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Customer Reviews (30)

G is L
Could not put it down, would often read well into 3-4 in the morning haphazardly. Phenomenal book, Rechy writes similar to Kerouac & Palahniuk but surpasses both, this book is riviting regardless if you are gay, straight or bisexual. Rechy exposes what the meaning is behind words such as abandon, love, light and yes sex as well.Changed my life, this book is unexplainably beautiful. Read it with a open mind and leave your biases, theories and opinions about everything you've been taught to believe is good or bad before you even flip open the cover, if you let it this book will speak to you about a piece however big or small inside of you as well.G is L Rechy said.. God is love... excellent, now read!

Great roadtrip in a gone era.
I've read this book every other summer for many years. Too bad it probably won't, or can't, become a film.

What's With Rechy?
This is the third of Rechy's books I've read in the past month or so and I'm finished with him.I just don't care for his style of writing I guess.Now I'm the first to enjoy a book with gay content, including spicy sex scenes and so forth, but his writing and characters bring me down, leave me feeling dirty and almost depressed about the gay world and activity and how they behave.Is he a friend or foe of gays? It's hard to tell as he is so condescending and derogatory of them.No romance, no love, no tenderness---only people with warped minds, into kinky and multiple, multiple partners, unhappy, unfulfilled and ashamed.I don't want to read about people like this or be reminded of all the unhappiness and misery in the world.He has such a negative take on everything. I don't think anybody in his books laughs or smiles, feels good about themselves or isn't without some kink in them.True life? Maybe, but I don't need to read about it. He makes it all so dirty and filthy.

Overblown and Vacuous
I can understand the literary frenzy when CITY OF NIGHT made its debut... Courageous author breaks cultural barrier with unflinching look at gay subculture.Rechy's prose sure fits that era's highfaluting lit style -- overwritten, stream of consciousness, uncompromising, "deep", etc.Highly esteemed by cultural sophisticates, chichi media, and undergraduate college professors as a "classic" -- in the same mold as ON THE ROAD and FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS.I remember having to suffer through this type of pretentious drivel during English 101 classes, butwith CITY OF NIGHT, I had a choice -- and couldn't finish 100 pages.

Self-indulgent prose, unlikeable characters, empty plot lines, overwrought/meaningless monologues, metaphorical nonsense -- I gave it two-stars only because it took a lot of balls to come out with such a depressing slice of your life.

on the road with john rechy
i have never read or, for that matter, heard of john rechy prior to reading a review of his latest book. after doing a bit of research, i found that this is his most well known book. i must admit, it was well worth the time and research. i love this book! it's very sad, often funnyand always insightful. the author has a nice way of observing situations and moving through their center to gain some understanding of the characters motivations, his own reactions and motives and, thereby, ours. this isn't always evident at first and often will take time to reveal. he has a great way of relating events in his early life to later events and discerning the pattern there. something we all should have done, should be doing, hopefully, in our own lives. get this book! ... Read more

Product Description
When John Rechy broke out in 1963 as the bestselling author of City of Night, his novel about the underworld of gay male prostitution, he became a source for provocative commentary on sex, homosexuality, and culturally transgressive literature for publications as varied as the New York Times, The Nation, the Advocate, and Forum. Beneath the Skin collects more than four decades of the author’s outspoken essays—many never before reprinted and almost none ever appearing previously in book form. Rechy holds forth on topics ranging from the birth of the sexual liberation movement, the rise of Anita Bryant, and the emergence of AIDS to sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and last year’s repeal of sodomy laws. Beneath the Skin also includes pieces on gay and lesbian authors such as Gore Vidal, Jack Kerouac, Christopher Isherwood, Carson McCullers, and Elizabeth Bowen, and non-gay figures like Philip Roth, William T. Vollman, and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as essays on Madonna, Tom Cruise, Eminem, Liberace, Marilyn Monroe, and the gay silent film star Ramon Novarro. ... Read more

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

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Customer Reviews (13)

Such Is Life
This book is true if you'll read Rechy's autobiography recently out.And this is the way that many gay men led their lives.Many still do probably.And Rechy is still alive to write and tell about it.Of course he was passive.I wondered if he ever got any venereal diseases then. He doesn't say.I suppose many people would be disgusted by this book, but I've read other books that are disgusting. Seems anything getsprinted these days.I don't know if it has any socially redeeming value but was an interesting book to read.

