderful opportunity to prove my faith by reclaiming the word love as I tangibly live out all I believe in Christ."
Marin, Andrew. "Love is an Orientation" Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community", IVP Books, 2009.

Building a Bridge

Amos Lassen

I find it interesting that people are so divided over homosexuality when there are so many other issues that are much more serious. The evangelical church has three options when it considers homosexuality--silence, loudness and loving the sinner but hating the sin which is a sham. Andrew Marin calls for a dialogue and love. He wants all of us to sit down and talk. Marin, himself, felt compelled to get involved in the issue when his three best friends came out to him in three consecutive months and he wanted to reconcile his friends to his faith. He and his wife moved to Boystown, a predominantly GLBT neighborhood in Chicago to better understand and as a result of what he learned, he wrote this book. He looks at the conversation between Christianity and the GLBT community and questions why so many who are Christians are afraid of the gay community. He questions if Christians need to change.
This is a book that brings about conversation about spirituality and sexuality and how to build bridges.
Marin, himself, was "a self-described homophobic, straight, Bible-believing, conservative Christian alpha-male" whose world was changed by his friends' coming-out. He decided to become "the gayest straight dude in America" when he moved and totally immersed himself in the gay and lesbian community. He has founded the Marin Foundation whose purpose is to build a bridge between the broader GLBT communities and conservative Christian communities which is "quickly becoming a leading national organization of the Christian and mainstream cultures regarding religion and homosexuality".
Marin's book gives a wonderful overview of the necessity for this bridge to be built and he does not write theory but from his own experience. He says that there are four important things that Christians can do---love, listen, not to judge, and seek friendship and conversation. This sounds so easy but if there things were actually done, what a better world this would be.
As a Jew, I am not directly connected to the issues here as I am completely out at my temple and read from the Torah regularly. I am observant to every aspect of my religion but I must practice my religion as a reform Jew and not as an Orthodox one as I was raised. This is because Orthodoxy has no place for me and if it did, I probably would not take it because of their past views on homosexuality. I see the same problems here that I see with Christianity. Perhaps I should follow some of Marin's views here and I would if I were not satisfied. At least I have that option that many Christians do not have.
This is simply a wonderful book and needs to be read by every member of the clergy as well as the laity. It is awareness that we need and in the GLBT community it is awareness and acceptance that we want. Conversation is the key and once that comes about, acceptance and equality should follow. I personally want to thank Andrew Marin for what he has done for his GLBT friends and for all of us who want to be his friends.

Hi,

I just read this book like some of the others in two days. Very good and has alot of wisdom in it. This book reminds me of power and scope of "The Purpose Driven Life." Fun to read.

Thanks. God Bless.

Aaron.
first of all let me say that i'm a muslim, and a happy one at that. i truly connected with, however, the spiritual love that is present in andrew marin's message. i think the reason i can feel so connected to this christian message is that i have met many gay christians or former christians who felt so spiritually alienated by other christians. and here is a straight man working in the gay community to bring love. talk about being a pioneer. and his message is not a blind love for the gay community, either. i love that andrew marin is able to bring a balanced, real, straight (no pun intended) message full of love to people on both sides on this issue. he covers a lot of particular issues in his book. he deals with the subject of coming out. he talks about the political, stigma, and the shame glbt people experience in the culture. he talks about the fact that we are all seeking validation, all of us - queer or straight. and then he launches his program of how to reach the community, how christians can bring the love back-- so to speak. can you feel the love?

Andrew Marin's life changed forever when his three best friends came out to him in three consecutive months. Suddenly he was confronted with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community (GLBT) firsthand. And he was compelled to understand how he could reconcile his friends to his faith.
In an attempt to answer that question, he and his wife relocated to Boystown, a predominantly GLBT community in Chicago. And from his experience and wrestling has come his book, Love Is an Orientation, a work which elevates the conversation between Christianity and the GLBT community, moving the focus from genetics to gospel, where it really belongs.
Why are so many people who are gay wary of people who are Christians? Do GLBT people need to change who they are? Do Christians need to change what they believe? Love Is an Orientation is changing the conversation about sexuality and spirituality, and building bridges from the GLBT community to the Christian community and, more importantly, to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Rerations
< Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community > < Justification: God's Plan&Paul's Vision > < The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity > < The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible > < Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge > freaks

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