I buzzed up to Providence yesterday afternoon – great sunny brisk day for a drive. Met up for coffee with Dennis, a pal living in Warren who was my sorta boss at the Christmas Bear, and his woofy husguy, Jimmy, whose birthday they were celebrating all day long. Got some good work done at Reflections – gotta find a free WiFi place in PVD – and got some errands done, staying last night for yoga and afterward a great night out. Got in quite satisfactorily late, having met up with some pals at the Eagle, but not too much so.
The Bay Windows review appeared two weeks ago, but I just caught wind of it two days ago, so I was lucky to catch a copy at the Eagle. There's generally a 3-8 month lag from the time a book hits stores before reviews begin appearing in GLBT media. This one from Bay Windows is early out of the gate.
Can anyone explain to me how the reviewer miscounted the number of essays? There are nearly three dozen, not 13. And why would he put quotes around Pete being a lifelong bisexual advocate, as if he weren't? G'duh, mates. ;-D}
I'm steeling myself for reviews for the book as they start coming in over the next few months. No big secret that I take exception to most so-called criticism of my books because it's due to intellectually laziness. I'm not particularly friendly toward criticism that the intellectually incurious assert. Admittedly I've made a few dumb mistakes in reviews myself, which I won't elaborate here, but book reviews I've written for publication try to be thorough and thoughtful. Anyway, here 'tis:
“Out in Print” book review by Anthony King
Published in Bay Windows (Boston, MA), 02/16/2006
Bi Men: Coming out Every Which Way
edited by Ron Jackson Suresha and Pete Chvany (Harrington Park Press)
This collection of 13 essays was originally published in two editions of the academic periodical Journal of Bisexuality, and it’s sometimes difficult to get through the jargon and special formatting to the topic at hand: deconstructing the myths of bisexual men. Chvany, one of the editors, is an academic living in the Boston area (he received his doctorate from Tufts) and is a “lifelong bisexual activist.”
What this collection does well is bring to light the often misunderstood and mislabeled group that co-exists in the LGBT label. Dedicated to Alfred Kinsey, the editing duo has much to be proud of in their quest for bisexual advocacy. The essays are grouped into four sections, with the first (Discovering a Bisexual Self) as the most important.
Standout essays include “Learning to Look at Bisexuality,” a highly personal essay ultimately directed at everyone, and “Walking the Sifting Sands,” a compelling essay concerned with self-definition. Another important look at bisexual identity is the humorous essay “Life Among the Monosexuals,” which appears in the third section. Also included is an excerpt from an online discussion group and a small list of resources for bisexual men including Boston’s own Bisexual Resource Center.