An Important Literary Work That's Incredibly Sexy As Well!
Written in 1967, John Rechy's NUMBERS is a significant contribution to gay literature not only because of it's pre-Stonewall publication, but also because the book goes a great distance in helping to chronicle some of the virtually underground gay sexual mores, play, and attitudes of LA in the 1960s...and it does so very entertainingly and with lots & lots of sex.

Johnny Rio, a former superstud star hustler on the Strip, returns to LA on a vacation from his mundane "working" world in Texas.In no time it becomes clear to the reader that "hotter than ever" Johnny is returning to get a little taste of what he has missed leading his 9-5 "straight" existence.Specifically he returns to reclaim the buzz that comes from being desired, especially by other men.Though claiming to be straight and obsessed with defining himself as such, Johnny needs this male affirmation - it is his power, his food, the confirmation of his worth.The book follows Johnny on his hot & smutty adventures accruing the "numbers" in the title which refer to the number of men who've given their power over to him as a result of his desirability.NUMBERS is a raunchy read - so prudes beware...but this book is also a lot more - a fine rumination on sexual need, sexual definition, vulnerability, and how so much in our sexual nature often reveals something deeper.

NUMBERS is not Rechy's best book (personally I still think his greatest contribution to gay literature is City of Night) but it is an extremely worthwhile read...and just to keep you turning the pages - it's HOT, smokin' hot.You've gotta love that sexy/smart combo - at least I did.

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.

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. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

Captivating Memoir
This is an amazing memoir, written with a loving heart and unflinching attention.Rechy's childhood and adolescence are depicted by him as a time populated with a multitude of fascinating people, most of whom loved him dearly.It's difficult to review this book, but so very easy to read and be caught up in its story.In all likelihood, Rechy's best work has been set down in these pages.

A Memoir and a Metaphor
"About My Life.." presents Rechy's life from adolescence to early adulthood. He recalls his life, with some obvious alterations. His San Francisco columnist is probably Herb Caen, although he uses a different name here. His chronology of Wilford Leach doesn't exactly line up with Leach's life. The important thing is that Leach was one of his first mentors, both as a writer and as a gay man. The columnist's wife is something of a metaphor for Rechy, as is the kept woman of the title. Like the wife, he escapes El Paso and becomes something else, obscuring his identity along the way. His duality is more stark than her's: writer/hustler, but not wholly different. Like the kept woman who captured his fascination, he takes pride and acquires a kind of mastery in what overtly seems to be a source of subjugation.

Rechy is matter of fact in his tone and unsparing of himself, even as he shows his bravado, as in his assertion to Alan Ginsburg that his body would always remain attractive. There is little analysis of his choice of hustling over going to Columbia University. Whether it was a matter of serendipity or something more is never discussed, perhaps if it were somehow predetermined and not to be questioned. When Rechy breaks through as a writer, recounting his experiences and the people he has met, he still easily moved back and forth between the writer's world and that of the butch, straight-identified hustler. Indeed, he takes the hustler role to a new place by developing his body and entering the world of cruising, as well as hustling after publication of his first book. "City of Night" was a departure from the more gentile and subdued work of gay writers who came before him, and the kind of middle class college boy coming of age stories that dominated in the years that came later. Even as he emerged as a gay writer, Rechy had not really come to terms with his sexuality which made the graphic quality of his writing perhaps more important to understanding him.

I'm surprised the other reviews have been so positive. Rechy's work and life tend to elicit controversy. The self-loathing and limited view of his sexuality evident in the years covered by this book often seems unsympathetic to younger readers (at least in terms of their revies of his early work). OTOH, the frankness of the sexuality and Rechy's involvement in a sexual underworld disturbs those who want to see their sexuality "normalized". Unlike the sort of middle class gay writing that began to emerge around the time of "The Sexual Outlaw", Rechy comes from a far more marginalized place, in terms of class and ethnicity. Like many characters in contemporary gay writing, he is a sensitive boy who seeks books and learning and emerges as a gay man in a flood of sexual encounters. Unlike them, he entered his sexuality as a hustler and, even as a published writer, was treated as a hustlerish plaything by wealthy prominent men who were often deeply closeted--sometimes this was cultivated by him, sometimes not. When David Leavitt gave the book a lacerating review in the NY Times, he did it by attacking the narcissism and double standard of Rechy's early life and through a schoolmarmish analysis of his prose (both Rechy & Leavitt teach creative writing at universities). Leavitt notes the circumstances of Rechy's early life but misses the place that this left for Rechy in much the manner of a sheltered, somewhat clueless middle class boy and Leavitt no doubt feels uncomfortable with a former hustler playing his game as an academic. Rechy treats his own narcissism and double standard in a very direct, unapologetic way that is very different from the self-absorption of characters drawn by writers like Leavitt. So, this is a book for people who are not looking for contemporary gay lit, but willing to deal with something that may seem, at once, dated and more forthright. There's been more to Rechy, including a long-term relationship (that emerged from his hustling, of all things), so hopefully there will be another memoir in the future.

