Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

JOHN RECHY IS NEVER PREDICTABLE
"About My Life and the Kept Woman" is a very candid memoir, that seems to combine fiction and non-fiction, with this literary star and author of "City of Night" describing growing up Mexican-American in the racially divided city of El Paso, Texas, reflecting on his fascination with a notorious kept woman, his ethnic heritage, and his growing understanding of his sexual differences unpredictably leading him to a famous writing career.

For anyone with knowledge of San Francisco, the narrative has a surprising twist with the late Herb Caine (the famous columnist) and one of his several wives.She is not the "kept woman" in Rechy's memoir but the lady's niece.Like Rechy, this woman is a character of reinvention and masquerade.

Here is a moving, powerful story of a life that is witness to some of the most unruly changes of the past century. Booming with intense individuality and complete frankness, it is as much a study of intolerance as of a human being who rebelled against it to create his own very unique path.

The great thing about Rechy and the last thing you can say is that he's predictable.If you attempted to sell his life as a TV Movie or film pitch to hackneyed Hollywood they would say: "there's no basis on reality and who do we root for?"Mr. Producer: we root for John Rechy!He drops out of an Ivy League university to become a male hustler and turn it into the tour de force "City of Night" which became a major best seller, one of the most influential American novels according to Gore Vidal and then Rechy goes onto to be the first novelist to be honored by a lifetime achievement award from PEN.This is a life so filled with awakenings and discoveries that it is anything but convention and contracts deeply with the clichéd debris we see on TV and at the movies.

So be impulsive, never predictable, and order "About My Life and the Kept Woman" now.It is a must read and belongs on every bookshelf along with all of John Rechy's unpredictable works.

What a Life Story!
Rechy, John. "About My Life and the Kept Woman: A Memoir", Grove Press, 2008.

What a Life Story!

Amos Lassen

My generation knows John Rechy and for many of is his "City of Night" was a very, very important book. Rechy was a hustler who became a bestselling author and he wrote what many only whispered about. In "About My Life and the Kept Woman", he tells the story of his life in great detail. Rechy's search for identity is both filled with humor and laced with heartbreak.
Gore Vidal said that John Rechy was "one of the few original writers of the last century" and if you are not sure what that means then you must read this book. This memoir begins when Rechy was raised in Texas as a Mexican-American and then moves onto the place he really called home--the street. These streets were to become the major characters in his written work. Rechy writes about his life and as he does he is filled with the knowledge that he is accepting himself. Rechy shows that as he matured, he became more fascinated with the feelings he had for kept women. He also gained awareness that he was different from others in regard to his sexuality. He felt two slaps against himself--his Mexican heritage and his homosexuality. Even when he had sex with those that picked him up on the street, he never bothered to either define himself or to be defined by others. He found himself being the target of intolerance by family and society and that is what this book is really about--hatred and disrespect against a person who was who he was and did his own thing.
Rechy is a hard person to categorize because he fits into many and really doesn't fit any. As he relates what really was going on his life while he wrote "City of Night", his autobiographical novel, his prose and honesty captures the reader. His life was one of changes going on around him--wars, assassinations, radical movements and others and he writes about all of thus with great candor and does nor hold back. Rechy was and remains an individual even when society frowned upon individualism.
Rechy's life fascinates and mesmerizes and is laden with meaning. He inspires and he shocks and does a fine job of retelling his life.

An amazing read of a fascinatinglife story.
I recently read Rechy's novel "City of Night" and this new epic memoir takes you on the true life journey of the "youngman" hustler that became the controversial author. This autobiography roams from his Texas childhood through his years in the army and on to the hustling venues that would become so famous in his first novel. I found the book powerful and entertaining in suprising ways as well as shockingly honest. It allowed me to see the real people Rechy used as charactors in his novels and they proved every bit as fascinating.I found Rechy's story daring, funny and finally very inspirational.

A Haunting Memoir
[[ASIN:0802118615 About My Life and the Kept Woman: A Memoir
This book chronicles in unflinching detail the story of the extraordinary life of this groundbreaking author. Humor and sadness are inextricably linked in this compelling narrative. This is no trite coming of age story; it is a definitive and powerful tale of self discovery and identity. Love of family and home are powerful themes. This book is a treasure. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Important as a Social Document of the Era
Described as "A Documentary," THE SEXUAL OUTLAW is an unexpected construction and as such it is an extremely, extremely difficult work to describe--part fact, part opinion, part autobiography, and part fiction--and often blurring the distinction between the four.

Published in 1977, the book is essentially a snapshot of the underbelly of the Los Angeles community through John Rechy moved in that decade.The fictional material concerns Jim, a man that the rest of the book encourages us to read as Rechy himself, who travels a stream of sexual contacts over the course of a long weekend: sex at the beach, in the park, on the street, in the bar, in the alley.And always running one step ahead of a highly hypocritical society and police department that is forever in hot pursuit to arrest, eradicate, and destroy him and his kind forever.

These are the "sexual outlaws."The remaining portions of the book veers from sado-masochism to double sexual standards to corrupt police officers to newspaper headlines--and all, ultimately, in an effort to explain why a person such as "Jim" would actively select such a nihilistic way of life.And Rechy does indeed have a point; to a certain extent, the choice is between rebelling against or being buried by the status quo.

In one sense, the book will--or at least should--make your blood boil in its highly accurate depiction of the horrific repression homosexuals have faced in the past and indeed might again face in the future.It also conveys a sense of the excitement of the illicit sexual chase.At the same time, Rechy does not spare you the emptiness and ugliness of such a lifestyle; indeed, he makes such aspects of wholesale promiscuity extremely apparent.

In the end, Rechy seems to be saying that when the choice is between rebelling or being buried, he prefers to rebel.But there is a catch in here: he presents a street-sex lifestyle as the only possible rebellion and to a certain extent tries to posit his own choices as a commonplace.

At one point in the book, Rechy states that he has had over 7000 sexual contacts up that point--which breaks down to an average of about one contact per day for twenty years.I don't doubt that such people exist and I don't doubt that some of them are homosexual, but I have extreme doubts about how statistically typical this would be of any segment of the population, male or female, gay or straight.

Because of this Rechy tends to undercut his own argument, and a whiff of self-justification begins to enter the mix as the book progresses.That aside, the adventures of Jim become repetitive and seem less included than to make a point than as expertly written pornography.I need hardly add that the advent of AIDS and changing attitudes and laws about homosexuality have left the book extremely dated.

