Customer Reviews

Men on Men 2000: Best New Gay Fiction

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What a diverse collection! Like a candy box, some of them you savor, others you pry open with a finger and nibble, a few others you spit out with a "mleah!"

Bruce Morrow, Michael Villane, and especially JG Hayes' "Regular Flattop" win the hip awards. Craig McWhorter's "Silent Protest" is the most touching of all.

Patrick Ryan wins the Dennis Cooper/Edmund White Wannabe Award for his pretentious French corpse tale. Edmund White's contribution is almost a parody of his own travel-weary snobbery.

Oddly, the AIDS stories seem dated. The parenting stories are very touching, including Dave Tuller's, Provenzano's "Quality Time" and William Clark's "Quiet Game."

What I don't understand is how some other authors can claim to be short story writers when they're actually only sharing excerpts of their unfinished novels. What's amazing is how with few exceptions (those mentioned), some of these stories are well-crafted but passionless, as if cold reserve was the priority. Maybe it reflects how shell-shocked we are as a culture.

Of the 20 stories, I recall exactly three as truly fulfilling (IMHO) the editors' stated goals of offering fiction which is "finely crafted, forcefully expressed, and sharply imagined." Two are coming-out stories, but good ones, because they (1) show the process as slow and subtle with setbacks also, and also they (2) realistically set personal liberation in the context of confining family and social networks from which the person has to escape--a happy ending, but earned, not romanticized. "Erasing Sonny" shgows a teenager subtly realizing his own sexual stripe amid the slam-bang chaos of a semi-dysfunctional family. The motif is a tattoo he gets, and then gets erased, his own skin and self clear at last. But we readers are right inside his perspiring skin as he speaks--"sharply imagined" indeed. Then, "Regular Flattop" is even better. Immersed in the trap of lower-class semi-slum living, the kid fights his way clear toward his own self with his friend Tommy. Encouragingly, he gets his impetus toward escape from his own dying father's admonition to him to fly, get out, to "go somewhere you've never been before, somewhere beautiful." Out of the slums, out of heterosexism. But again we hear it in his great slangy idiom, "forcefully expressed" indeed. For dessert, "Quality Time" is a five-page "wickedly-sinful" confection of a gay divorced father in his thirties and his reveries concerning his 15-year-old son Donnie, who is a high-school wrestler indeed. To discuss this semi-taboo (psychic incest?) with such "fine craft" indeed, is no mean task. Thus, three gems. I cannot recall the other 17 stories enough to make any comments on them (which is itself a comment). My "fellow reader-buddy" also told me he felt this year's volume fell short of the previous ones. But beware: our ages may be showing, because the comment of a 19-year-old (in another review here) says the stories present the "strange quirky demi-monde of gay life today" and gosh, many of them really do do that. I only wish with more fine craft, forceful expression, sharp imagination--and intensified emotion. Well, so take a look for yourself. And, here's to 2001 in this usually-great series.

My brother lent me this book on my last trip home from college. I am a 19 year old straight grrl and let me tell you, this book about gay dudes was the best thing I had read all term. Truly demented stuff, but I loved it. The stories were funny and sexy and sometimes enough to make me squirm inside my skin. I liked the one about Madonna's evil drag queen posse, the one about the kid Sonny getting the tattoo from hell, and all the other wilde exposes of the strange quirkly demi-monde of gay life today. Having read this book, I feel like I've not only walked a mile in my brother's shoes, but I've treaded over the tricky territory of a whole world previously unfamiliar to me. This book is a Valentine in prose form.