Excellent
John Rechy is an excellent writer and wrote a wonderful book.I'm planning on reading several of his fiction books now.I met him once many years ago.

Quite an interesting life he's led.I just don't completely understand how he seemed to go froma rather naive (or inexperienced) man into the hustling mode. It just seemed to happen like flipping a switch. I kept wondering if that is exactly how it happened.And I wonder why he hasn't ever seemed interested in intimacy.I'm wondering if the autobiography by Casillo is worth reading too or if it would be redundant.

None the less, he is a wonderful writer, very, very captivating and I read it in 4 days much to my dismay because when a book is as wonderful as this one was, I'd like it to be a 700 pager!!!

Great Read, but I have a few questions
I read City of Night over 4 decades ago and was relieved to learn that John Rechy has survived his dangerous life style and has written this marvelous memoir.Rechy names many famous people, but for others he uses a fictional name. Perfectly understandable if he wants to protect the confidentiality of people who are still alive, but he probably should let us know when he does this. Apparently, Burt Schwartz is Herb Caine.But, was his wife Isabel Franklin?Was the kept woman of de Leon, Marisa Guzman?

FULL OF SPICE
The world of John Rechy comes alive in this luminous memoir.
About my life and the kept woman is the remarkable adventure of a man choosing a life-so colorful-on the strength of his mind and will. It takes skill to depict,as Mr Rechy has done, a work so imaginitive, dramatic and seductive.

... Read more

Product Description
John Rechy's new novel is a return to the themes and scenes of his classic, best-selling City of Night and a bittersweet memorial to a lost world -- gay Los Angeles in the moment before AIDS. It is 1981, a summer night, and an unscripted ritual is about to take place. Young, beautiful Jesse is celebrating one year on the dazzling gay scene and plans to lose himself completely in its transient pleasures. He is joined by Dave, a leatherman bent on testing limits. A young hustler, an opera lover lost in fantasies of youth, a gang of teenagers looking for trouble -- as the Santa Ana winds breathe fire down the hills of Los Angeles, stirring up desires and violence, these men circle ever closer to a confrontation as devastating as it is inevitable. Lyrical, humorous, and compassionate Coming of the Night proves again that as a novelist and chronicler of gay life John Rechy has no equal. "The question Rechy asks is still potent: Would you die for sex? Rechy's sizzling literary response Coming of Night is as exciting as it is chilling." -- Pamela Warrick, Los Angeles Times; "[Rechy] very nearly touches greatness . . . feeling his way toward that place within each of us where the ecstatic teeters on the edge of psychic abyss. . . . A substantial artist." -- Frank Browning, Salon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Best of Breed
A suppose there are a few novels about the hustler scene in the days before AIDS and one good movie, My Own Private Idaho. But this if one the very few masterful books about it. And the others were written by Rechy too.

This book has a lot of characters and is almost like a number of short stories interwoven into one. But this doesn't detract from it.The other thing that is interesting about this book, like one of Rechy's other books, Rushes, is that everything takes place in the time period of one day.

This is a great book for anyone who is old enough to remember the scene but it could mean something for young gay people too.Rechy points out that the first gay rebellions were not in New York, but in LA. This book is a well written account of the period after the serious rebellions but before the devastation of the AIDS epidemic. Its also a page turner.

This is the John Rechy everyone talks about???
I've owned a copy of this book for years and never read it.Recently, it was mentioned in another book I was reading which said it was brilliant, so I decided to finally read it since John Rechy seems to be so popular.Boy, was I disappointed!

The Coming of the Night is several small stories losely tied together.However, most of the stories focus on sex and drugs and repeat themselves over and over again.The characters don't really go anywhere or do anything outside of driving around, walking the streets, or having sex, or thinking about and fantasizing about sex.The writing is so bad I couldn't believe what I was reading half the time.And it's also poorly edited.There are half page paragraphs that are all ONE sentence!