Even so, this is in some respects the best of Rechy's work, very direct, passionate, clearly written in white-hot anger; it is remarkably driven in tone, furious in execution.I would not really recommend it to a casual reader, but I think it is important as a social document, and it deserves to be read on that basis.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

A Journey to the End of the Night
Like many of Rechy's books, THE SEXUAL OUTLAW is powerful, fascinating, and very depressing.The themes present in his novels are here in this non-fiction work - the power of physical beauty, narcissm, sex as liberation, unfulfilled desire, etc. Along with a narrative of one hustler's quest for validation through his sexual encounters, Rechy threads in a treatise on what it means to be homosexual in twentieth century America.Much of what he says is relevant to the twenty-first century as well, as the current battle over same-sex marriage attests.

Those looking for explicit sex will find it in abundance here.Rechy pulls no punches in his depiction of homoerotic love.Yet he is wise enough to see the sadness in the "sexhunt," and his "character" Jim, we know, will never find that elusive thing for which he searches, the combination of sexual gratification and personal intimacy.None of us will find it.We hate Jim for his narcissm and his superficiality but admire his rebel stance.He is a man-loving man not ashamed of the fact.

Rechy's accounts of police corruption concerning gay men and the hours spent nabbing "sexhunters" that could otherwise be spent apprehending murderers, rapists, and thieves are enough to make one's blood boil.And I love his comments on gay sensibility.But I find his whole stance on S&M somewhat puzzling and hypocritical.While no advocate of or participant in that particular sexual lifestyle, I fail to see the difference between the physical pain inflicted by "masters" upon "slaves" and the psychological pain engendered in the course of the sexhunt.Indeed it would seem the latter pain would be the more enduring and damaging.

This is an important book, more than twenty-five years old, but still relevant.

The last days of Sodom
A masterpiece of Gay literature, broke so many taboos before its time.I remember reading this novel in the late 70s before AIDSbecame prevelant,when so many queers walked the backstreets and alleys not tomention bathhouses in there search for free sex and lust. This is amonumental exploration into the psyche of homosexuality and being wanted byall means .necessary. I cant wait for the movie! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Disappointing
After seeing the reviews and reading so much about John Rechy's novels I feelthat maybe I missed something that other readers 'got'. I found this novel to be confusing from the outset. He introduced too many characters and had them not only all talking to each other - but Rechy would also throw in tidbits of feelings and why this person felt the way he did. I found it difficult to keep track of who was talking to who! It seemed the entire book consisted mainly of these 4 people talking, talking. Too me the story didn't move anywhere. I finally started skimming the pages looking for something more that the unending conversation. Finally I read the last chapter in which the same characters were still conversing! Extremely disappointing and a time-waster!

A dark and engrossing look into the leather bar scene
"Rushes" tells the stoyr of one night spent at a seddy leather/uniform night club in an unspecified warehouse district along the waterfront. It's a dark place, filled with sexual odors, drugs, hidden faces and lusts, and dark corners wherre anything and everything could be happening.Four friends - Endore, Chas, Bill and Don - spend the evening trying to find the one person to go home with.Endore is a columnist who writes about the gay lifestyle and his belief that there is no such thing as love in the gay world; Chas views the rushes as his hunting grounds, where he is the ultimate prize; Bill wants to see how many men he can connect with but his pickiness sometimes cluds his own judgement of people; and Don is the oldest of the group, feeling his age everytime he invites himself to join his friends at the Rushes.

Each has his own insecurities which come out in full force on this particular evening.Sides are taken when a woman named Lyndy - a fashion designer - is grudginly allowed into their macho, all-male domain.Her appearance and her banter act as a catalyst between Chas and Endore, alternately setting them against on another or forcing them to join the same side.Later, a drag queen and her female companion cause a stir near the entrance to the Rushes which forces Endore to take a closer look at how gay men have been forced to find places where they can be themselves, and any intrusion into that world is angrily looked down upon.This novel also touches on ageism and the fear of the gay community with the character of Don - who feels that no one wants anything to do with him because he's slightly older; he remembers the days before clubowners put up signs such as "Under 35s Only" when everyone went out to have fun and to enjoy each others company.Sure, everyone had to keep their sexual preferences hidden for fear of the police, but nowadays, you had to creep around to avoid the violent, name-calling youths would would very easily bash in your head with fist or pipes.

To get the feel of spending the night with this group in the Rushes, author John Rechy tells the story in present time, allowing the reader to feel and to see what each character does as if he/she were with them.Also, the chapters jump from character to character, almost giving the reader a sense of the darkness, the confusion and the electric atmosphere of the place.A dark and engrossing look into the leather bar scene.

Glory! Glory!Ahh Men!
A novel of grandeur in style, structure, and substance.Theatrical, ritualistic, and elegant!

Filled with insight, rage, power, and beauty, _Rushes_ is a novel that deserves high praise, even among its brilliant predecessors.Rechy's other literary works deserve elevation to a class by themselves, and this novel is no exception.From the careful highlighting of a bar's most subtle nuances, to a sophisticated social critique that remains unmatched and unanswered even today, _Rushes_ exhibits a complexity and depth that allows it to remain both contemporary and classic.

Drenched in metaphor, symbolism, wit, and charm, _Rushes_ is a sensual, exotic delight of a novel.Even as the politics and passion may challenge you, the atmosphere will seduce you.Face your desires, fears, friends, and enemies.Breathe deep and indulge yourself._Ruhes_ is a novel worthy of your consideration and admiration.

A WorldAgo
John Rechy has been around for years and written many novels relating to life on the fringe. In Rushes he creates a dark forbidding and harsh world that repelled and excited this reader at various times. The characters are slightly cliche and generally not very nice. It is still a good read charged with high sexual tension and what now could be regarded as a histoical account of life in the late 1970's.

