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The American People: Volume 1: Search for My Heart: A Novel Hardcover – April 7, 2015

by Larry Kramer (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars 44 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 800 pages
  • Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (April 7, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0374104395
  • ISBN-13: 978-0374104399
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.8 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsApril/May 2015 “…you don’t use the word like with that kind of book
By Adam D. Dunn on April 26, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
I don't understand how so many people can read this book and write a one-line review. The book is so long, and says so much, surely you felt something more??

At one point I wrote: I'm 64% done with The American People: This is the time of the wade. Wade through, wade on, stop for a breath, go faster to get to the end sooner, go slower or stop, the wading through.

Andrew Holleran, in an interview with Kramer in The Advocate, April/May 2015 “…you don’t use the word like with that kind of book. Stunned is the word. It was a roller coaster of a book. There were times when I was laughing out loud, there were times when I was putting the book down, there were times when I was, “yes yes yes,” there were times when I said, “Oh this is crazy.””

I really agree with all this. There's a five-star review of this book on Amazon where the reviewer says he slogged through it, and that's the kind of book this is. It's not going to be easy. Fa**ots also wasn't easy and I remember slogging through that too, reminding myself that if you put one foot in front of the next eventually you will finish and I felt that often reading this. Holleran also mentions the short chapter lengths which help you get through the book and I found that too. It would say "2 minutes left in this chapter" on my Kindle and I'd think "I can do two minutes." You put enough of those together and you'll get back to an interesting part, or a coherent part, again.

It's difficult to rate this book being that it's really only half a book, I need to see what's going to happen before I can fully decide. Many people have complained the book needs an editor, but it has had one. The book is 4000 pages long. You are getting 800 in part one and say another 800 in part two, that's 2400 pages cut.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsIt is not an easy read, not for a summer on the beach
By Greg Rothman on July 16, 2015
Format: Hardcover
This is an important book. It's hard to say what kind of a book it is and it may require it's own genre. It's called a novel. It could not be called a history. Perhaps semi-historical fantasia is correct.

It is not an easy read, not for a summer on the beach. It requires focus. It is at turns horrific, and at others hilarious. It is profound and heartfelt. And also disgusting and excremental. It is passionate and shows love for many of its characters.

They say history is written by the victors, which the gays (nor the Jews) never were. So Kramer is filling in those huge missing pieces in his way. One often does not know what to believe is true, or partially true, or not true at all. I think every reader will come to their own conclusions about this, right or wrong but surely not indifferent. When asked in an interview "how can you be absolutely certain George Washington was gay", Kramer replied "How can you be absolutely certain he was not gay". So this is where we are left.

I will say that I had a hard time finding my rhythm until about 75 pages in. But once you get beyond the midpoint or so, things begin to come together in a way that pushes you forward. I never thought I would say this about a book 775 pages in length, but it really did wrap up rather quickly toward the end. I am one who will be one of the first to read volume 2.

I do understand the negative reviews. I would not expect everyone to "like" this book. It's long and difficult and requires a reader with an attention span. But regardless of like ability, the importance of the book stands out. I'm not sure how anyone would feel otherwise.
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1.0 out of 5 starsI admire Larry Kramer's passion just like everyone else does
By Amazon Customer on January 17, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Sigh .... So yeah, I admire Larry Kramer's passion just like everyone else does. But there's a huge elephant in the room: He's not a good writer. And this is not a novel. The only reason this book was published--and reviewed tolerably in major publications like NYT--is because of WHO Larry Kramer is, not because of the quality of his writing. Who Larry Kramer is and what he's done during his life are not good enough reasons to waste $20 and LOTS of time trying to make sense of this mess. What's so frustrating to me is that Kramer seems to have a specific theory as to the origin of AIDS and how/why the major outbreak occurred circa 1980. That's what I wanted to find out. His hints are intriguing. That's all that's intriguing about this book. I expect he'll answer the question in Volume II but we'll have to slog through another 800 pages to try to get it. (I certainly can't think of another book whose reviewers use the word "slog" so universally.) The most frustrating aspect for me was that it reads like a roman a clef without a clef. Some of the characters are real. Some are based on real characters but changed. Some have fake names, others real, etc. Why? Kramer seems to want to "tell on" certain real-life individuals: so-and-so was closeted; so-and-so was a homophobe, etc. So why use a pseudonym for the Ronald Reagan character? We all know who it is. Does giving him a silly name add value somehow? Unfortunately it took me more than a week to get through this crap, so it's too late for me to ask for a refund of my e-book. Wish I could give it away and get the week and $20 back!
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4.0 out of 5 starsVery amazing
By MIchael G on September 28, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I have to agree with other reviewers of both sides - in part it was a long "sloggish" read and I didn't understand the point of some narratives, but in other parts it was shocking and riveting and I couldn't put it down. I'm not familiar with Larry Kramer's writing style - I know all about him but have never read his books. This was definitely worth my time and I very much look forward to a Volume 2. It's clear he has put so much thought, imagination, and emotion into this tome.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsYes! Take this plunge!

Larry Kramer's new novel is an explosion of history. It defies literary rules to explore a world (our own) that is so shocking, revealing and entertaining that it can not be... Read more

Published 8 days ago by Roxbury Road
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent

Published 1 month ago by YenYen
5.0 out of 5 starsAnother capstone to a magnificent life

Larry Kramer produced and wrote the screenplay for the movie of D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love. Seeing it, alone, in a theater in 1969, startled me into recognizing and respecting... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Rayford P. Kytle
3.0 out of 5 starsYou Won't Like It, But You Need A Copy

I'm p*ssed that Larry Kramer couldn't have written a more straightforward history . . . there are parts of this book that are quite straightforward, and they are quite compelling! Read more

Published 3 months ago by Stuffed Animal
1.0 out of 5 starsGreat fighter,great man,tedious writing

Dry as a bone.Attacked it several times.Looking for someone to give the book to.

Published 9 months ago by Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsA mess, with no clear focus. Don't waste your time.

I did an advance purchase on this book, based on what I knew and admired in Larry Kramer. What a huge mistake! Read more

Published 9 months ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsSay what?

Can't count the sub-references. But his spirit is in it.

Published 10 months ago by R. F.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

First rate.

Published 10 months ago by Pollys Pantry
4.0 out of 5 starsLarry Kramer is a great man!

A very ambitious work. Worth the time spent. Mr. Kramer paints a more realistic view than you will find in any history books. Thank you Larry Kramer.

Published 12 months ago by JOE CAPPELLI
5.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant, a bit heavy, but well worth the read!

Beautifully structured and very well written. A bit heavy at parts, and I had to push myself forward, but so rewarding in the end. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Luke B. Ostrander

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