American Studies [Mass Market Paperback]

Mark Merlis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

"An amazing first novel, a beautifully written work of historical fiction" ( Lambda Book Review), American Studies tells the story of 62-year-old Reeve who, as he recovers from a brutal beating, recalls the troubled and closeted world of his former mentor, a once-famous professor who was driven to suicide during the McCarthy era.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Merlis's first novel centers on an aging, hospitalized, gay man and his recollections spanning 50 years of gay life in America.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Reeve is lain up in the hospital after being beaten up by a man he picked up in a bar. As he recuperates, he considers his life to date, thus revealing to us the significant details. Reeve contemplates meticulously and mournfully on four levels: his flirtation with the handsome young straight in the next bed; the degradation and eventual suicide of his friend Tom Slater, a martyr to McCarthyism; his own beating by the hustler; and the outline of his life. Reeve is an uncommonly thoughtful and perceptive man; there is a wealth of feeling and literary knowledge in this work, surely one of the finest first novels to appear in many a moon. Its simple, noble, graceful prose refreshes the very language, and its unsquinting portrayal of gay men is searing and authentic. Merlis's novel belongs to the best of contemporary literature, gay or other. Recommended for most collections.
Brian Geary, West Seneca, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140250905
• ISBN-13: 978-0140250909
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,487,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid & Satisfying Read on Every Level, October 20, 2004

By 

Owen Keehnen (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Studies (Mass Market Paperback)

American Studies is a boldly crafted debut novel about gay generational changes and connections, betrayal and loyalty, moving ahead, and individual identity. The novel revolves around the theme of healing on several levels. Reeve is 62 and hospitalized after a severe beating by a hustler. He feels his sex life, his dignity, and everything he held sacred - those very things which defined him - are all gone. Over the four day span of this novel, Reeve gradually regains his footing, adapts, and rebuilds his life. Most importantly he recognizes that he is a survivor. Much of this realization occurs in his detailed reminiscing about Tom, an early mentor of his who killed himself when his exposure as a homosexual as well as his betrayal by a lover combined to undermine his world. Reeve also gets a renewed zest for life by the hunk in the adjoining hospital bed. American Studies is a book of incredibly strong characterization abundant in insights and displaying a skilled interweaving of stories. It also contains interesting gay history, a strong narrative, and even some great laughs along the way. Merlis has created a real gem!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic writing, poignantly storyline, August 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Studies (Mass Market Paperback)

Merlis' story is so beautifully crafted, that it can be read just for the appreciation of the language alone. The literary device he uses takes him from the present, where he is recovering from a vicious attack from someone he brought into his home, to the past, where he ruminates on his first romantic involvement with an erudite, but inhibited professor, battling the McCarthyism of the Fifties. At the center of the dilemma is having to live in a world that has no tolerance, let alone respect, for age, individualism or political integrity. This is a rare treat. Compelling story, mesmerizing language. You'll laugh out loud at times and at times you'll have tears in your eyes. Watch this writer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, harrowing tale of gay life over the past 50 years, July 31, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: American Studies (Mass Market Paperback)

Merlis' novel achieves all that historical fictions can do at their best. Through the eyes of Reeves, a middle-aged, gay bureacrat hospitalized after being brutally attacked in his home, Merlis looks back on 50 years of gay life in America. Merlis manages to make the past distinct enough to defamiliarize his audience while enabling it to speak to contemporary concerns. As Reeves composes his recollections of a relationship with a professor whose sexual identity led to censure during the McCarthyite red scare and ultimately to his suicide, we learn to recognize the human tragedy of discrimination, an unfortunately (and seemingly) timeless cost. The novel is not, however, glum, dreary, or overly heavy. Reeves' wry humor and touching honesty balances the novel's emotional weight.