The novel of depth
Late 70's.Four men.Gay sex bar;Rushes.John Rechy approachs them brutaly,cooly,but gently.Yes,gentlythan amyl.And Rechy will leave readers feel unsubstantial. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (24)

LOOKING FOR LOVE
Rechy, John. "City of Night", Grove Press Reprint, 1994

Looking for Love

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

John Rechy's "City of Night" is one of the classics of gay literature and I am amazed that reading it again now I find that it still mesmerizes as it did when I read it the first time in 1963 (I really am an old person it seems). When it was first published in '63 it was a national best seller and it caused uproar as well as ushered in a new age of gay literature. Rechy's account of the big city and its underworld of male prostitution sent waves through society. His unflinching view of "Youngman" (as his main character is called) and the world of hustling and drag queens and all kinds of men were shocking and honest. Our narrator traverses the United States and gives us an unforgettable picture of gay life. Written in the slang of the period, it is an authentic look at the world of twilight men with extreme clarity and realism minus self-pity and sentimentality. Rechy passionately tells the truth and in doing so liberated many who had up until this point lived in the shadows of a larger society.
When I first read this book I had to hide it for I was afraid that someone might discover y secret. By the time I finished it, I did not much care who knew about me--I felt liberated. Rechy's story of the world was one that I had always hoped existed but I was not man enough to go and look for it. By chance, I sat back yesterday and reread the book. For the second time, I could not stop reading and when I closed the covers I could not help think about how far we have come. I am sure that whoever read "City of Night" in the year of and the years after its publication finally felt that he had something to identify with. The novel has lost none of its power some thirty-four years after it was written. Rechy shows his love for his language in his writing and he wastes no words in telling his story. Even with the many metaphors ad poetic style, Rechy manages to clearly and honesty portray what gay life was like back "in the day".
I felt like I had been hit by a train as I read. I felt as if I was living the situations I was reading about and it fascinated me. Rechy shows great generosity for the human race as he tries to understand and then explain to the reader about those men that were (and still are in many cases) on the fringe of society--sexual minorities, hustlers, bums, drunks, drag queens, junkies. He gives an unforgettable portrait of the "love that dare not speak its name".
The vividness of gay life that Rechy paints was new to many people in the 60's and I was walking next to the author as he took me on a tour of it. "City of Night" is something more than just a gay novel; it is a look at a world within a world.
The main character is an embodiment of an everyman. He sees all, does everything and learns nothing from it, His behavior is arbitrary; he has no motivation ad he makes nothing happen--everything, instead, happens to him. His subculture is one of oppression ad internalized homophobia (didn't we once hate ourselves and lurk in the shadows of the night?).Rechy opened societal eyes and as much as we have changed, we really see that we haven't really changed that much. I know this sounds contradictory but this is the only way I can put this. On one hand, things appear better, on the other, things have not really changed that much. We, gay men, are still confused and still suffer from mental turmoil. Many of us are out but many still hide. We need to open our eyes and realize that if we really want change, we must become more aware of whom we are and accept that. We must never forget that we are human and we are important and we all want to be loved.
Rechy's story is sad but beautiful. Some of us still hate ourselves for being gay like "youngman". Many of us, like him, still live on the fringe of society and we all have one thing in common--the desire to be loved.

A Night Without End
Someone once remarked that great artists remake the same works over and over, likening them to musicians who play variations on the same riff.

John Rechy would fall into this category of literary artist.

Take his first novel, for instance: CITY OF NIGHT.After one has read this novel and gone on to Rechy's other works, one sees the same themes and concerns sounded again and again in almost the same register - the note of erotic desperation played in high lyricism and despair.Still, he's such a virtuoso with this instrument, and tells such a compelling story, one doesn't mind.

CITY OF NIGHT, as noted, is the book that got the ball rolling for Rechy.It's a stark, unsentimental portrait of a male hustler's sojourn through the underbellies of numerous big towns - NY, LA, Chicago, and New Orleans.The section in New Orleans, with its depictions of "floods" of people during Mardi Gras racing ahead of impending doom, is eerily prophetic of the recent fate of that great city.

Although the point of view is first person, Rechy also incorporates the voices of the men and women the protagonist encounters in his carnal odyssey - the fellow hustlers, the scores, the drag queens, the closet cases, etc. - and the song they sing is usually one of vast loneliness and unfulfilled desire.

This is a seminal work but not without flaws.At times Rechy's prose bows to the worst inclinations of creative writing class cliches - comparing buildings and trees to giants, for instance, and waxing more than a little purple at times.One wants to shout, "Please, sir, you ARE a good writer.No need to show off."Also, one cannot help but tire at times of the repetitiveness of the unnamed narrator's adventures, but that may be Rechy's point about this kind of life.

A gay "classic" enhanced by an eerily prophetic ending set in New Orleans
It's easy to see why this book caused such a sensation when it was published in 1963. It's not because of the sexual descriptions, which are neither remotely erotic nor all that graphic--even for the early 1960s. Nor is it because of the Beat-genre prose and the in-your-face nihilism. Instead, "City of Night" brought to the light of day the darkest corners of the "gay underworld" (and, yes, Rechy uses the term "gay" here), and the book does it in a way that highlights the insecurities and the pretenses, the profligacy and the humanity of even the most jaded hustlers, "scores," and "queens" who fervently frequent the bars and speakeasies in metropolitan America.

The unnamed narrator has fled his hometown of New Orleans, initially for New York, and he finds himself both bored of the "respectable" jobs he manages to find and intrigued by the easy money (not to mention the ready drugs, the nervous thrill, and the artificial freedom) that comes from being a male prostitute. Like many of his associates, the narrator tries to convince himself that he is only "gay for pay"--that his activities are no more than a job and that in the real world he would sleep with women. But gradually he realizes that this conviction, for him and for most of the others, is little more than a pose. Among the book's many themes is the tension between the futility of the closet and its ultimate necessity (let's not forget that, in much of the country, it was illegal for two men to dance together or to wear women's clothing).

Each chapter scrutinizes the bar scene and focuses on a different type (sometimes bordering on stereotype), from the flamboyant drag queen to the aging hustler to the married man to the older women whose guilt over a long-kept secret motivates her to tend to street boys. There are passages and scenes that will, of course, seem dated (or--to use a less loaded term--of historical interest), but many of the characters are, forty years later, hilariously and scarily recognizable.

Finally--for reasons Rechy could not have fathomed--the most disconcerting section of the book is the last one, which is set in New Orleans. The eeriness of finishing this book at a time like this (early September 2005) is that certain passages take on a prophetic tone. The environs around the French quarter are "merely the remnants of what may have been; a city scarred by memories of an elegance and gentility which may have never existed. A ghost city." And later: "An almost Biblical feeling of Doom--of the city about to be destroyed, razed, toppled--assaults you." The narrator's love-hate relationship with the Big Easy--with its celebratory abandon and its remorseful gloom--instills the novel's finale with an intensity both haunting and unforgettable.

FIGHT THE POWER!,
John Rechy's book, City of Night, was published in 1962 just before the Supreme Court opened up the floodgate to the publishers of cheap porn in 1965. He will most likely be remembered as a gay male writer who was a brutal and lyrical recorder of the sexual underworld in pre-Stonewall times. It must be difficult for anyone who didn't live through those times to grasp how heavily the threat of censorship hung over America's authors and publishers.

