"Schooled in Murder" (Book Review)

"An acrimonious English department faculty meeting at Chicago-area Grover Cleveland High leads to murder in Zubro's intriguing 12th Tom and Scott mystery (after 2006's Everyone's Dead but Us ). English teacher Tom Mason's troubles begin after he discovers the corpse of teacher Gracie Eberson, an eraser stuck in her mouth, in a supply room also occupied by two male teachers engaged in a sexual tryst. The guilty pair deny Tom's official report about their illicit activity, and an anonymous tip implicates Tom in Eberson's murder. When the dead body of another teacher turns up behind Tom's car, Tom turns sleuth. Tom's lover, Scott Carpenter, and such friends as Meg Swarthmore, Grover Cleveland's feisty librarian, and police officer Frank Rohde lend support. Zubro, a high school English teacher himself, invests this whodunit with sharp insights into what can happen when prejudice rules as well as timely lessons on educational chicanery."

As described by Publisher's Weekly Review, this novel by Mark Richard Zubro, is a murder mystery with a gay twist. Published in 2008 by the reputable St Martin's Minotaur, the work is the latest addition to Zubro's "The Tom and Scott Mysteries" series.

For book nerds like myself, reading is a pleasure. This is particularly so for a teacher like myself, who spends endless hours plodding through mind-numbing student papers. But trying to find insightful, high quality reading material, in this over-commercialized and visually oriented age of ours is like trying to find needles in a haystack, to borrow a well-worn saying.

Thankfully, "Schooled in Murder" passes the muster--by the wisp of a hair (or should it be, by the particles of an eraser?). Pettiness arising from oversized egos rears its ugly head, and soon, it feeds into the twin murders at this high school. Each death in retrospect is not unexpected, as the disparate pieces begin to fall into place.

The protagonist, Tom Mason, finds himself in a conundrum. The discovery of the first body takes place soon after he stumbled upon a gay "sexual tryst." Incidentally, this so-called tryst is your typical gay man meets married man affair. But there is more tryst than sex here, just to forewarn you. As you read this novel, you probably will wonder: Does this tryst play a role in Tom being implicated in this murder? Is Tom indirectly being blackmailed? And what is the relationship between this first and the second murder?

Enjoy this book. It is a quick read. My one criticism is that the author sometimes chooses to use overly high-flaunt diction, when it is not necessary to do so. After all, this is not Walt Whitman-like, either in contents or theme.

"Thinking Straight" (Book Review)

Thinking Straight
by Robin Reardon
New York: Kensington Publishing, 2008
Paperback, Price: $15.00

Thinking Straight is author Robin Reardon's second novel. I have yet to read the first one, A Secret Edge. But if the second' style of writing and tired, old theme is any indication, then maybe I can skip the first one.

Thinking Straight has a simple plot. Taylor Adams develops a budding love relationship with a schoolmate. But his fundamentalist Christian parents are hell bent on him acting all butch, dating girls included. Taylor, the good son that he is, tries to accommodate his parents' wishes, but ultimately succumbs to the higher calling to keep faith with truth. So Taylor comes clean with his parents, much to his regrets, although you wonder how Taylor could not have anticipated their reactions.

His parents packs him of to Straight to God, an institution dedicated to "deprogramming" all kinds of troubled teenagers such as druggies, alcoholics, and gays. But Taylor does not see himself as needing any such deprogramming; not only does he not have a problem with being gay, he can also reconcile his love for God with his love for his boyfriend, Will.

At this institution, Taylor must deal with a repressive culture. Every movement is closely watched, and privacy is almost non-existent. Reardon throws in a few good-looking guys who serve to tempt Taylor to return to his "sinful" life. But will he?

As you can tell, the story is quite predictable. And quite depressing too. What makes it worse is the lack of sophisticated character development--Taylor's parents are two-dimensional, and Taylor himself comes across as whining and unsympathetic. Don't look for lyrical prose in this novel; in fact, we rarely get descriptive settings or philosophical waxings in this work. Read this novel if you are a complete novice to this notion of gays being brainwashed by church-affiliated organizations. Otherwise, you can do better.

