Numbers [Paperback]

John Rechy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1994

Book jacket/back: Johnny Rio, a handsome narcissist but no longer a pretty boy, travels to Los Angeles, the site of past sexual conquest and remembered youthful radiance, in a frenzied attempt to recreate his younger self. Johnny has ten precious days to draw the "numbers," the men who will confirm his desirability, and with the hungry focus of a man on borrowed time, he stalks the dark balconies of all-night theaters, the hot sands of gay beaches, and shady glens of city parks, attempting to attract shadowy sex-hunters in an obcessive battle against the passing of his youth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (January 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802151981
• ISBN-13: 978-0802151988
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For younger gay men, too, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

"Numbers" is a very honest depiction of the sex life of many urban gay men. With unsafe sex on the rise, it's still relevant to our times.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pathological Cruising, December 5, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Philadelphia, Pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

I've recently re-read this book and it's a great story of pathological cruising for gay sex. It's a short, intense look at the gay world pre-AIDS and some of the problems that gay men faced at that time. It's not as good as "City of Night" but it's worth a read especially if you are gay.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL, July 13, 2004

By 

karah (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

... Sheer Genius ... Sacred Text ... A Masterpiece of Modern American Literature ... A Book That Changed My Life ... My Favorite Novel .... My Favorite John Rechy Novel...

All this describes how I feel about *Numbers* -- but nothing I could type in this space would come close to fully expressing my profound love for this phenomenal work and its talented author.

While I am sympathetic to some of the confusion and frustration expressed by reviewers who have found only darkness and despair in its pages, I am more horrified by the lack of attention paid to the themes of liberation that resound throughout this story. For me, *Numbers* will always be beautiful and timeless. A tale of wonder filled with ageless glamour and promise.

In case you're wondering if my perspective comes from sharing in a particular "generational" or "environmental" link with Rechy himself, no, it does not. I was far from being born at the time the novel was written, and I have never (and in fact never could have) experienced or participated in many of its rituals.

However, *Numbers* is about much more than a series of sexual acts. It is the quintessential American journey of identity and one that is gloriously and unabashedly capable of contextualizing the experience of self-discovery with a sense of human vitality and spirit that acknowledges sexuality. This achievement alone puts *Numbers* above not only its contemporary works, but on a level that continues to evade many writers today.

Read *Numbers* not as a description of "days gone by," or a depiction of specific things you cannot do or would find harmful, but as a story filled with hope, possibility, and the power of finding yourself. Should you follow Johnny Rio's example or replicate his experience? Not if you think that means committing sexual suicide. *Numbers* may delve into themes of darkness and death, but it needn't be seen as a necessarily "fatalistic" novel.

Why not be inspired by Johnny Rio's bravery instead of disgusted by his recklessness? Follow him not by mistaking exploration for degradation, but in seeking (as he does) to learn ways in which you are deceiving yourself or playing needless games with others. Anyone can do that if, like Johnny Rio, they can ultimately commit themselves to the act of personal discovery -- in whatever form it may take.