He describes this world with brusque frankness. There is an easy understanding of who and what his characters are; they are presented without sentimentality or self-pity. At the beginning he writes about being a shy child who read a lot and sat by the hall window and looked out to see the world. We hear about the death of his dog and about the suffocating attention of his overly affectionate mother

Rechy uses the window theme and carries it throughout the book. He's letting us look into and onto the dark underworld of the City of Night . . . wherever that may occur. He's also into looking into mirrors as he looks at himself and at what his narrator has become.

I liked the very believable flip dialogue of the drag queens and the hustlers . . . the text was almost like it was recorded.

His narrator takes us on a journey through a world of forbidden love. Here, sex is a job, not an identity. This masculine hustler moves from city to city, searching for business and a sense of self-worth and love. While he actively avoids the lives and world of the self-admitted and well-adjusted gay men he encounters, he pursues the outcasts, the maladjusted and self-loathing instead.

Rechy's representations of gay life are often bleak and the lives of this extraordinary collection of characters are filled with drugs and liquor. There are two types of chapters in this novel: there are accounts of the narrator's wanderings and character sketches of the people he meets as a hustler. Each sketch builds an understandable person for the reader. I've been on the fringes of this culture a few times and didn't like it at all, but believe me they seem very real. Each narrative chapter pulls the reader away and moves them onward.

Rechy was brought up as a devout Catholic. His book is full of symbolism . . .especially of angels in the form of beautiful young men.

Well, surprise, a lot of this world still exists. The people of the night haven't changed all that much since John Rechy wrote his eye-opening novel 40-some years ago. Anonymous sex, hustlers, dirty bookstore sex, cruising, rough trade, druggies, dealers, hustlers, bartenders, cops and robbers still abound. There are still sexy boys from the country who will soon be dead from HIV/AIDS . . . or something else like in the old days . . . an overdose, a knife fight, or a car crash. Not much has changed. This is a compelling early account of "the life" that I believe gays and non-gay people will enjoy; the book still has a fun, underground feel to it. It's still a very cool book, kind of like "On the Road." But decide for yourself. Pick up a copy! (...)

Zoe's Review
The City of Night deals with a nameless male hustler's experiences. The book follows no especific plot. The story of the protagonist starts in his childhood; being subject of an abusive father which he admired greatly even if he never did comment this aloud. The young man suffers from a narcissistic kind of hubris wich follows him to the end. He leaves el Paso and goes travelling from popular cities to other popular cities around the States: New York, New Orleans, California, Chicago,etc. You will not find Lazzis in this work. The description of the places he visits are usually the underworld/party tipe of sets. He learns about hustlers problems, as staying young and not being defined as homosexuals, convincing themselves by staying willingly with a girl every time they got a chance so in these way they can ignore their numerous male clients. Throught his travels from city to city the young protagonist encounters many colorful characters. Like transvesties, fairies, sadics, peculiar scores and different fellow hustlers, who even having original personalities have a common objective. There's a personal tang in Reichy's novel, you can feel it through the book. If your looking for rich plots and good thrillers (i.e: The Davinci Code) look for somewhere else. Even if the novel's end is awfully open I still love this book. It's simple, kind of sweet, hot and a deal deep. I assure you you'll really like it. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (12)

A Less Interesting Re-Statement of City of Night
John Rechy's 1963 CITY OF NIGHT was a shocker in its day, an episodic collage of metro-area male prostitution, sex, and self-destruction written in a style that echoed Jack Kerouac's beat literature.Although dated by slang, changing mores, and the AIDS epidemic, it still bears reading today as a portrait ofgay street life in the pre-Stonewall era.NUMBERS, Rechy's second novel, is quite another matter.

NUMBERS is essentially CITY OF NIGHT repeated, but without the "shock of the new," with less style, and with considerably less interest.The extremely episodic story concerns Johnny Rio, a Los Angeles street hustler who several years earlier overdosed on the lifestyle and escaped to a solitary life in Arizona; now he's back "for just ten days" and, not unexpectedly, finds himself drawn back into the malestrom.

There's nothing here that Rechy hasn't said elsewhere and often quite a bit better, and NUMBERS feels much less a novel than a series of strung-together sexual fantasies lacking significant point.In this instance, the result is less interesting than annoying; readers interested in Rechy's work should pick up a copy of CITY OF NIGHT, his first and finest work, instead.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL
... Sheer Genius ...Sacred Text ...A Masterpiece of Modern American Literature ...A Book That Changed My Life ...My Favorite Novel ....My Favorite John Rechy Novel...

All this describes how I feel about *Numbers* -- but nothing I could type in this space would come close to fully expressing my profound love for this phenomenal work and its talented author.

While I am sympathetic to some of the confusion and frustration expressed by reviewers who have found only darkness and despair in its pages, I am more horrified by the lack of attention paid to the themes of liberation that resound throughout this story.For me, *Numbers* will always be beautiful and timeless.A tale of wonder filled with ageless glamour and promise.

In case you're wondering if my perspective comes from sharing in a particular "generational" or "environmental" link with Rechy himself, no, it does not.I was far from being born at the time the novel was written, and I have never (and in fact never could have) experienced or participated in many of its rituals.

However, *Numbers* is about much more than a series of sexual acts.It is the quintessential American journey of identity and one that is gloriously and unabashedly capable of contextualizing the experience of self-discovery with a sense of human vitality and spirit that acknowledges sexuality.This achievement alone puts *Numbers* above not only its contemporary works, but on a level that continues to evade many writers today.

Read *Numbers* not as a description of "days gone by," or a depiction of specific things you cannot do or would find harmful, but as a story filled with hope, possibility, and the power of finding yourself.Should you follow Johnny Rio's example or replicate his experience?Not if you think that means committing sexual suicide.*Numbers* may delve into themes of darkness and death, but it needn't be seen as a necessarily "fatalistic" novel.

Why not be inspired by Johnny Rio's bravery instead of disgusted by his recklessness?Follow him not by mistaking exploration for degradation, but in seeking (as he does) to learn ways in which you are deceiving yourself or playing needless games with others.Anyone can do that if, like Johnny Rio, they can ultimately commit themselves to the act of personal discovery -- in whatever form it may take.

Gross and disgusting
When I came out to my family an older family friend of my mother, who is gay, told me to read this book because he said it was his favorite. I eventually got around to it and I couldn't finish it because it was full of people acting like pigs in their sex lives. I looked at the date and it is a very old book, written before AIDS - way before AIDS. No one seems to treat each other like humans. Everyon is just out to be a player. This left me with a weird feeling and I felt sorry for my mom's friend. Guess what? He never had a lover and he is now in his fifties. It isn't hard to figure out why if this was his favorite book.

an other good book John Rechy
a must have for the John Rechy fan. it may take others a little to get in to the book but man once you do get in to it you are hooked.