The characters are so fake and most of them are stereotypical cliches of the gay community, right down to a drag queen porn director.There's not a lot of substance and depth to them and like I said before, they constantly repeat themselves over and over again and the storylines don't really go anywhere.The characters don't achieve their goals, although I wasn't really sure what their goals were half the time.And when the storylines do finally start to cross, it's very brief and it's only so the characters can have sex with each other.There's really no true plot or theme to this book, and the places where Rechy has tried to embrace the 1980s culture before AIDS is very passive and fails.

I can't believe I actually made it all the way through this book.His first book, City of Night, seems to be much popular but I don't think it's something I'm going to rush out and read anytime soon after making it through this mess.I would not consider this book a classic piece of gay literature by all means.Compared to others I have read, this book is not even close.It's just mindless trash I think the author wrote while doing drugs himself.How sad!

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.

The Coming of the Night by John Rechy
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 reader. Save your time and read a true gay masterpiece- "Dancer From the Dance"- instead. I regret picking this one up. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Time capsule of a brief era
Back in the late '70s when this book first came out I remember snatching up a copy at the college bookstore. I was already familar with John Rechy after reading his groundbreaking 1963 novel City of Night. In The Sexual Outlaw I found a book that was as brutally honest as it was searing.

The book alternates between chapters in which "Jim" (the stand-in for Rechy) cruises the parks, bars, bathhouses and beaches of L.A. for sex and chapters in which Rechy turns his attention to such subjects as police corruption, the court system, discrimination, S&M, and a subject he returns to frequently - promiscuity as a revolutionary act.

As a Midwestern guy in his late teens, the book was both offputting and a revelation. Offputing because the open embrace of sexuality was an aspect of being gay I hadn't seen in the Midwest and a revelation because the arguments that Rechy put forth against those who would condemn gay sexuality gave me my first answers to refute the anti-gay attitudes that were prevalent at the time. (In fact, I was surprised to be reading a section of the book when I came across a statement I have used many times in support of gay issues. It hadn't occurred to me where the statement came from until I found it as I re-read the book.)

The Sexual Outlaw stands as a statement of its times. It's difficult to read it now without thinking of how many lives have been lost to AIDS. Looking back, it's hard to imagine how different life was in that brief 12-year period between the Stonewall riots and birth of the modern gay liberation movement in 1969 and the discovery of AIDS in 1981. This book is a sort of time capsule of that brief era.

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

Product 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. ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (2)

Not City Of Night
This too recommended to me.I remember the Rechy who wrote City of Night, one of the best books of the 1960s.I still would recommend that novel of the gay hustler streets from El Paso to Los Angeles.Los Angeles is the setting of Amalia Gomez, too, but the story seems forced.It's not bad, but I've I stopped reading it.

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

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

Product Description
Early and quite controversial (for the time) novel about the gay scene in the America of between World War II and the creation of the interstate road system. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback, the latest novel from the internationally renowned novelist is a riotous bildungsroman that pays homage to the classic eighteenth-century picaresque. Loosely inspired by Fielding's Tom Jones, The Life and Adventures of Lyle Clemens follows the journey of handsome Lyle Clemens as he travels through the religious fundamentalist world of Texas to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas and the enticing traps of Los Angeles's mythologies.As Lyle approaches adulthood, everyone wants him to be something he's not. His beautiful mother wants to make him into a reflection of the cowboy who abandoned her; a group of avaricious fundamentalists plot to convert him into "the Lord's Cowboy" to rouse their televangelical empire to new frenzied heights; 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, aging starlets, and wily pornographers. 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 (13)

And This Guy Mocks Jacqueline Susann
I guess the sex scenes were o.k., but with cardboard-stereotypical characters, and the protagonist being so perfect as to be odious, I couldn't finish this book.

That being so, I ask the Amazon readership if anyone kept count as to how many times Mr. Rechy used the running gag where, when someone addresses Lyle as "cowboy," he responds, "I'm not a cowboy! I've never even been on a horse!"

One problem with such a repeated device is . . . well . . . shouldn't it be funny?

Do you love Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones"?Then don't read this book...
If you love the "scathing critique" of common (read: pat, boring, moralist,) literature in Georgian England that is Henry Fielding's comic masterpiece "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling," look elsewhere for a great read.While Rechy does a credible job of attempting to honor the masterpiece, he falls far short both in terms of playful characterization, and in his attempt to modernize the ending sufficiently.

