by David Robinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2018
Provocative and thought-provoking, this account definitely requires an open mind and is sure to inspire spirited debate from...
A man reflects on a pivotal personal choice that changed his life.
In his slender debut memoir, Connecticut attorney Robinson’s main focus is on his sexuality—his evolution from exhibiting gay tendencies as a teenager to marrying a woman. With an economy of words and consistent honesty, the author, now age 65, describes how his struggle to make sense of his physical attraction to boys became an obsession. He writes frankly about his gay yearnings in high school, which confused him yet spurred one person to instruct him that “sex should be between a male and female, not two males.” Still, his early adult life became a time of sexual fantasy and interest in both men and women. While Robinson’s life is indeed unique, his rationalizations concerning why a man with gay tendencies would want to romantically date a woman are confusing and frustratingly insular (bisexuality is not discussed). Among them is the theory that since the number of heterosexual marriages in Hawaii proliferated over same-sex unions from the end of 2016 through 2017, a natural conclusion can be drawn that a gay man would want to “go with the crowd” and wed a woman. For the author, this reasoning also applies to human anatomy, which he feels dictates that male and female sex organs are naturally “designed to fit” together in an attestation that is widely repeated throughout the plainspoken book. He firmly believes that men should “keep their options open” when considering which gender to physically engage with while disavowing gay sexuality as a genetic predisposition. Whether readers agree or not, he writes from the mindset that he should live his life according to what is traditionally and societally expected of him and “to do what I am anatomically designed to do,” including enjoying his marriage to his wife of 15 years. Most controversial, however, is Robinson’s disapproval of the abolishment of gay conversion therapy, which he equates to “banning weight-loss therapy,” as he believes it should be an option for confused youth to consider on their own. His book offers plenty of food for thought for both readers comfortable with their identities and those questioning them.
Provocative and thought-provoking, this account definitely requires an open mind and is sure to inspire spirited debate from both sides of the sexual orientation issue.Pub Date: July 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-983345-65-4
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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