Pathological Cruising
I've recently re-read this book and it's a great story of pathological cruising for gay sex. It's a short, intense look at the gay world pre-AIDS and some of the problems that gay men faced at that time. It's not as good as "City of Night" but it's worth a read especially if you are gay. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Superb
This is a terrific collection of essays that offer tremendous insights into a wide range of topics, all of which are analyzed and evaluated in masterful prose, full of wit and sagacity.Subjects include Tom Cruise, Marilyn Monroe, Liberace, homophobia, 9/11, Gore Vidal, Joyce Carol Oates, racism, literary critics, William Friedkin, and Paul Schrader.One can't help walk away from this book feeling great admiration for Rechy's studied convictions, his honesty, and his immense talents as a writer, social historian, and activist.

The Perfect Compliment
Regardless of your familiarity with John Rechy, you need to read this book.It provides a level of insight into Rechy's work that fans and critics alike deserve to consider.The collection includes a broad range of materials and each piece features a candid postscript from Rechy himself.

For any of you still naive enough to imagine that Rechy's levels of intellect, style, wit, and charm are somehow so minor they suit only a single genre or historical period, this book provides ample evidence to the contrary.These essays are proof positive that he is now as he has always been -- a passionate and profound writer whose talents are boundless.

If, like me, you find Rechy a constant source of inspiration, then this volume is a delight.Locating copies of Rechy's essays, (especially those from 1958-1980) can be quite a task, even for an experienced researcher.This collection simplifies the efforts needed to generate a fuller picture of his life and career.*Beneath the Skin* will enhance not only your library, but also your appreciation for one of America's greatest writers.
... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A Serious Book, But Always Enjoyable
Anyone who wants to learn about Los Angeles should read this novel.Inventively narrated, with alternating chapters that follow the lives of three drifters, "Bodies and Souls" features a broad range of characters that for the most part can only be found in LA.Many of the chapters can be read as standalone short stories.Some are hilarious, others quite poignant; all are beautifully written.The great mystery of the book is trying to figure out why one of the main characters is obsessed with a preacher woman and what he is planning. As the story progresses, and as more characters are introduced, the reader will wonder how the author will tie the various threads of his narrative together.That Rechy manages to link this cross-section of lives is testament to his abilities as one of this country's greatest living writers.

Rechy's most accompolished novel; why is this out of print?
As per the above statement this book is emotionally devastating at times. Clearly the author's most focussed and encompassing novel, summing up most of the themes of his other novels. ... Read more

Book Description

When John Rechy's City of Night first appeared in 1963, it was greeted with equal parts fanfare and horror. The unapologetically sexual story of a young gay hustler shocked readers with its frank treatment of a subject most knew about but chose to pretend did not exist. Yet more shocking was Rechy's revelation that the book was largely autobiographical. For a street hustler to reach literary fame and widespread acclaim was unheard-of, especially if he was gay. Rechy continued to publish explosive novels, including Numbers, The Sexual Outlaw, and Rushes-even as he continued hustling seedy Hollywood Boulevard-and soon became an integral part of the new literary elite that included Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, and Christopher Isherwood. In this enlightening biography, Charles Casillo provides an absorbing picture of the outlaw writer, examining the dichotomy of Rechy's life as both a respected author and professor and a tough-as-nails sex worker. Working closely with Rechy himself as well as his family, friends, admirers, and colleagues, Casillo presents a complex portrait of a man who found sexual liberation through prostitution and used it to create a vivid and influential artistic legacy.

The work of John Rechy: Bodies and Souls, City of Night, Coming of the Night, The Fourth Angel, Marilyn's Daughters, Numbers, Our Lady of Babylon, Rushes, The Sexual Outlaw, and The Vampires.

Charles Casillo is a Los Angeles–based freelance writer. He is the author of The Marilyn Diaries, a novel about Marilyn Monroe.

Customer Reviews (13)

Informative, personal and unpretentious
Whether you are a fan of John Rechy's writing or have never even read a sentence of his, this book is an enjoyable and informative read. Rechy broke many barriers and continually strived to do so throughout his writing career.There have been many imitators but few who will ever come close to his originality.If you are a fan of gay literature - hell, if you are just a fan of literature - you owe it to yourself to know Rechy's work and this book offers not only an excellent introduction, but is a valuable resource for all the legions of Rechy fans who became (and continue to become) fascinated by the man behind the words.Casillo manages to provide that delicate balance between admiration and critical analysis without ever pandering to the reader or his subject.His prose is simple, precise, thoughtful and never pretentious.I highly recommend this book for all readers.Read it, then really treat yourself and pick up a few of Rechy's novels along with a few of Casillo's.You won't be disappointed.

not a biography, rather a bit of a loving massage
a pleasant read, but the author gives the impression that the burp mr. rechy let loose back in 1983 carries massive cultural significance.

Will the Real Rechy Please Stand Up?
Charles Casillo's biography "Outlaw: John Rechy" proves that since the 1963 publication of City of Night, Rechy's life pales in comparison to the lives explored by his daring and complex protagonists and supporting characters. Nevertheless, this biography attempts to track the course of Rechy's life as an introverted but artistic child who grew up into the "sexual intellectual" who pushed the boundaries of sexual expression as a fiction writer.

In part one, titled "Seeds," Rechy's biographer lays out Rechy's family history and Rechy's early life in El Paso. He tells us of Rechy's grandparents settling in El Paso, Texas after fleeing Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The reader is introduced to Roberto Sixto, Rechy's Scottish-Spanish father, an aspiring musician who ultimately failed as such, which preceded his second marriage to Guadalupe Flores, a loving Mexican woman who would become Rechy's mother and Rechy's muse. A violent father, sexual confusion and ethnic alienation riddled Rechy's childhood. As an overachiever in school with artistic longings, Rechy sought refuge in stage performance and writing. As a teenager, he longed to escape El Paso by attending college. After quitting college, Rechy entered the military, which suffocated any possibility for him to explore his (homo)sexuality. He later returned to college. This time, he attended college in New York--the city where the "sexual intellectual" would be born.

"Exploring Night," the second section, tells the story of how Rechy carved out his identity as a rough trade hustler in the underground scene in New York that would become his inspiration for City of Night. In New York, and later in Los Angeles, Rechy met the individuals who would become immortalized in his now classic novel. For example, "Pete" and "Miss Destiny" became characters loved by readers that Rechy found to represent the loneliness and distance that he felt as a child and into maturity.