Problem the first is that Mr. Rechy's characters, while sketched lightly to mimic the style of Fielding in his grand satire, don't quite fit in a book that falls far short of the original's aims (and was aimed differently, to begin with).Where in Tom Jones the idea was to slap staid moralists with the reality that, in fact, a well-meaning black sheep could sometimes have a happy ending, too, Rechy's aim is far less definite.He seems to be making fun of his lightly sketched characters because they aren't educated, witty or urbane of their own accord.In short, this book isn't a satire of modern times or literary movements, it's really more of a burlesque show playing on the low-class trashiness of the characters to no real moral end.

Our second problem proceeds apace of the first, and that is the book's confusion over its' own identity.Fielding's goal was actually quite simple...SATIRE re: the bad, inflexible, interchangeable moralist plotlines of the Georgian novel!"The Life and Adventures of Lyle Clemens", however, seems to be a light novel about the differences between being seedy and being seedy with good intentions, albiet with no binding theme to said seediness.If the book had only been a little longer, the characterization hadn't been stolen directly from Tom Jones, and the moral dillemmas faced by the book's namesake, Lyle, had been a little less porno-centric, this might've been a literary tour-de-force.As it is, I can't recommend it at all.

Read it if you want.There's a decent deflowering scene, anyway...Though, as porn, the novel also leaves one wanting a good sniff of Teleny...

Just misses the mark
This novel tells the tales of many people, but mainly focuses on Lyle Clemens, a young cowboy whose father deserted his mother after she became pregnant. This one act of Lyle Clemens the First changes his mother forever, and also shapes the thinking of Lyle the 2nd. Lyle leaves his home state of Texas and travels to Las Vegas and then Hollywood, meeting plenty of "characters" along the way. Men and women are attracted to him, and his basically honest and positive nature naively seeks the best out in everyone he meets. The many charlatans along the way attempt to use him for their own personal gain, but somehow, a guardian angel keeps Lyle safe each time and thwarts the slime-bags.

The characters in this novel are amazing; John Rechy does a great job of fleshing them out and I found myself drawn to each and every one of them. Still, I felt that there was no real high point in this book; I knew that with all the different characters and the detailing of each meant that there would be a final intertwining where their lives would intersect. Sure, this does occur but it is much more of a whimper than a bang. For such a frank, adult, and sexy tale, I felt that Rechy short-changed the reader...almost as if he got bored with the tale and didn't know what else to do with it. This book sure does cry out for a well-written sequel.

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. ... Read more

Product 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

Product Description
An eighteenth-century lady haunted by dreams of infamous fallen women and their lovers realizes that these women's lives bear a remarkable resemblance to her own and is told by a mystic that her dreams are memories of past lives and that she must face the public to vindicate all women falsely accused of crimes.Amazon.com Review
John Rechy, whose previous novels include 4th Angel, City of Night andThe Miraculous Day ofAmalia Gomez: A Novel, is back with this retelling of thestories of the fallen women of history. When an 18th-century Frenchnoblewoman has vivid dreams of the lives of Eve, the whore of Babylon,Medea and Mary Magdalene, she comes to realize that they are more thanjust somnambulant imaginings. Rather, they are actual memories. Withthe help of Madame Bernice, a friend and mystic, she sets out to tellthe 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!

Flashes of cleverness not enough to sustain the story.
Initial flashes of cleverness and artful story-telling rocket you throughthe first half of the book.From then on, plot and story fizzle out like aguttering candle--and so does the reader's desire to continue on.It'salmost as if Rechy is frosting a cake and discovers he doesn't have quiteenough frosting for the whole; but instead of making more frosting, hechooses to make do by thinning out what he already has applied. Pity!