Gays and God: "In the Eye of the Storm" (Book Review)

In the Eye of the Storm
Gene Robinson

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Seabury Books (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596270888
ISBN-13: 978-1596270886
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches

Gene Robinson is bishop of the tiny, rural Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, and was and still is the center of the controversy raging in the Episcopal Church and throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion about the role of the LGBT community in the church. Ordained as bishop in 2003, he was the first openly gay priest to be elected to this position in the Anglican Communion. His election scandalized many faithfuls, but also brought hope and self-affirmation to many people, particularly LGBT adherents.

In this book, Robinson takes on the meaning of the Gospel message, espousing forgiveness, humility, and social justice. Though not an autobiography, the book does offer snapshots of his personal and professional life. We learned of the profound human dimensions of his ministry, one that sometimes stretched the span of the globe. He writes about how LGBT church members in Hong Kong organized an underground congregation, afraid of recriminations from their mainstream church. He tells us stories of the women in a prison who sew their names into vestments they then gave to him as gifts. And of course, he recalls the furor unleashed by his announcement that he and his partner of twenty-some years, Mark, planned to carry out a civil union ceremony.

In weaving these personal recollections into his larger narrative of ministering to the dispossessed, the forgotten, the marginalized, Bishop Robinson calls upon all Christians to look at what they believe and how they practice their faith . He constantly asks, what would Jesus do? He urges the faithful to work with those on the edge and not judge people for how they dress, act, or think, but just love them. And he reminds us that to love our neighbor, we must begin by loving ourselves. It is not a narcissistic love, but a self-awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses.

Even though I do not consider myself highly religious, and in fact, I rarely attend church services, I found myself drawn into the book. Robinson's take on the blessings of human sexuality and how it is not irreconcilable with faith in God struck me as one grounded in a nuanced perspective on the truth of the Gospels.

Read this book for I believe it will open your eyes to the pains and tribulations faced by so many people, and not just gays alone. It is a book for our times, for our "me" generation. It is a book that calls for healing and reconciliation, even as Christians struggle to find a new understanding of the Scriptures.

Black, Brown, and Gay in America: "Drifting Toward Love" (Book Review)

Drifting Toward Love: Black, Brown, Gay, and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York
by Kai Wright
Boston: Beacon Press, 2008
$24.95

Drifting Toward Love: Black Brown, Gay, and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York tells, in a sympathetic tone, the poignant stories of a small group of young men of color in some of the grittiest parts of New York City furtively looking for homes that protect them against the violence or disease that surrounds them. Like most adolescents, they face the conventional pains and traumas of growing up. But they do so in a world where their race, sexual orientation, and class works against them.

Kai Wright, the author of several earlier books on African American life, draws intimate portraits of these young men's tragic, but still heroic, lives. Manny is a black boy who is still coming to terms with his sexuality, as he cuts school, cruises sex sites, and hangs out at parks. Though an intelligent adolescent, he struggles to negotiate the color line at school whilst coping with a troubled relationship with his single-parent mother. He and best friend Jason plunge from an immature love relationship into a friendship of drugs and hustling. But Manny is pulled into an explosive social movement, and ends up as an activist. What motivates him to leave the shambles of the past should keep most readers engaged.

Julius's story, meanwhile, is a classic tale that many gays. of various colors, share: a young gay man flees his rural roots, seeking liberation in the promising lights of the city. But Julius, a black youth, never finds his new "home," as he is soon homeless, hustling, and using drugs. Love--by others and of the self--eludes him.

Julius seeks refuge in a gay-friendly shared house on the east side of Brooklyn. It is a refuge that a number of other dispossessed--in body and spirit--share. One of them, Carlos considers that same house a safe haven, but he must try to deftly balance his definition his identity with the patriarchal demands of his large Puerto Rican family.

In Drifting Toward Love, Wright, in an almost novelistic style, interweaves the stories of these men into the broader currents of social, political, and economic changes of the city. The end result is a fairly nuanced understanding of these lives set within a larger context. The book moves at a fairly brisk pace; there is very little intellectual jargon that you see in GLBT studies or history these days. If you can read a newspaper or magazine article, you can read this book. It will open your eyes to some of the more troubling trends in society today, and also remind you that in spite of many odds, sometimes people can, with the support of new networks of friends and loved ones, overcome their demons.