The third installment, "A Screaming Need," describes the publication of City of Night and the response it received from critics and readers. Despite literary success, Rechy continued to find refuge in the streets as a rough trade hustler. His experiences included links with famous writers and wealthy intellectuals who primarily saw Rechy as a less-than-intelligent trade who couldn't possibly have written the novel that exposed the underground life of hustling. The most notable experiences, of course, described Rechy's several run-ins with the law during his sexcapades. Rechy performed his masculinity as a hustler just as his hustling experiences became the fodder for his latter writings which included Numbers. As he grew into a respected writer, Rechy continued to find hustling the source of life to drive away the loneliness and distance that had plagued him since childhood amidst poverty, alienation and an intolerable and demonic father. As a result, death and loneliness became central in his fiction, as laid out in "This Day's Death."

The last section of the book, "Sexual Intellectual," tells the story of how Rechy's sexual identity and intellectual identity merged after Rechy continued to hustle in the streets only after finding a secure job as a professor of writing. Rechy then faced a struggle between true love (with Michael Snyder, who changed his life for the better) and a fierce hunger to continue hustling. However, as the 1970s unfolded, Rechy found the hustling underworld to have changed, which alienated him. Rechy continued to write in the 1980s and into the 1990s. After the tragic loss of his beloved mother, Guadalupe, Rechy wrote The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez, an homage to her that became the premier novel in Chicano/Latino Literature. In 1997, Rechy finally became honored as a literary trailblazer when he received the PEN Center USA-West award in 1997.

Casillo has certainly succeeded in weaving interviews with family members, Rechy interviews and novel excerpts to unfold this interesting biography that proves complex to tell in a span of 300 pages. The disappointments included Rechy's choice to remain silent on a specific discussion of sexual abuse suffered as a child. Also, Rechy remains vague on how he came to embrace his femininity as a gay man considering that he built a persona that promoted a narcissistic butch/top/trade role. Sometimes the book appeared ahistorical since Rechy's life in the public eye became relative to the changing times in America between the 1930s and 1980s. Nevertheless, Casillo carries his role as a biographer carefully instead of a role as historian (I tend to conflate both roles in the excellent writing of a biography).

Yet, the end result is a biography that will delight readers who are now being introduced to Rechy's work. For Rechy scholars however, the biography leaves us with many questions about "The Legend": What is the actual root of Rechy's literary genius? How is Rechy the subject instead of an object of his life? How has Rechy's fiction stood the test of time since the times changed without him (as revealed in the biography)? Does his work describe the changing of the times?

How can we get away from psychoanalyzing Rechy's life considering his Oedipal childhood and Rechy's obsession with his mother? The most interesting of questions to me is: Will Rechy ever consider presenting his true self through a memoir? John, remember that memory is sacred. To dismiss an autobiography is to dismiss someone's memory and consider it irrelevant for an understanding of the self. Some food for thought.

A Spellbinding Read!
I read this book voraciosuly - a comprehensive, fascinating study which sheds a lot of light on one of the most mysterious most interesting characters in the history of American fiction!!

I enjoyed this book so much I carry it with me and pull it out on the train to read it at whim!

A GREAT READ!

Skin Deep
I think the statement in the preface is interesting - about biographers being "literary liars" - because despite the author's "honest intentions" I think he was compromised by John Rechy's direct contribution to the project as a "primary source". One is left with the impression that everything has been filtered through the sure and certain knowledge that Rechy will read the book himself.

Consequently, the portrait is more flattering than Rechy might deserve. Outrageously so, in the case of the quote where he is ranked alongside Norman Mailer and said to "outshine" Philip Roth and Gore Vidal. Even accepting that Casillo is a fan, it's preposterous. Jaw-dropping even. What a load of baloney!!

The pandering to his subject continues through the portrait of Rechy's mother. I found it extremely unsatisfactory - shallow and one-dimensional. Casillio presents her through the rose-coloured recollections of others - not least, Rechy's own. And never really attempts to scratch the surface of a complex - even bizarre - relationship.

Sadly, it's the same story with Rechy himself. Is he really as superficial and lacking in self-awareness as this biography suggests? Has he learnt nothing during his 70+ years on Earth? Or is it just down to a superficial treatment of the subject? Rechy's self-obsessed narcissism is handled with kid gloves. Casillo does not examine it in any depth. Though he does occasionally make half-hearted attempts to excuse it.

Ultimately, for me, this book raised more issues about the authenticity of biography than anything else. As a genre I find it increasingly dissatisfactory.

If you can get past the blarney and the misplaced reverence you may find the book interesting in terms of a gay history. But if you are expecting an insightful, in-depth treatment of it's subject, you will be sorely disappointed. ... Read more

Book Description
From the author of the classic City of Night comes a captivating, wickedly entertaining novel in which an irrepressible young hero is set loose in the religious-fundamentalist world of Texas, the gambling palaces of Las Vegas, and the enticing mythos of Los Angeles

The internationally renowned novelist recently described by Gore Vidal as "one of the few original writers of the last century" re-creates himself yet again with a witty bildungsroman that pays homage to the classic eighteenth-century picaresque. Loosely inspired by Fielding's Tom Jones, it sends the charming, handsome Lyle Clemens on an adventure from fundamentalist Texas to the contemporary wilderness of Los Angeles.

Raised in Texas, the son of a Miss America aspirant and an unknown father, Lyle Clemens approaches adulthood and notices that everyone wants him to be something he's not. His beautiful mother wants to make him into the cowboy who abandoned her; a group of avaricious fundamentalists plot to convert him into "the Lord's Cowboy"; and the lovely Maria wants him to fulfill her varying fantasies of "true love." When Lyle leaves home to make his own destiny, he encounters a gallery of charlatans and wistful souls, quirky gamblers, dreamy showgirls, wily pornographers, and fake magicians; and is seduced into an aging starlet's mad comeback scheme during a rambunctious Academy Awards ceremony. Through it all, Lyle becomes himself. The Life and Adventures of Lyle Clemens is a hilarious, bittersweet, and wise book that establishes once again John Rechy's great storytelling gifts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

DISAPPOINTING
I was more than disappointed with this book.When I bought the book, I was anticipating an adventure that would touch the libido and soul.Unfortunately this did not happen.The story, told in vignettes, moves along reasonably quickly, however, there seems to be a lack of substance.Lyle Clemens II, the intrepid hero, negotiates a life full of strife, misfortune, good fortune, enlightenment, yada, yada, yada.None of his so-called adventures "spoke" to this reader.I normally enjoy Rechy's work, but this effort fell flat.