The "Men On Men" series continues to be the best collections of stories by gay authors being published. This millenium edition is as good as any of the previous volumes. As always, there are terrific new writers-- some of them published for the first time here-- as well as the godfathers of gay lit. I suppose Edmund White and Jim Grimsley would fall into that category. The White and Grimsley selections I had read previously as they are chapters from novels. I remember thinking that White's novel THE MARRIED MAN was as good as anything he had ever written and that Grimsley's BOULEVARD wasn't up to his usual high standards. One exciting new writer here is J. G. Hayes, whose story "Regular Flattop" appeared in a collection of his short stories. His story is as up-to-date as 2005. The narrator, an eighteen-year-old South Boston lad, says about his father's coffin: "Dad's flowered, flagged (of course he's a veteran-- who do you think fights all these wars, we do) coffin does go down there. . ." This story resonates with life as the narrator kicks valiantly against the pricks to get away from his homophobic neighborhood. (You will care for him desperately.) "Quality Time" by Jim Provenzano is so good that I ordered his novel PINS from which this work is taken. He accomplishes in five pages what many writers cannot do in three or four hundred. He creates characters and situations that will break your heart. The narrator is a thirty-four-year old, divorced gay father spending some "quality time" with his son of fifteen, of whom of course he doesn't have custody: "And how is [his son's mother] a recovering alcoholic real estate divorcee. . . who still Suzanne Somers-tints her hair, any more normal than me, with my steady job, my dog, a home I rent, yes, but hey. At least I don't bleach my hair." There are other stories here about gay parents and the usual selection of AIDS stories. "The Universe, Concealed" by Richard McCann and "The Third Person" by David Groff are particularly good.

While there are no bad stories included here, some obviously are better than others. For the most part, however, you will not be disappointed in this diverse collection of 20 stories.

"For more than a decade, the acclaimed Men on Men books have showcased the very best in gay fiction. In stories that pushed back the boundaries and introduced talented new writers, these collections have transformed gay literature into something at once poignant and provocative, unique and universal. Now Men on Men 2000 ushers in the new century with twenty original tales that shimmer with all the emotion, humor, pathos, and drama of life. In "A Venice Story" Edmund White explores the ever-narrowing gulf between desire and death, while Jim Grimsley's "Boulevard" views desire through the perspective of pornography and tabloid news. "Ciccone Youths 1990" finds Bruce Morrow's lonely, ailing African-American protagonist entering a rollicking fantasy world populated by four drag queens and their ultimate heroine, Madonna. There are also stories by newcomers like David Tuller, whose "Sperm-and-Egg Tango" puts the friendship of a gay man and a lesbian to the test when they consider the possibility of parenthood. Patrick Ryan's "Second Island" chronicles an American traveler's obsession with a beautiful French hustler, and "Gold" is Alexander Chee's story of a young man of Korean and Argentinean descent who confronts both his mixed heritage and his evolving sexuality. Here, too, are timely variations on such topics as coming out, breaking up, sex and AIDS, growing up gay and ethnic, gay marriages, and gay men and fatherhood. In what may be the most diverse entry in this ever-evolving series, Men on Men 2000 celebrates what it means to be a gay man at the beginning of the new millennium." - abstract from Intermale

Like Mark Twain's premature obituary, critics' reports a few years ago of the death of the short story were "greatly exaggerated." Nowhere has the good health of the genre been more evident than in the Men on Men anthologies of stories by gay writers that began in 1986. Sub-titled the "Best New Gay Fiction for the Millennium," Men on Men 2000, eighth in the series, is an outstanding sampler of who and where we are today. Who we "are" are teens, Gen-Xers, Boomers, and elders whose relationships are more central than any other values. These twenty stories by some of our best writers and some impressive newcomers break new ground in the familiar territory of gay fiction--identity, coming out, cruising, bonding, and dissolving long-term relationships. Now, add parenting--turf of four stories ranging from David Tuller's amusing "Sperm and Egg Tango," which considers the conflicted feelings of Jimmy and his lesbian roommate as they contemplate making a baby, to the dad dealing with shared custody of his only son in Jim Provenzano's "Quality Time." Other stories of fathers and lovers breaking up express the losses both feel for themselves and the children. Never pornographic yet always erotic, Jim Grimsley's "Boulevard," Tom House's "Scarecrow," and Patrick Ryan's "Second Island" will raise more than eyebrows if you are stirred by a bit of Greek in the French Quarter, barroom blows, a high school boy's j/o fantasy, and obsessions with hot hustlers. Through dark scenes we grope toward that ideal, expressed simply by E.M. Forester, "Only connect." Living with and beyond AIDS is another subject mined for meaning. David Vernon's "Arrival" slams home Joe's mortality during a Disneyland roller-coaster ride that leaves him shaken and crying in the arms of his life-long friend, Sally, as his HIV transitions from asymptomatic to active. Other stories examine the emotions and coping of AIDS survivors. Most poignant are the maturation stories of gay kids. In the `Hood, when teenage macho friendships blur into homoerotic impulses and behaviors, the results are confusing, painful, sometimes even suicidal. Blue-collar boys with sexual identities emerging out of sinc by all received standards wage the loneliest battles. Enter the world of Bill Gordon's "Home," of Kelly McQuain's "Erasing Sonny," and J. G. Hayes' "Regular Flattop." Men on Men 2000 addresses the heart and meaning of gay relationships. It images the who and how we love in stories we live, in language we understand.

