Wrestling with the Angel: Faith and Religion in the Lives of Gay Men [Paperback]

Brian Bouldrey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

In these essays, writers reconcile their belief in God with the religious institutions in which they were raised and by which they were ultimately rejected. Intensely personal, these essays take readers beyond the obvious difficulty of religious exile and into the heart of theology--emerging as passionate acts of faith that speak to all who are yearning for a richer spiritual life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sadly and somewhat ironically, 25 years after the gay-empowering Stonewall Rebellion, the term "gay lifestyle" still connotes narcissism and superficiality in the popular mind. Of course, the diverse reality of the inner and outer lives of gay men defies such reductionism. And this collection of 21 autobiographical essays by gifted gay writers of varied social and racial backgrounds movingly documents the variety of gay spirituality. In total, the essays amply validate the introductory claims by Bouldrey (The Genius of Desire) that "now more than ever, the issues religion takes up are those most important to gay men" in "learning to embrace the whole of their lives." How the devastating ravages of AIDS have nurtured this quest for wholeness is eloquently distilled by Mark Doty, Felice Picano and Philip Gambone, while Michael Nava and Frank Browning intriguingly compare t the liberating gay experience of coming out to the Christian experience of being "born again." Others, including Andrew Holleran, David Plante, Lev Raphael, Brad Gooch and Michael Lowenthal, trace the lingering resonances of Roman Catholic childhoods, search for personal meaning in Jewish heritages or define the intersections of physical desire and spiritual longing. Although the essays lack uniform emotional intensity, there is surprisingly no bitterness (not even from an unfrocked Mormon bishop), but there is much thirst for reconciliation in this stellar gathering of revelations about the divine agape that unites all men of good will regardless of their sexual orientation. BOMC and QPB main selections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This essay collection, compiled by Bouldrey (The Genius of Desire, Ballantine, 1993), examines the struggles of faith of 21 gay male writers, including Andrew Holleran, Lev Raphael, and Michael Nava. Spiritual hunger, the need for guidance, and thoughts of death bring each author to contemplate the mystery of spirituality and the tempestuous relationship between spirituality and sexuality. Some of the men are able to overcome the malleable pubescent stage of life and resolve the raging tempest. Thus, D.G. Miller writes in his essay of stuffing his face with "Wonderbread, the bread of eternal life" to avoid the perils of hell, while Fenton Johnson writes as a Southern boy raised with manners and having no interest in crashing a party to which he has been "so expressly disinvited." These essays are passionate reminders of those who reach out for richer spiritual life. As Alfred Corn writes, "I know that I am myself because God wanted me to be whom I am, and that God rejoices with me in my life as a gay man." For popular collections.?L. Kriz, Sioux City P.L., Ia.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade; Reprint edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573225452
• ISBN-13: 978-1573225458
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most moving and heartfelt anthologies I've read, August 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wrestling with the Angel: Faith and Religion in the Lives of Gay Men (Paperback)

This book was a revelation to me at a time when I needed it desperately. As a 45 year old married man who is just now learning to accept and love his gay soul, the coming out and spiritual reconciliation stories of these literary gay men were comforting, affirming and heart rending all at the same time. I felt that I was befriended by a family of warm, loving and understanding fellow travelers welcoming me, finally, home. A book I will treasure for the rest of my life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fine book on the perspectives of gay men and death, August 22, 2002

By 

Gary M. Greenbaum (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wrestling with the Angel: Faith and Religion In The Lives of Gay Men (Paperback)

In this era of AIDS, a book memorializing the perspective of gays regarding death has long been needed, in this epidemic. This book does so, and is well worth reading now, and later.

Recommended.