Critics: The Apes of Apes, and the 2 cents of one
I picked this book up when it first hit the book stores, and devoured it in a single reading (something I haven't done since reading Madame Bovary). I've never written a review on Amazon before, but felt somewhat compelled to do so by the New York Times flap, which demonstrated to me that Rechy is a thousand times more honest, self-aware and has a much better sense of humor than all of the hypocritical authors (never mind "professional" critics) who were alluded to, but apparently didn't have the spine to own up to their own creative doings on Amazon. So, in case any one is still reading this: this book is masterful, emotional without being sentimental. Rechy renders situations in a way that are at once heart-breaking and hilarious. The aging Hollywood actress who is able to use her imagination to turn each bit of humiliating news into, if not triumph, then at least hope; the nouvelle-riche porn producer's wife who frets about vulgarity-- the book is comprised of high adventure and wonderful characters. I think that what I liked most about this book is that Rechy never makes fun of or patronizes his characters the way, I think, a lesser writer might. As a result, the characterizations are rich, and I was completely lost in the characters' desires and pipedreams. Buy this book!

A book to fall asleep
It's boring and cursory.
Save your money; Save your time and read something else
It's not one of the author's best.

Hands Down, One of the Year's Very Best
A beautifully written story that will go down as one of the author's best.The tale of the lovable Lyle Clemens is not only funny but incredibly touching.The ending is sublime.Fans of Rechy and those who have never read a word of his work are in for a real treat.

LYLE IS VERY ENTERTAINING --- A Must Read
After all the hullabaloos in the NY Times over authors writing their own reviews, because of the comments of Rechy, I picked up this book over the weekend and couldn't put it down.Curiosity got the best of me.The book is hilarious.I enjoyed every minute. I recall reading Rechy's excellent but dark CITY OF NIGHT.This is such a contrast.It is humorous yet touching, proving Rechy's strong virtuosity as a topflight novelist.It is story telling at its best - a bewitching wickedly entertaining tome in which an irrepressible young hero is set loose in the "born again" world of Texas, the clubs of Las Vegas, and then on to the seductive allure of crazed filled Los Angeles.Finely written, a very good read, highly recommended and I'm pleased to rediscover this excellent writer. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Hauntingly Powerful
Gorgeous prose graces every page of this book!The ending is one of the truly all-time greats -- the work of a master at his peak. The story will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered about the meaning of faith.Don't be put off by the book's small size -- this novel packs a punch, well after you've put it down! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Youth run wild
A gang of four alienated teens raise cain all over El Paso, Texas in this, one of Rechy's earlier novels.The teens--a jaded rich girl; her two male friends; and the "fourth angel" who joins them, a young man recovering from his mother's death--turn to drugs and a little bit of the old ultraviolence to block out the pain of their lives.

As an examination of troubled youth, this novel sometimes plunges into the kind of cliches I associate with bad JD movies (emotionally wounded kids rebelling against hypocritical society, etc., etc.).But Rechy manages to create four vivid, distinct characters here; they're more complex than the street-corner nihilists they proclaim themselves to be--and that's exactly the point.Tight prose and a quick pace are additional assets.Though not as impressive as "City of Night," it's a readable book that hasn't dated much (except for the occasional "far out!" dialogue) since its initial publication in 1972, whereas Bret Easton Ellis' vaguely similar "Less Than Zero" feels lost in the '80s.It's worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (34)

Rechy's mosting disappointing and retch inducing novel
Open this book to any page and you'll be bombarded with one graphic, gratuitous, poorly written, laugh out loud sex scene after another (Oh yeah baby give it to me, that's it like that . . . seriously that's how inane the dialogue is).Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Rechy's and some of his work is downright brilliant.I loved City of Night, This Day's Death, The Fourth Angel and especially Bodies and Souls.However, The Coming of the Night is a thinly vieled excuse for straight up porn.

I went into the novel excited, thinking Rechy would have something profound to express about gay life before "the coming of the night", a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic.Instead I was bombarded with episodic sexcapades of several loosely connected one dimensional characters. The sections involving Clint, haunted by and trying to escape from the mysterious "cancer" killing off his friends in New York; Orville, a handsome gay black male trying to get by in the predominantly white gay community and Thomas, a lonely single "old queen" who just wants to be loved were the only compelling and interesting characters to me.As an ardent supporter of AIDS awareness and a gay black male getting up there in age, these characters could have really got a message across.Instead they, and the rest of the novel, are squandered away under the weight of the grossly explicit sex scenes that appear on EVERY page.

Other characters were pointless.Za-Za LaGrand's sections (a thinly veiled reference to porn director Chi Chi LaRue) were utterly pointless and did nothing to further the plot along.Dave, the sado-masochist leather biker man and Ernie, the body builder with endowment issues were one dimensional characters I could care less about and Buzz, Boo and Fredo, the homophobe gay bashing punks were predictable and boring.

It's sad that this novel is so bad because it really had a lot of potential to get across some extremely powerful messages.Instead of focusing on the characters, fleshing them out so I could care for them, Rechy gets too wrapped up in the sex scenes, the majority of which are poorly written with some of the worst dirty talk dialogue I have ever read. Read this only if you've read every Jackie Collins novel and long for a dirtier gay version of what she does.Rechy must have wrote this for the money because it really stinks. PU.

Compelling, Dark, Haunting - A True Perspective of Gay 1981
Wow!This is one of the better books that I have picked up in quite some time.Becoming an adult in the mid 80's, immediately after the AIDS epidemic changed the way we live, it was quite obvious that things would never be the same as they had been.This book is a brilliant representation of perspective and fate -showing how in the course of a day, unconnected lives can interface and brief moments and decisions can alter one's future forever.This book touches on a myriad of personalities and help give the reader insight to behaviors that are fueled by insecurity, vanity, empowerment, domination, loneliness, anger, etc.It was raw, dark and clearly descriptive of urban gay life prior to the mid 80's.Despite its graphic and poignant sexual content, ANY reader will have to appreciate the way the author constructs and implements this story with seamless transitions and expertly developed characters.Keep an open mind and you will see a master author at his finest.

C...-ola...
Ok what was the point of this book? It was nothing more than a study of oversexed, kinky, S&M-obsessed perverts throughout the course of a windy day in Los Angeles. Rechy's overused symbol of the "Sant'Anas" was eventually annoying and his pervasive sexual language and scenarios had no artistic merit whatsoever and no purpose other than thoroughly grossing out this (gay) reader. Save your time and read a true gay masterpiece- "Dancer From the Dance"- instead. I regret picking this one up.