I disagree with some of the previous posts--I found this bookAWESOME. Some of the stories made me laugh, some made me cry--theyall made me think. I especially liked Jim Grimsley's tale about life in an adult sex shop--a true awakening for the young narrator. And Kelley McQuain's "Erasing Sonny" was a gut-wrenching depiction of how some of us have to question the hypocritial family values we've been spoonfed as budding sexuality starts to make us ask questions. This wasn't a coming out tale so much as the definitive PREQUEL for everything you've ever read in the "gay coming out genre". I heard this guy read part of this aloud here in Philly, and it sounds even better spoken. Other goodies I specially enjoyed were penned by Hayes, Morrow, Provenzano and Mccann. For the most part, this collection is not the same old rehashing of Violent Quill writers, but brilliant new fiction for the Millennium. I feel like I have made discoveries of new voices from new writers whose books I hope to find. My only complaint is that I'm havng a hard time finding more books by some of these guys!

Through the eyes of many men, the authors of Men on Men 2000 explore the realities of today's gay male in 20 fictional stories.

The newest in a continuing series of gay-themed fiction, 2000 proves itself a worthy read through its diverse writing and varied stories. It continues the prestige the series has earned itself over the past 14 years. During Pride Week, when gay people will celebrate their sexuality, this book celebrates gay men through its honest writing.

Editors David Bergman and Karl Woelz organized the stories in alphabetical order, yet this seemingly objective manner of organization blends the stories together perfectly. Each piece seems to have been placed very intentionally to create a larger story.

2000 wastes no time dealing with important issues. David Vernon, with his short story "Arrival," tells the story of Joe, a young man dying of AIDS who tries to break the news to his best friend from earlier in his life. The story is broken up into choppy segments with subheads, almost as if the story has (very) short chapters that help create its whole. By jumping between narratives, Vernon manages to study all aspects of his scenario.

"Erasing Sonny" confronts the notion of being publicly marked as gay when Sonny gets a tattoo from his sister's boyfriend. What is supposed to be a small drawing of Donald Duck holding a cigar becomes a tattoo of Donald Duck holding something more phallic. The tattoo covers the expanse of Sonny's back. His attempts to hide the tattoo from his family eventually fail, and his mother sends him to the doctor to get the picture removed - an early birthday gift. While the public display of sexuality gets removed, Sonny finds himself strangely attracted to his male doctor and is left with a more personal, permanent reminder of his own sexuality.

Craig T. McWhorter presents his take on absolute heartache with "Silent Protest." He writes of the oft-ignored struggle that occurs when two people of the same sex raise a child together and then separate. The law is often not sympathetic to both sides of the story, and the biological parent is the only one given the right to raise the child. From the point of view of the weekend-only parent, "Silent Protest" delves into the emotions of a part-time dad and his distancing relationship with his daughter.

It is stories like these that make 2000 the excellent collection that it is. The stories explore old issues with new fervor, such as AIDS or coming out, but they also take closer look at newer issues, like parenting and the establishment of gay marriages in Europe.

Some of the fresh new voices in gay lit are included here. Three particularly different in their approach to gay parenting. There's also an artistic tale of a murder in Paris, a compelling romance between street youth, and some othertopics beyond the usual coming out of AIDS-related themes. Won a Lambda Literary Award. The publisher should put out a new edition, but I hear that won't happen.

Let me start by saying that the writing in this compilation is good. Most of them tell a story well.

The big letdown is the subject matter. Most all the stories deal with AIDS, coming out, or sex. While reading, I couldn't help to think "is this all we have to offer?". We are such a diverse group with such a vast culture, and all we have are the standard fare of stories?

I felt really let down, and almost embarassed as a gay man - these stories look like we have nothing to offer than depressing same-ol experiences...