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Review Date: 3/24/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Anyone with an interest in research on HIV/AIDS, its impact on recent popular culture, and how it has been represented in film throughout its brief but significant history in the United States will likely get something out of this book. It's a succinct discussion of how HIV/AIDS has been talked about -- and talked around -- and how attitudes have changed, as have the themes of HIV/AIDS films, since the mid-1980s. Definitely worth a read -- and would likely be a benefit to anyone needing a reference book on such a topic. Very informative!
Review Date: 2/24/2009
Helpful Score: 1
This novel centers around a young gay man who is coming to terms with his sexuality. There are certainly serious moments -- and part of the premise of the book is an attempted suicide -- but overall the story is full of humor and witty dialogue. Jim Gladstone is an accomplished writer and this novel is definitely worth a go. The dynamics between the protagonist and his brother and the rest of his family seem very authentic -- as do his interactions with his acquaintances and college friends, etc. I'm sure some of this "novel" is inspired by events in the author's own life; they must be based in fact for how authentic they seemed to me. The Thanksgiving scene is worth the price of admission alone. I've read dozens of novels in this genre, and this is by far one of my favorites. Funny, sweet, and full of fairly well developed characters.
Review Date: 3/24/2009
I lost my mother to breast cancer nearly five years ago, when she was only 56 and I was 30. It was the most difficult event in my life, but it was also a relief. That might sound cold and horrible to those who've never gone through it. This book was the first time I had been able to connect with others who have felt this way -- not because they wanted to lose their mothers, but because they had been so helpless, no matter what they tried to do to help over the years -- and in the end, it came down to watching my mother suffer and long for her own passing. So yes, it was terrible and sad, and it was also a relief. This book was an emotional roller coaster for me because I felt the sadness and the relief all over again, reading these personal accounts of daughters. Some mothers are survivors; some lost their battles. But there is no one emotion that's prevalent in this book: From sadness and anger to bitterness and feelings of betrayal -- to no feelings at all, it's really a wide array of responses, and an excellent way to show that humans deal with sickness, recovery, and death in a variety of ways -- all of which are equally valid, even if some of those responses might not make us proud. Definitely worth reading and contemplating if you are in or have been in such a situation yourself.
Review Date: 3/24/2009
I read this when I was waaaaaay too young. It's an account by Susan Atkins (and a co-author) about her life as part of Charles Manson's infamous group. It's a pretty gripping account, but it's not for the squeamish, as some of the details are pretty gritty. I think I was about ten or eleven when I first read this. I had nightmares for quite a while. =(
Review Date: 9/10/2012
Holy cow. This book was bad. Far from it being about the Illuminati as a society, which is only touched upon, it's about, in the long run, accepting Christ as your savior. And the writing is terrible.
Review Date: 2/24/2009
This is one of the most original books I've ever read. It's the story of an African-American gay man's longing to have a child -- and he ultimately gets his wish through the "fuzzy science" of the future: He becomes pregnant. At times interesting in its take on a man's perspective on pregnancy, and at times just humorous and kind of silly, this is definitely a unique narrative about love and longing and one man's need to complete his family.
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