Mama was a Preacher [Paperback]

[e-mail] (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1997

Mama was a Preacher is a gay novel which tells the story of a young boy growing up as the son of a traveling revival Evangelist, eventually becoming a star in his own right as a modern day Television Evangelist.

The book traces that evolution examining not only religion, but the development of the boy while in the public eye. And of course sex plays just as important a part in his life as it does with anyone else.

The author invites you to partake of this adventure as it leads from the 1940's into the 1990's, as it traces the evolution of a young boy's sexual development thorough adolescence, young adult, and middle age. As he evolves from a preachers son, to a road pounding itinerate evangelist. The story takes a close look at "being on the road", developing sexuality while in the public eye, the emotional relationship between performer and audience, and todays multi-media religious television business with its many political facets.

The issue of religion is expected to make this work a very controversial one, as it takes an honest look at this human frailty in light of human appetites.

460 Pages. Rated "R" by the Author.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An interesting mix of sex and philosophy. I'd recommend this book to any of my parishioners. I can find no fault with your logic. -- H. Troy, MCC Churches of America

Just a note to let you know that, being gay, ordained, fairly experienced at both teaching and entertaining as a means of spiritual upliftment and knowing some of Aimee's story... I'm really enjoying yours.

Thanks. -- Rev. Robert G..... New York Diocese

From the Author

Mama was a Preacher is my second book. If I were to rate it as I would a motion picture, I'd give it an "R".

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 461 pages
• Publisher: Author Twenty Two (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892183021
• ISBN-13: 978-1892183026
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,791,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprising look at the world of Tel-Evangelists, July 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mama was a Preacher (Paperback)

REVIEW OF MAMA WAS A PREACHER The second novel of Author22, a mysterious and elusive figure who intrigues the reader with his first-hand knowledge of the country/religious music business, provides a unique perspective that defies categorization. In a nutshell, the story contends that gay cabals can be found in the most unlikely places--take, for example, the 1950s Bible-belt evangelist movement! Though this seems to be territory that James Leo Herlihy might traipse (Midnight Cowboy, Season of the Witch), the author boldly goes beyond what mainstream fiction depicts as gay life. Indeed, the audience for this work clearly is gay. Though fundamentalist Christians or heterosexuals could find the premise of corrupt religious movements acceptable, the nature and frequency of the sexual liaisons will find greater acceptance among gay readers. If one is looking for a torrid story of sexual peccadilloes, then Mama Was a Preacher will bring great satisfaction. A powerful need exists for the latest generations of gays to know about their heritage, and Mama Was a Preacher gives that look beneath the surface of the quaint 1950s--where a smoldering and hidden homosexual life thrived. The kicker would be that a teenage boy, dressed in white suits with red trimming, could pioneer the musical television ministries of contemporary times. In fact, the concept is far from fanciful. Tracing the development of Johnny, his lifelong partner Cowboy, and their street urchin acquaintances, makes up the picaresque nature of the story. What may surprise some is the need for teenage gay hustlers in Los Angeles in the 1950s could find religion in a mission run covertly by gay men. The concept is not so unusual. A hundred years earlier, Horatio Alger, a minister, was run out of Barnstable, Mass., for molesting the boys in his charge. Later, he went to New York and opened youth hostels for wayward street boys. He also won fame for writing his novels about the life of young men (fraught with latent sexual dangers). So, Johnny is not to be disbelieved. He opens a mission for gay street boys, and not surprisingly meets opposition from the Christian Coalition who may be the ultimate force that leads to the tragic, but not unexpected, ending. The story does offer some positive gay images: such as lifelong relationships of gay life, but the gay-sex is rampant, indeed hard-core. The audience for pornography will be disappointed by the redeeming qualities of this novel, but those looking for an expose of the sexual lives of roving evangelists will find thought-provoking and passionate entertainment. This is a singular work of importance in gay literature.