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| ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | The Reviewer
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 Uncle Sean,
by Ronald L.
Donaghe, is the first book in the series: "The Continuing Journals of
Will Barnett." It is a sweet story; you can’t help falling in
love with
Will and caring about him. Plus, the positive impact his Uncle Sean has
on
Will is also worth noting and admiring. You hate for the book to end!
Fortunately it doesn’t have to, with two sequels already in
print, Lance
and All Over Him.The story begins when Will is 14 years old and gets an idea to keep a journal. Will is compelled to write down his feelings when his Uncle Sean comes to live with his family after being discharged from the army. Will falls in love with his uncle the moment he lays eyes on him. He thinks Uncle Sean is “pretty” and he longs to kiss his lips. Loving his uncle stirs up emotions and desires Will didn’t know he possessed. He is naïve and totally unaware there could be any danger in loving, not only another boy, but a man, who also happens to be his uncle. Will and Sean form a special bond. Sean tries to impart words of wisdom about love and what it means to be gay. He also impresses upon Will the importance of saving himself for the one he loves and not having sex with the first boy he meets. Innocently, Will doesn’t understand why he and Sean can‘t be boyfriends, so Sean leaves Will with some pearls of wisdom that he will only understand once he matures. The physical attraction between uncle and nephew is so palpable you feel sure Sean will inappropriately give Will what he so desperately wants. The fact that Sean understands his nephew’s feelings and doesn’t take advantage of him reaffirms our faith in morality and decency. Unfortunately, Will’s parents are afraid of Sean’s influence on their son and question the nature of their relationship since they suspect Sean is gay. So, what is a totally innocent and healthy relationship between the two is misconstrued by Will’s parents to be something perverse. The tension between Sean and Will’s father causes Sean to move away much to Will’s dismay further adding to the boy’s loneliness. I have a soft place in my heart for coming of age novels as I am transported back to my own youth, and this novel truly hits home. Then, Will meets Lance, a troubled boy close to his own age, and falls in love. When you finish the last page of Uncle Sean you better have Lance, the sequel, handy because you won’t be able to wait to find out what happens to Will, Lance, Sean and the rest of the family. Ronald L. Donaghe enriches this story with beautiful descriptions of the southern New Mexican landscape, the intricacies of family life and the workings of a farm. The dialect in the beginning of the book, as the younger Will writes, sets the mood and makes Will more real. You get to watch him grow, fall in love, deal with loss, and take up life’s responsibilities. I enjoyed this book for its honesty, intensity of feelings and the raw emotions it provokes in all of us as we relive our own experiences with our first crush while dealing with raging hormones and mixed up feelings. Donaghe is a talented writer and a great storyteller. Uncle Sean keeps you engrossed from beginning to end. Read it and you will see what I mean. |  A Better Place,
by Mark A.
Roeder, is an engrossing tale of two boys from different worlds who
fall in love. Readers may already be familiar with Roeder’s
other books
in the "Gay Youth Chronicles" series. These include, Ancient Prejudice,
The Soccer Field is Empty
and Someone is Watching, to name a few. It is sad that young boys are taunted and shamed into keeping their true identities securely hidden. What could Brendan, a beautiful, incredibly popular, seventeen year old boy, captain of the football team, and an A student, have to fear when he seems to have the world on a plate? The truth is that he is gay and if anyone finds out, his life as he knows it, will be over. Could such fear of discovery be worth taking your own life, or even thinking about it? And what does Casper have to fear? He is fifteen, motherless, poor, lonely, and tormented by his brother, neglected by his alcoholic father, and bullied at school. He never gets sufficient food to eat, has a sparse wardrobe, and often sleeps outdoors to escape his abusive brother. He hasn’t even admitted to himself that he likes boys. What would happen to him if people suspected he was gay too? Brendan and Casper make an unlikely couple, the rich boy who has everything, and the poor boy that has nothing, but they hook up. Their relationship is a bit stormy at first but Casper learns to trust Brendan, comes to terms with his homosexuality, and is able to return Brendan’s love. Roeder gives us an amazing portrayal of the fear, self-loathing, and other problems these boys experience because of their sexual orientation. He captures the boys’ emotions so deeply that the reader’s own heart breaks for them and for all boys like them. It is disgraceful that they are made to feel perverted, abnormal, and inferior because much of society has deemed homosexuality immoral. It makes any accepting human being want to fix society, to change the puritanical idea that same sex love is wrong, to pass legislation that makes same sex marriage legal, and accept that it is diversity that makes our country great. We should all be free to love who we want without fear of discrimination, hatred, and prejudice. Anyone who has ever been teased or tormented appreciates the