"The Fisher Boy" by Stephen Anable (Book Review)

This first foray into the world of fictional writings by Stephen Anable is set on Cape Cod, mostly in Provincetown. The town, with a gay resort, an art colony, and a working fishing port, offers a colorful backdrop to this murder mystery. Mark Winslow, the naive and inquisitive protagonist with a working-class pedigree, and a Boston improvisational actor, arrives with his troupe, ready to try and break into the cliquish town's club circuit. Soon Winslow encounters some motley people--Republican gays who attended snotty prep schools; Bible-thumping, anti-gay Christian soldiers; a ravishing, controlling houseboy with a secret; slightly hysterical summer residents, and of course, young, blond-hair people who pan-handles and who claim to be from a Scandinavian ship. Then there is the mystery of a local painter who disappeared some eighty years ago after founding a utopian community near Provincetown.

Most readers, in my estimate, would find the first half of this novel somewhat languid, even slow going. It seems the author took his time to develop his characters--some of which are over the top and therefore a little implausible--and plot. And it seems to me that the author paid more attention to the setting than anything else. Also, some pruning would have helped, particularly in the diction department. In particular, I think he overdid the use of adjectives, thus slowing down the pace of a mystery novel, which by definition has a certain rapid pace.

The second half of the book is so much better. Once the murder of a Boston blueblood (conveniently someone whom Mark has had a sexual, and love-hate relationship with in the past) is discovered, and Mark becomes the prime suspect (arising from a public fight he had with the deceased) the twists and turns begin. Unexpected relationships are revealed between the characters that will surprise most readers. Then the inevitable question arises: does the earlier disappearance of that well-known local painter and the story behind his masterpiece, "The Fisher Boy," point in the direction of solving the murder of Winslow's old friend cum nemesis?

Read this book if you enjoy mystery novels with more than a few gay twists and a panoply of colorful, if albeit semi-stereotypical , queer characters.

Randy Father, "Nelly" Son: "Assisted Loving" (Book Review)

Assisted Loving
by Bob Morris
New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2008
Hardcover, $24.95

Pay no attention to the dustjacket; it does no justice to the story inside. Assisted Loving is a wry look at a real life love-hate relationship between a loud, overly gregarious, eccentric father and an insecure, self-effacing, overly insecure, loveless gay son.

In this memoir, the author, Bob Morris, a style columnist for The New York Times , finds himself, quite reluctantly, taking on the role of love coach and "pimp" for his recently widowed father, Joe. Hoping to unburden himself of a needy father, Bob soon is trolling the personal ads, screening prospective dates, and offering etiquette tips, chaperoning services, and even post-date assessments.

The irony is that Bob himself is a failure in the love department; overcritical of all the men he meets, he is resigned to a life of lonely New Year Eves and furtive e-mail reading. And for Bob, the irony deepens as his still-young-at-heart father goes on a whirlwind of dates, stretching from New York to Palm Beach, each date more successful than the other one. But for Bob, finding love is no easy game in a city of fast life and fleeting ties. More so since Bob is hardly the catch of the day--a middle-aged gay man with a grating attitude and a paunch to boot. But Bob prevails at the end, thanks to his father's unrelenting encouragement. And in finding love, Bob discovers that he shares more than just a genetic makeup with Joe. He re-discovers a father who loves his gay son, unequivocally.

The writing style is highly accessible; the prose is littered with funny one-liners and witty quips, some with obvious references to the Jewish culture that the family partakes in. This is no Tuesday with Morrie type of book, but at least it does remind one of the joys of the father-son bond and that love is never elusive, regardless of one's age.

"The Beloved Son" (Book Review)

The Beloved Son
by Jay Quinn
New York: Alyson Books, 2008
Paperback edition, $14.95

This novel, the latest by fairly well established gay writer Jay Quinn, is an engaging family story of unspoken truths and vocalized fears.

Its protagonist, Karl, a methodical, self-controlled straight engineer seems to embody the typical North Carolina suburban, middle-aged heterosexual man who leads an uncomplicated life cocooned in a world of ironed-out wills, downsized homes, reliable vehicles, and cultivated pleasantries.

Married to an empathetic woman, and the father of a bohemian-like, outspoken daughter, Karl's secured world is turned upside down when he, and his family, are summoned posthaste to his parents' abode in Boca Raton, Florida. Soon Karl and his family finds out that his parents have decided to move into a retirement home, one shaped by an unexpected family crisis.

