Customer Reviews

Rebel Yell: Stories by Contemporary Southern Gay Authors (Gay Men's Fiction)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Jay Quinn, who authored that wonderful book, "The Mentor", has given us a wonderful new collection of 14 stories by different southern gay writers. It's not too often (if this is not a first) that we get to hear about the southern rural experience in gay literature. I'm a northern boy so it's interesting to learn how southern boys live and learn & experience the world from their gay perspective. Fascinating stories here, some very unusual in there depictions of horror as well as tenderness. This is the southern heritage at its' finest.

I especially enjoyed "Pump Jockey" & "465 Acres." These are not erotic stories, although some come close. They are heartfelt confessions of what it is to be gay and from the south. I enjoyed everyone of these stories, and hope Jay puts out another collection soon. I look forward to his new unusual coming-of-age novel, "Metes and Bound." This book gets my recommendation, of course.

Jay Quinn publishes here 14 stories by, in his words, "contemporary Southern gay authors." He doesn't clarify whether or not the writers, in order to be included in this anthology, had to be born in the South or just live there. It is impossible to tell from the brief bios of the writers if some of them meet either of these requirements, if indeed, those are the requirements for inclusion. Some of these stories are not very good, some of them are so-so-- since being polite is an innate Southern characteristic-- I won't name the stories I didn't care for-- and two or three of them are first class. Almost all the writers-- regardless of their abilities-- discuss what makes Southerners different and point out the uniqueness of Southern gays. For example, there is an emphasis on family, a greater amount of prejudice against anyone different, an identification with masculine men; and Southern gays-- at least until very recently-- were probably more prone to remain in the closet and lead double lives, at least in small Southern towns. Of course fundamentalist Christianity is the dominant religion in much of the South as well.

The best story here is "465 Acres" by the editor of this volume, Jay Quinn. In this story Steve, who has recently lost his wife Janet to cancer, is living with his domineering mother whom of course he calls "Mama" and his two children. He is about to meet for the first time in 22 years or so a man named Robin whom he once loved. Mr. Quinn has perfect pitch when it comes to portraying Southern rural families in the North Carolina-East Tennessee-Virginia area. Janet's death was "the Lord's will." Steve's mother will always call friends her son's age "boy". His children are young'uns. Steve's mother, a perfectly awful human being, doesn't like Mexicans and opines that girls shouldn't go to college since they'll just get married anyway. It's worth buying this collection for this story alone. Additionally "The Preacher's Son" is a sad commentary on how far a "religious" family will go to protect their reputation even if it means letting a murderer of their gay son go practically free. Finally Walter Holland's "Hometown" is a bittersweet love story and reminds us, as Thomas Wolfe would say, that it really is difficult to go home again.

The title of this book is misleading in a couple of ways. First, most of these "stories" read less like works of fiction than memoirs or reminiscences, and in a couple of cases, essays. Second, although these writers are contemporary, most of the stories are set in the past, the 60s, 70s or 80s when these men were teenagers still living in the South. The result is a certain sameness in the entries as they tend to deal with teenage crushes; several of the stories begin with descriptions of the boys who fascinated these adolescent writers-to-be and continue on to the outcome of these first love affairs, which usually ended badly or sadly. That said, the book is strongly evocative of time and place and also treats the universal theme of the gay outsider. My favorite was Dan Stone's beautifully written "My South" in which he describes how he didn't learn what it meant to be a southerner until his family moved to the mid-west. Except for a couple of disappointments, all these entries were well written; all the books lacks is variety in the subject matter.

Thoughtful, literary and well conceived, this anthology of southern gay men's stories is real, honest and accurate, without being pretentious or boring. This is strong writing from real men. Those looking for run-of-the-mill gay porn would be well advised not to look for it here. You might note these are stories of "contemporary" southern gay men not rehashed or recycled jerk-off stories from a dreary past.

This is one of the best compilations I've read in a long time. Jay Quinn did a phenomenal job bringing these authors together, and it provides a nice glimpse into the feelings of growing up in the South being gay. It keeps your attention, and I felt like I devoured it in a couple days, and was sad when it ended. Looking forward to the second installment.

Ordered because I like Jay Quinn's _Back_Where_He_Started_, I found the stories in _Rebel_Yell_ to be diverse and dark with a couple of uplifting tales. Of the 14 only a few were memorable: "The Wilds" where a lighthouse and oleander figure prominently, "The Pump Jockey" with an implausible ending where the character does an about-face and the magnanimity of twins raises an eyebrow, and, of course, "465 Acres", Jay Quinn's own contribution. Ah, romance! I was reminded of my own upbringing in the South and could certainly identify with some of the expressions used and customs cited--although I have never eaten grits. Must be a SouthEast thing rather than a Texas thing. If you like dark, you'll like this compilation.

A very repetitive collection: about 80 % of the stories are about stereotypically "gay" boys and the Liza Minelli shows they do, or about how they get beaten up by their parents. Nearly all stories are set in the 1960s and 70s and read like some kind of childhood/youth recollection.

There was nothing original or significant about this collection and I think it stands for what's wrong with a lot of "gay" literature: too much stereotypes, whining and sex; too little originality, masculinity and positive thinking.

The back cover says to give this collection to gay youth. I think this might be a very, very destructive and dangerous thing to do. Instead, let them read books like "Clay's Way" by Blair Mastbaum, "Boys on the Rock" by John Fox or "Metes and Bounds" by Jay Quinn (whose work has significantly deteriorated since).

Don't waste your time or money on this book!

this is yet another collection of stories that are all totally forgettable. each narrator is exactly like the next one, with little originality. Curious that there's nothing by some of the early masters of Dixie erotica who are now forgotten. Anybody remember 'Big' Bill Jackson? Wooo. He would certainly have jazzed things up here.

I highly recommend this book of short stories. I'm currently reading it. I was particularly moved by "Happy Birthday" by Daniel M. Jaffe. It really addresses the "otherness" of growing up gay in the South.

Jay Quinn has collected here a great selection of contemporary fiction (two seem more non-fiction, so). His story, "465 Acres", is a poignant tale of a man facing the man he let get away, and his anguish over the choices he made. Thomas Long gives us a portion of a novel-in-progress that only whets the appetite for more. It's the final day of a reverend, and the hidden parts of his life that are discovered after his death are going to be a shock. There are also outstanding pieces from Dan Stone and George Singer, both giving us a glimpse into being young and gay and in the South. It's a great collection, also including stories by Robin Lippincott, Jameson Currier, and Walter Holland.