One of the most beautiful imagintive novelsI've read.
Rechy retells familiar stories of sensuality and intrigue, includilng those of Adam and Eve, Salome and St. John, even Jesus and Judas--through the eyes of a woman who claims to have experienced or been a witness to all those lives.By turns tragic, funny, sensual, daring, mysterious, and moving, this novel is hard to put down.Can't understand why it wasn't a bestseller.Too daring, though beautifully written? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great characterization, so-so story
I have read a number of John Rechy's books; he seems to do better with non-fiction than fiction. This book definitely follows that theory. Although I really enjoyed the characters and how Rechy brought them to life, I found myself bored with story, and just couldn't get caught up in the supposedly dramatic tension of the book. Briefly, the story deals with a girl from Texas named Normalyn who finds out after her mother dies that she is the daughter of Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy. This theory is nothing new...nor is it exciting in my opinion. It has been written about and speculated to death, and never by anyone with credibility or irrefutable proof. That aside, I would still have enjoyed a good mystery/suspense/dramatic tale of this girl coming to grips with "who she is" and her journey of discovery along the way as she leaves Texas for Los Angeles. My favorite parts of the book dealt with the non-Monroe/Kennedy aspect; her friendship with Kirk & Troja, the couple who befriends her in L.A., is probably the best part of this novel. The cat-and-mouse game of trust she plays with Troja as they both learn to trust each other is very well-written, and I enjoyed reading as their friendship grew. There is also a sub-plot about a group of people who worship and attempt to be Dead Movie Stars...boringly morbid and sad in my opinion, but does serve a small purpose in showing Normalyn what she doesn't want out of life.

Overall, I found the dramatic highpoints to be very low; not very exciting at all. In fact there is way too much build-up for each plot point and not enough in the way of a payoff for the reader. An OK read, but not one of his best; stick to the Rechy non-fiction.

see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for the play here i am mother the real story
Mr.Rechy tries to make up a believable story it isn't believable even as fictionNancy Miracle in the play Here I am Mother the real story of Marilyn Monroe tells dramatically the real story and tells it well

forget the fiction go for the real story of marilyn and her daughter Here i am mother by nancy miracle
this is not even fiction it is theft see www.marilynmonroefoundation.com for how to buy the real story of marilyn monroe by nancy miracle i was fortunate enough to be invited to the last reading of the play in nyc and it was a stunning experienceto hear at last the truth about the screen goddess this play is a must have for anyone really interested in marilyn monroe and her real daughter nancy miracleit is a collectors item a must have i've heard she is doing another reading it's on the web page in october and the script is now on sale at books & books in miami beach florida nancy miracle is very courageous and an excellent writer

marilyn monroe's fictional daughter a story stolen
the real story of marilyn monroe is only available through her daughter nancy miracle this trash was published in 1986 just after her real story came to light and while nancy miracle was censored now the story here i am mother first copyrighted in 1985 has been adapted into a one act play and is made available through (...) This story is a commercial load of junk to confuse the real story and make money for mr. rechy and keep the money for the people who stole the monies from her estate.see marilynmonroefoundation.com

Totally Engrossing....a must read
This fictional novel is the story of Marilyn's hypothetical daughter, fathered by Robert Kennedy. Normalyn Morgan recieves a letter from the woman she thought was her mother after her death stating that MM was herreal mother, and she heads for LA to find out the truth. The book is notonly a great read, it's a lesson to all those on a quest for the truth,whether about MM's affairs with the Kennedys or about her death....I reallybelieve Rechy is trying to make a statement about these truth-hunters.Check it out, it leaves you with some interesting questions! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"The Sexual Outlaw" by John Rechy
...This book has something for everyone.If all you want is a steamy read then just read the sex chapters, if you're only interested in the history of gay rights/oppression just read the other chapters.The sex chapters are graphic, and romantically rendered (the author being a big fan of public sex.)The historic chapters are fascinating and disturbing, a first-hand account of the persecution that has ruined lives, the kind of persecution that a younger person might find extreme, appalling, and entirely un-American.
I suggest you read the entire book, as the author's intention is to make the persecuted more personal, and to explain that a life of street-sex may be more than a self-involved search for orgasms.(Rechy actually makes a pretty good case for narcissism as a life strategy.) The book is made truly beautiful by Rechy's intense honesty (always surprising coming from such an overt egotist.)The ugly and the beautiful, shown side by side, simultaneously, run concurrent, until one may be prompted to ask which is which.Rechy does not just defend his lifestyle, he also faces its many problems.
In the end , my favorite thing about the book is that it raised so many questions in my mind.Throughout reading the book I found myself becoming angry with many of the author's declarations, and the questions piled up.By the final chapter, however, Rechy had answered every one of them, ultimately offering a sort of philosophy of what it means to be gay, and what it means to live under the gun of others' ideologies.
I would recommend this book to ANYONE with an open mind, or ANYONE who needs to open their mind a little more. ... Read more