emotional toll it takes on self confidence and self esteem. It is depressing to hear Casper describe himself as “poor, unpopular, weak, puny, and pathetic,” while the reader sees a sweet, loveable, bright, and undernourished boy. Brendan’s love for Casper makes him even more likeable. Roeder shows, parents who can not accept their children’s sexual orientation and love them unconditionally, parents who do not protect their children, and a society that allows places like Cloverdale, a mental institution that uses physical, chemical (drugs), and psychological means to “cure” people of their homosexuality. There can be no equality and freedom until people accept that nothing can (or should) be done to make gay people straight. This story offers hope that a better place, away from fear, hatred, intolerance, and discrimination, does exist and at the same time, tells a heartwarming, exciting, and enjoyable story. I love Mark Roeder’s books and hope he continues to share his talent with us for years to come. | Anyway, what can I tell
you about
myself? I am a straight, married, mother of three. I am a Registered Dietitian with a Master of Science degree in Medical Biology with an emphasis in Nutritional Science. I have a BS degree in Dietetics: Clinical and General Management. I currently work part time for a nursing home as a dietitian but I am a full time mom and homemaker (domestic engineer). I enjoy walking, swimming, reading, watching movies and eating. My current passion is gay literature and film. I am a strong supporter of gay rights, gay marriage and equality for all citizens without bias or discrimination. I have a wonderful husband of 21 years who indulges me in my many obsessions. I have a 14 year old son who is into video games, computers, football and weight training. He is a high honor roll student who never ceases to amaze me. He gets his brains from his father and his athletic ability from me. My middle son is 12 and he is into arachnids, insects and animals in an obsessive way. His collection to date includes tarantulas, scorpions, millipedes and hissing cockroaches to name a few. Plus we have a hamster (my daughter's pet), a bearded dragon and crickets and mealworms to feed the critters. You could say I live in a zoo. You name the pet and either we have it or have had it (dogs, a bird, snake...you get the picture). He is also a talented and temperamental artist. You should see how he draws his bugs! My daughter is 9 and she is on a swim team and loves to talk on the phone, have friends over and watch movies and TV. She loves singing and dancing and she is learning to play the violin. Editor's Note: Since Cheri is a new reviewer, I am sure she would like to hear from you about these reviews. Please write to let her know what you think. Contact. |
 My Year of Living Heterosexually
and other
Adventures in Hell is the memoir of best-selling
author
Ronald L. Donaghe before and during his tour in the United States Air
Force during the last years of the Vietnam War. My Year offers a different perspective of what it was like to be in the military during a war which the American people were not particularly proud. On top of that, he tells what it meant to be gay in an extremely homophobic environment. Donaghe does an amazing job of enlightening the clueless public. This is his own account of getting married to suppress his homosexuality only to realize the enormity of his mistake. Donaghe is seduced by an older, divorced mother of two who knew he was gay before she married him. She was convinced the right woman could “cure” his homosexual proclivity. Being disillusioned by the gay scene at the time, he acquiesced. He then joined the air force to get away from his wife and marital duties. Later, he used his sexual orientation to escape the service. Donaghe provides us with an eye-opening, honest and graphic depiction of the potentially dangerous assignments enforced by the Pentagon on the men and women of the military. He was assigned a job after basic training working long, grueling, tedious hours in a lab. This lab's only purpose was to test tens of thousands of urine samples per day for the presence of drugs. These "important" tasks were being performed at the same time men were being killed and maimed in combat. The conditions of the lab were horrendous with noxious fumes and carcinogenic chemicals. A daily working environment such as this may not kill instantly like a bullet but who knows what the long term affects on health are? This book deals not only with coming out to the military but of coming full circle towards accepting and loving oneself as an out and proud gay man. It is a story about finding love--the love that is meant to be--and not necessarily manufactured to fit in with societal mores. Donaghe is often funny and makes this an enjoyable read, but most of all, he teaches us to be truthful to ourselves and not let others define our self worth. Only by being proud of who we are can we achieve our greatest contribution to society. It also offers hope that maybe someday GLBT people will be welcome in the military and receive the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals and not be persecuted for who they are and who they love. Ronald Donaghe was very fortunate he was granted an honorable discharge, although without distinction. He was not treated as poorly as many other homosexuals in the military at that time--men and women whose only crime was wanting to serve their country. By writing this book he hopes to educate people so that discrimination will finally cease to exist. |