This crisis forces Karl to confront a series of entangling relationships he must now unravel, comprehend, and even embrace. First, there is his gay brother, Sven, who is partially estranged from his partner of twenty-some years, Rob. Sven is hardly the stereotypical gay man. Confident, self-assured, and all-man, Sven, however, has his share of demons, and he too must sort them out or else his life with Rob will permanently end. He must also reconcile with Sven, who has always accepted Rob as a gay man but only from a distance. Now that Karl is in Rob's turf, the former must find a way to leave behind his prejudices, many of which are subtle yet corrosive. Then, there is Frank, Karl's occasionally homophobic, temperamental father, who struggles to accept his gay son and his partner. Frank has to wrestle with his own share of insecurities, stemming ironically from his love for his sons and his inability to navigate this seemingly senseless world as that family crisis spins out of control. And thirdly, there is Karl's mother, Annike, who has this close bond with her gay son, in a way that Karl is befuddled by and yet admires. It is a bond that is replicated in Karl's relationship with his father. How each character attempts to resolves their complicated ties without erasing the past makes up part of the enjoyment of reading this novel, whose prose is fairly rich, languid, if at times, a little sentimental and maudlin.

"Talk with Your Mouth Full" (Cook Book Review)

Cook Book Review
by Paul Hoffman

Talk With Your Mouth Full
The Hearty Boys Cookbook
Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh
Stewart, Tabori and Chang
New York 2007
Hardcover 224 pages
$27.50 USD

Talk With Your Mouth Full is the first cookbook by Dan Smith, 45 and Steve McDonagh, 43, “The Hearty Boys”. Dan and Steve, who own a popular catering business in Chicago, rocketed to fame in 2005, when they won the Food Network’s reality contest, The Next Food Network Star in 2005 (They won over about 10,000 other applicants). They host the popular show, Party Line With the Hearty Boys. Dan and Steve are a real life gay couple, as well as business partners. They reside in Chicago with their adopted two year old son, Nate.

Dan and Steve did not attend culinary school, but came to catering as out-of-work New York actors, trying to pay the bills, working in all aspects of the food business. They refer to themselves as “accidental experts”.

Talk With Your Mouth Full is a treasure trove of recipes and helpful hints for entertaining. Steve introduces each chapter with an anecdote. Dan presents each recipe along with his thoughts and Steve adds “practical tips”. Cooking With Your Mouth Full is appropriate for a sit-down dinner party with a few friends, but can serve as a primary resource for any size gathering. Most of the recipes are uncomplicated, but the results are impressive and fit for elegant parties. Categories range from hors d’oeuvres for passing, buffet fare, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts and libations. Sample menus with timelines and a liquor buying guide are sure to help reassure those new to home entertaining, as well as for old “pros” looking for great new ideas to ‘wow’ their guests.

Talk With Your Mouth Full is a visually pleasing book. Its layout is attractive, with many photos of the authors and friends. Food photographer, Laurie Proffitt has done a superb job of photographing many of the dishes from the book. Attractive photos of the finished food entice the reader to look over the text and to try out the recipes. I wish there were even more photographs of the food, but understand that if all 125 recipes had been photographed, the book might have taken on encyclopedic proportions!

Steve and Dan have provided an array of recipes inspired by Dan’s Italian heritage and Steve’s British roots. They are obviously familiar with other cuisines and their many ethnic inspired recipes can satisfy even the most jaded palate. Examples of some of the appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are Sliced Duck and Provencal Olive Tartine, Seared Ahi on Wonton Crisps, Artichoke Fritters, and Watermelon Gazpacho Shooters. Most of the recipes are easy to moderate in level of difficulty. Most could be safely prepared and served to guests without prior experimentation because they are straightforward and not fussy to prepare. The Stilton and Pear Tart, Moroccan Lentil Soup with Harissa Yogurt, and Truffled Mashed Potatoes are all very inviting And for the sweet tooth, some delicious possibilities are Lemon Brown Sugar Bread Pudding with Blueberry Cream, Rosewater Cupcakes with Grenadine Frosting and Sugared Rose Petals , Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes and Steve’s Espresso Shortbreads.

Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh have packed an incredible amount of information into Talk With Your Mouth Full. They could have easily published more than one cookbook with the information presented here. Talk With Your Mouth Full is not a basic reference, but is nevertheless packed with valuable information for anyone, even someone cooking just for family or for a friend or two. I’d recommend it as a worthy addition to the collection of any serious cook. It’s one of those cookbooks destined to become stained and dog-eared from use, that I’ll return to many times in the future for years to come.

Below is a short, less than two-minute youtube video of the boys explaining one of their cooking related passions.