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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Brave and Very Talented Author!, July 7, 2004
This review is from: Chasin' It (Paperback)
Tony Lindsay is a gifted writer. This is the first of his books I have read, but if CHASIN' IT is any indication of what this man can write, then he deserves our attention. Brave, he is, taking on an entire novel about the underbelly of society and creating a novel so engrossing that it is almost impossible to put it down once started. While many other very fine authors have written about street life and made credible characters, few have pushed that genre as close to the edge as Tony Lindsay. Terri, the main character, is male who has always perceived himself as a female. He just happens to have been born to a drug addicted prostitute who in turn was mothered by another drug addicted prostitute and Madame, and all along his fascinating life of being a street whore, an 'exotic dancer', a crack head, a thief, a prison inmate, and a murderer, Terri is a survivor. Chicago's mean streets are the background for this story and Lindsay writes so vividly that he must have done extensive research into not only places, atmospheres, lighting, streets, houses, etc, but also the street types and gangsters that run the grunge locale. Lindsay tells his story of the life of Terri in wholly believable flash backs and forward sequences in a style that is the equal of the best writers. In novels of this sort the tendency is to allow them to become picaresque pulp fiction, each page challenging the reader's ability to stomach more grit. But somehow Lindsay tells it all with such natural candor that the story just propels along, 'chasing it'! Every one of his characters is completely three-dimensional: they become people we would recognize if we met them on a night street in the surly neighborhoods of any big city. But another big difference in Lindsay's gift as a writer is that he can create a main character who is a cross-dressing black male and never even come close to making him vulgar or repulsive or used or off the wall. No matter your previous perceptions of transgender people, gays, blacks of the Down Low, addicts, pimps, etc, Lindsay will take you on a ride you will not want to end. This is a motion picture waiting to be made. If only there were film directors with the courage of Tony Lindsay..... This book is an exciting piece, even if you happen to shy away from the darker side of life. Lindsay lets us understand and respect a culture we have never before known! Bravo!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Appearances Can be Deceiving, January 14, 2005
This review is from: Chasin' It (Paperback)
Terri Parrish's career as a stage performer took her from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the stages of Europe. Men fell at her feet and material possessions were hers for the asking. She had a dazzling personality that endeared her to audiences around the world. Life was perfect for Terri and nothing could bring her down from the pedestal she sat upon, or so she thought.
The saying everything that goes up must come down is a lesson that Terri learns the hard way. The once desired and sought after entertainer becomes a slave to the crack pipe and nothing else matters but getting high. With her money dwindling Terri turns to prostitution and other illegal vices to obtain drugs. After landing in jail, she thinks her life is over, but her hell is just beginning. What follows is a tale of danger, drama, and murder.
CHASIN' IT by Tony Lindsay is an urban drama with a twist, because things are not as they seem to be. This story takes readers to the depths and desperation of addiction and also teaches the lesson that being true to self is important. Even though Terri is twisted, selfish and at times pitiful, I found myself hoping that things would come together for her. Mr. Lindsay has a way of making readers care about his characters and I commend him for that. I am not a big fan of urban drama but after reading CHASIN' IT, I'm ready to give it an honest chance.
Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the One, December 16, 2004
This review is from: Chasin' It (Paperback)
I brought this book because the author sent me an email and I enjoyed his first book, One Dead Preacher.
I didn't read Chasin' It right away because it didn't seem like my type of book; street stories seldom hold my interest; however I couldn't put this book down. It wasn't what I expected, the main character Terri Parish is a drag queen, and after I found that out I almost stop reading it, I didn't - because of the story.
I became totally engrossed in the life of Terri Parish, there is a scene in the story where Terri is waiting to go to trail; that scene will stay in my mind forever because of the author's skillful writing and play on words. He comments on the injustice of our current judicial system through the emotions and fears of the protagonist. He does the same with addiction, a reader will feel Terri Parish's desire to use drugs and one will also experience the lost of self associated with drug addiction.
The protagonist, Terri Parish suffers in this novel, this is not a rated G story and the parental advisory sticker is deserved. Although Terri goes through hell, he grows. We see him learning and rethinking his life. He learned that the Madear he loved was not perfect and the mother he hated did have a heart.
By the time I got to the end of the story it no longer mattered that Terri Parish was a drag queen, honestly at the end I did think of Terri as a female but more important than his gender was the fact that at the end of the book, I cared about the character, Terri Parish.
Chasin' It very real story about prostitution, family secretes and sickness, addiction and love. This was a very satisfying ADULT read.
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