Just As I Am: A Novel [Paperback]

E. Lynn Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1995

E. Lynn Harris's blend of rich, romantic  storytelling and controversial contemporary issues like  race and bisexuality have found an enthusiastic and  diverse audience across America. Readers celebrate  the arrival in paperback of his second novel,  Just As I Am, which picks up where  Invisible Life left off,  introducing Harris's appealing and authentic characters to a  new set of joys, conflicts, and choices. Raymond,  a young black lawyer from the South, struggles to  come to terms with his sexuality and with the grim  reality of AIDS. Nicole, an aspiring  singer/actress, experiences frustration in both her career and  in her attempts to find a genuine love  relationship. Both characters share an eclectic group of  friends who challenge them, and the reader, to look at  themselves and the world around thern through  different eyes. By portraying Nicole's and Raymond's  joys, as well as their pain, Harris never ceases to  remind us that life, like love, is about  self-acceptance. In this vivid portrait of contemporary  black life, with all its pressures and the  complications of bisexuality, AIDS, and racism, Harris  confirms a faith in the power of love -- love of all  kinds -- to thrill and to heal, which will warm the  hearts of readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

At the end of Invisible Life, Raymond and Nicole had just ended a blossoming love affair when Nicole found herself unable to cope with Raymond's bisexuality. Just As I Am begins soon after that, as the two former lovers try to rebuild their lives. Raymond has moved to Atlanta to practice law, and he continues to question whether he's genuinely bisexual or really gay, but is unable to accept that a real lifetime love might happen with anyone but a wife. (The reappearance of charismatic--and closeted--pro football player Basil Henderson doesn't exactly make things easier for him.) Nicole has agreed to marry her rich, white lover, who's bankrolling her latest Broadway effort, even though she's not sure she loves him. She and Raymond are reunited when their mutual best friend, Kyle, succumbs to his HIV infection and Raymond returns to New York City to be by his side. Over the years, E. Lynn Harris has proved himself a powerful male counterpart to the commercial success of African American authors like Terry McMillan; the turbulent plot of Just As I Am, with its relentless focus on characters' feelings, ably demonstrates how he's become so popular.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in a black upper-middle class milieu, this unappealing potboiler attempts to detail the lives and loves of an intersecting group of overachievers with a variety of sexual appetites. Harris ( Invisible Life ) has managed to capture the material aspects of the good life and the East Coast black gay scene, but he has also propped up his labored prose on a well-intentioned scaffold of gay activist issues. The result is more checklist than novel: when a character is introduced, a demographic stereotype is quickly outlined to elicit the reader's mechanical response. Successful, handsome and bisexual, African American sports lawyer Raymond Tyler Jr. has just moved to Atlanta from New York. But he's plagued by problems. His respected and politically active Alabama family think he's straight. He's hot for a supposedly hetero colleague at the law firm who seems to be coming on to him, but who fears being exposed. His newest client, a sexy star NFL quarterback and arrogant troublemaker, wants a little action too and doesn't mind embarrassing Tyler to get it. Meanwhile, Tyler's former lover, a New York actress, is dealing with a rich, pushy and cartoonishly possessive lover. Melodramatic and banal, this book is soap opera material. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Anchor Books ed edition (February 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385469705
• ISBN-13: 978-0385469708
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. Lynn Harris (1955-2009) is the author of ten previous novels and the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted. His recent novels Just Too Good to be True, I Say a Little Prayer, A Love of My Own, and Any Way the Wind Blows hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other publications. He founded the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ADDICTED TO E. LYNN HARRIS!!!!!!!!, July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Just As I Am: A Novel (Paperback)

This is my second book by Mr. Harris and I must say that I am truly impressed. Just As I Am was the perfect sequel to Invisible Life. I could not put it down! Now that I am done, I am on Amazon. com to buy the third book in Harris's trilogy! I did however get a bit irritated at Nicole's color hang-up. I mean, I can understand her pain of being teased as a child but come on, she's all grown up now and an actress and the winner of numerous beauty pagents. Pleeezze!! It was refreshing in a way to know that Jared was not gay and yet had no qualms about he and Ray's friendship. But still a little part of me wanted him to be with Ray! E.Lynn Harris has really opened my eyes to the gay African-American community. I really enjoy reading his work and I just hope that he can write them as fast I can read them!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER BESTSELLER ! E.Lynn's done it again! BRAVO!, July 20, 2000

By 

Tolonda Westbrook - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just As I Am: A Novel (Paperback)

This novel is part-two to E.Lynn Harris' first novel Invisible Life. Once again we're engrossed in the lives of Raymond, Basil, Nicole and Kyle. We're introduced to newcomers like, Jared, Delaney, Gilliam, Pierce and Janelle. E.Lynn has chosen new locations such as Atlanta and trips back home to bring us into the pages of this wonderful story. Plus he still has things going on in his old stumping ground of New York. This was another book I can't put down.(May 1999) I picked this one up as soon as I completed Invisible Life and when I looked at the clock I realized I'd been reading and sitting in the same spot on my porch since the morning sunrise. This book is compelling, powerful and yes BOLD. It's laced with rich and beauitful language and continues to broaden your understanding of gay men and the choices they make. AWESOME! AWESOME! That's what comes to mind when I think of E.Lynn Harris and his writing style. Now it's on to Abide With Me, which is part three of this "AWESOME" trilogy. Once you experience E.Lynn Harris and his literary magic, you'll never see things the same.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, January 5, 2005

By 

Chocolate (Nashville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just As I Am: A Novel (Paperback)

Just As I am was really good. Reading Invisible Life really helped alot when reading this book because it provides some back ground. I felt like I knew the characters in this book. Kyle is my favorite in this book. He is so funny and spunky. Kyle's story will touch your heart. This book grabbed me more emotionally than Invisible Life. Nicole's experience with love is beautiful. Ray is still battling with himself. Just As I Am is a book of friendship, love, and self acceptance. Read it.