Straight from the Heart: A Love Story [Paperback]

Bob Paris (Author), Rod Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1995

Former Mr. Universe Bob Paris and topflight model Rod Jackson tell how their marriage catapulted them from physique icons to international spokesmen for gay rights.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Body builder Bob Paris, former Mr. Universe, and model Rod Jackson fell in love, courted and were married in a Unitarian church service in 1989. Here they tell the story of their union and recall their individual life histories--both of which included growing up in conservative, small-town families. In alternating sections, most only a paragraph long, they describe their first meeting ("a truly cosmic moment," according to Rod) and discuss such difficulties as their introductions to each other's parents and problems raised by their relationship in their professional circles. Now gay rights activists, they appear frequently on TV, have made a video and speak on the college and high school lecture circuits. The upbeat, positive attitude of the authors gives their story, despite its full quotient of rejection and anxiety, a lively, sometimes naive-sounding charm that will make readers cheer their determined optimism. Photos. 50,000 first printing; first serial to Out; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In 1989, former Mr. Universe Bob Paris came out as a gay man at the International Bodybuilding Federation, a move that for all intents and purposes ended his professional career. After he and model Rod Jackson were married, they began giving self-esteem seminars to young gays and lesbians across the United States and have appeared on various talk shows. Their story is interesting only in that their lives have been, well, so darn normal, which is precisely their point. The universal need to love and be loved shines through in this simply told, disarmingly honest, and ultimately charming book. Written in alternating paragraphs from each man's point of view, their tale of the boy-next-door meeting and marrying the boy-next-door is like listening in on a one-on-one conversation about overcoming self-doubt, homophobia, and family resistance to their relationship, especially their 1989 wedding. Fully half the book covers their early childhood and teenage years, and this might make it a more appropriate YA title. For popular collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/93.
- Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., Ore.
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: 336 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446670669
• ISBN-13: 978-0446670661
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,762,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Heart but without a soul..., January 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight from the Heart: A Love Story (Paperback)

I was tempted to read this autobiographical love story for two main reasons. One, I very much appreciate Eric Marcus, who assisted in writing "Straight from the Heart." Marcus' collaboration with Greg Louganis ("Breaking the Surface") resulted in a remarkable, moving and amazingly rich autobiography of the famed diver. Really, an exemplary collaboration! Two, I was curious to know more about these obviously very beautiful gay men; more important, I expected their story to be more than just a "feel good" story... I thought it would be a complex character study of two individuals, who just 'happen' to have perfect bodies... and I would be inspired by their story rather than awed by their physical beauty.

The autobiography is rich in detail on the public moments in their lives and tells the reader a lot of what went on behind the several magazine covers the two posed for, the shows they appeared in, and the public appearences they made. And yes, it does read like a nice teenage romance novel- something which has its own merits and value.

On the down side, I feel I still don't know these two men the way, Louganis in "Breaking the Surface", for instance, privileges the reader to enter into his highly complex world and adds remarkable depth and insight to his experience. I am educated and informed in ways that Bob and Rob don't let me.

Bob and Rob Paris, obviously very much in love at the time of writing their story, are so caught up in the novelty of their union and their self conscious awareness that they are perceived as 'beautiful bodies,' that they expect the reader to demand nothing more from them, except a sometimes simplistic and often superficial account of their lives. Importantly, they are often so self-consciously responding to their public persona that their story lacks any self-reflection or depth... Where is the on-going sense of discovery regarding who they are and want to be? Where are the disjunctures in their lives? Where are the multiple "meanings" that make their lives complex and rich? How do they negotiate their need to assert their sexual identity with other important roles that they play? What does marriage between two men mean? What issues does it raise? In retrospect, this could have been an important book, especially in the context of the discourses on same-sex marriage and its legality, if only they had looked beyond themseleves to the larger and more complex issues ....

In the final analysis, that the autobiography fell short of my expectations of what I thought I would read, is perhaps because of my own high expectations of the result of a collaboration between someone as skilled and able a writer as Eric Marcus, and two men, whose story could have intelligibly informed my reality. The often conscious focus on their external 'beauty' takes away a reader's ability to appreciate the kind of men they are and want to be.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Oh man...What a story....., November 13, 2002

By 

Mr. Wynn (State of Confusion) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straight from the Heart: A Love Story (Hardcover)

I have always admired Bob Paris for his health and fitness and was equally amazed at his coming out. It was a great testimony of rising above the homophobia of his industry.

This book was his and former partner Rod's on-going chronicle of the development of their relationship. It would have been great...had it been another couple. I mean no disrespect but this was the most co-dependent couple that has ever written a book about relationships. You may have to read it to believe it.

I was not surprised when they later announced their public "divorce." The formula for their relationship was a disaster waiting to happen. Perhaps Mr. Paris should write a follow-up book about what lessons he's learned from that experience. This would help others who have thought that his last relationship was something to be modeled after to learn that there is a much better way for relationships to run.

The book is an easy read. The content however is a little hard to swallow but it's a real memoir. It would be an interesting study on co-dependent relationships. Read this book for what it is--a memoir, not a how-to book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful love story and an inspiration to many., June 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight from the Heart: A Love Story (Paperback)

This book changed my life. It is as beautiful a love story as I have ever read, and the book has moments in it that touched the core of my heart and soul. I will be forever indebted to Bob and Rod for their work and for publishing this story. It has the power to save lives, just as it did mine.