Best gay read for a long time
John Rechy has written a superb novel full of memorable characters. The cross section of the gay community is strong and believable as are the other characters. A novel of people indulging on the brink of an unknown disaster at the time makes for a significant and perhaps historical account of gay life before the AIDS epidemic. As usual strong writing, great sex and a dash of humour. A must for any gay bookshelf.

Haunting, beautifully written
I read this novel in one sitting, into the night.The way the novel is structured, it keeps you moving from one character to another, reticent to leave one, and then eager to meet the next one.It is almost orchestrated in its form, and in the rhythms of the language--a different style for each of the dozen or so characters.The honesty in the novel might make some people flinch, but that is only an indication of how unsparing and truthful it is, capturing the excitement of a past time, as well as the unforeseen dangers.Rechy is especially effective in his recording of the so-called S&M scene--obviously he has known it and now explores it with brutal candor, as it is.Beyond its subject, the novel asserts why Rechy is today considered one of our foremost writers. ... Read more

Book Description

Challenging the borders between autobiography, memory, history and fiction, this interactive memoir presents a diverse array of personal materials by and about John Rechy and sets them against larger collective histories of Chicano culture and the gay world.Drawing passages from all of Rechy's published novels, it also mines the outrageous fictions that circulate around this fascinating literary figure who, as a gay icon, a Chicano writer from Texas, a dedicated bodybuilder, a gifted teacher of creative writing, and a recent recipient of the PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award, has long been a subject ofnotoriety and fantasy.Combining original artwork, video, archival documents, and recorded interviews and commentaries, it lets you move through three interrelated realms—Memories, Bodies, and Cruising—each with its own daring repertoire of interfaces.

Customer Reviews (2)

An Esstential Companion Piece!
Already own all 13 of Rechy's books? ... Got a copy of *Numbers* from a friend once, but never read anything else? ... Only know *City of Night* because it's on that list of "modern classics" you should have read? ... Well, no matter what your level of exposure to Rechy's brilliance, if he's an author you long to learn more about, this CD-ROM can help. Filled with fascinating images from his personal archives, it also contains multimedia pieces which dramatize and synthesize the themes of Memories, Bodies, and Cruising. One feature sure to please Rechy fans who haven't had the chance to meet him, is the use of the author's voice for narrative pieces and book excerpts.

Nonetheless, if you're looking for a definitive bibliography, or expecting a project resembling a flashy "book report" on Rechy, this CD-ROM is not the place to start. (For that sort of treatment, go to the library and/or search the Web). This CD-ROM will not familiarize you with all his writings, or give you biographical trivia, in the traditional sense -- but it does illuminate the style and substance of his work, and reveal aspects of his life, in new ways.

As to the CD-ROM itself: I would have preferred more detailed installation and navigation instructions -- but didn't have any great difficulty getting the various components up and running. Overall content seemed rather sparse once I started exploring it, and I kept wanting more detail and depth -- but that's to be expected. After all, there's only so much space on any CD-ROM, and no amount could be "enough" or "too much" when reveling in the beauty, passion, and glory of a work.

A Magic Multimedia Tour
As many times as I have explored this amazing multimedia CD-ROM, I constantly find something new to appreciate. A photograph in a collage that links to an artifact with the voice of John Rechy revealing new meaning...a path through a thicket of trees that reveals the author standing shirtless above his beloved city.... Mysteries and Desire is a masterful, extraordinary work whose technique rises to the level of its subject. Anyone interested in John Rechy, literature, digital content or new media should not miss this experience. ... Read more

Product Description
It is a journey, by a nameless narrator, through this clandestine world of furtive love. His journey takes him through the major cities of the United States, and through the lives of an extraordinary collection of characters who dwell either in this world or on its fringes. Times Square in New York, Los Angeles,and New Orleans are the neon-lit background for the gay hustler scene that Rechy describes with brutal candor, with understanding but without sentimentality or self-pity, in a prose that is highly personal, vivid, and boldly descriptive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

CITY OF NIGHT / Book of the Days of Our Youth
Even though Rechy is writing his hustler experiences in NYC and California in the 60s, and even though he is exposing a sexual underground few ever wrote of, he never describes body parts or sex acts explicitly, which is a wonder, because his book is more groundbreaking and controversial than any poen would ever be, but the time it appeared in history, often read in the 60s and 70s by young "partners" who otherwise never would have know how many other guys were like them, this book opened the door.This book also set the standard by which all the books to follow for decades had to deal with.Edmund White is more talented a lyrical writer, but Rechy is a man from the bowels of the real earth, and his words are fire and steel.This isn't a good book for someone who was a sexual addict to read...it will come on light my fire-ah, too much.This is truly how it was in the scene in those days, no exaggeration, and the end of the book in New Orleans totally captures the angst of Mardi Gras and the tragic-comic malaise which infects all the revelers in the dark bars out of the sun, out of the mainstream.This is a book that is NUMBER ONE a must reading for any well read gay or bisexual person.It is history.The Sexual Outlaw: A Documentary (Rechy, John)NumbersThe Sexual Outlaw: A Documentary (Rechy, John) ... Read more

Amazon.com
John Rechy, whose previous novels include 4th Angel, City of Night and The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez: A Novel, is back with this retelling of the stories of the fallen women of history. When an 18th-century French noblewoman has vivid dreams of the lives of Eve, the whore of Babylon, Medea and Mary Magdalene, she comes to realize that they are more than just somnambulant imaginings. Rather, they are actual memories. With the help of Madame Bernice, a friend and mystic, she sets out to tell the true stories of their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Awful!!
I finished this book about a month ago and was recently perusing the reviews and have to wonder if maybe I stumbled on the wrong page?!Did I not understand the book?Did I not get it?I was all into this book, excited that these women were getting a second look!Hurray!Vindication for all those years of playing "blame the women"!Then I got to the end and felt sick!All that great story wasted on laying blame on yet another woman!I felt sick!I can only guess that he was attempting to be shocking and daring, but he only succeeded in being a disgusting misogynist who wrote a trashy novel not worth 1/3 the money I paid for it!(And I bought it at a used book store for $5.00!)

The best part of this book is the peacock!
I think the idea behind this book is creative.I like the author's attempt to create round characters out of infamous women who have, for the most part, been remembered in history as one-dimensional. What I don't likeis the way the author tries to "save" these women, cast them in abetter light.Maybe some of these women were whores.But that's o.k.because "whore" hasn't always had such negative connotations. Pagan cultures had holy whores who honored the Goddess. I guess I'm gettingoff track here, but it just bothered me that the author seemed to be socaught up in defusing the word "whore," in proving that thesewomen were innocents.So they had sex--so what!