Novel: B-Boy Blues
I am currently re-reading B-Boy Blues, by James Earl Hardy. It is the perfect book for my first posting. I read this novel when it first came out over ten years ago. Since then I've read it a couple of times. For some reason I love it more now than ever. It just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend it, especially if you are a gay black man.
This is the first in Hardy's B-Boy Blues series. It is a "seriously sexy fiercely funny, Black on Black love story." Mitchell Crawford a graduate of Columbia School of Journalism always, hoped, and dreamed for a Ruffneck, B-Boy "banjee/banji/banjie boy." Enter Raheim, who fits the bill. Rahiem is the epitome of hot, black and lovely. They enter into a seriously romantic, sex filled relationship, with ups and downs - serious blues. But of course loves prevails. This is your typical, boy meets boy, boy gets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back. Truely romantic. It would make a great film. It would be 1000 times more scandalous than "Brokeback Mountain." Black men in love with one another -- stop the presses!! Black people will be up in arms. There would be rioting in the streets - just kidding, but am I. I mean the country can bearly deal with black heterosexual love much less black homosexual love. But, Hardy is brave and blazes new trails. I specially love the sex scenes - not because I'm a sex fiend- but because they are unlike any I have ever read, before or since. Seriously hot, sizzling, and intense--No holds barred.
The sequel to "B-Boy Blues" is "2nd Time Around," which I also recommend. However, I can't in good faith recommend the rest of the series. If you are interested they are: "If Only for One Night," "The Day Easy-E Died," "Love the One You're With," and "A Home is Not a Home." Some of the novels are told in Mitchell's voices and others in Rahiem's voice. What is amazing is Hardy's ability to write in completely different voices--Mitchell is Ivy, Rahiem is straight up street.
If you haven't read his novels, rejoice, because you have a serious treat coming your way. If you have holla at me. If you love music, you will appreciate the book even more, because Hardy knows music. Happy reading. :)
posted by Simrose @ 8:45 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Better than E. Lynn Harris? I saw a special on Oprah about lots of black men sleeping with both men and women, but not disclosing the "bisexuality" aspect to the women. I wonder if the women asked would the guys tell the truth. I hope they tell the truth.
The risk factors of dating a black male -- I thought it would just be like getting pulled over and beat by cops. We (women who would date b m) will just have to be proactive make sure we have the facts, committment, a private dick on retainer (I like the double entendre. Hey, I disclosed it though. Okay, I'll add a disclaimer in the beginning of my comment.)
Thanks for your comment Kito. For many black gay man bisexuality seems like the answer to conforming to society's notion of masculinity, while satisfying their natural urge. This is not to say that I don't believe in bisexuality, because I totally do. Dichotomy does not exist in nature, so why would it in sexuality which is the most natural of instincts. However, it is unfortunate that so may black gay men use women as beards, especially when the woman is in love with them. But white gay men do it as well. "Brokeback Mountain" certainly dealt with this. Boy did Emmis's wife suffer knowing the man she loved was doing the nasty with another man. The kiss she witness between Emmis and Jack certainly showed her that his passion for Jack ran deeper than his passion for her. But I digress. Bisexuality is not a dominant theme in "B-Boy Blues," as in "Invisible Life," and other E. Lynn Harris's novels. The fellows in this book know they want dick, even if some live semi-closeted lifes to protect their masculine image. Notice I didn't use prefer, because homosexuality is not a preference, it is simply a fact for those who are. The character of Rahiem use to mess with women when he was younger--but that was just a by-product of compulsory heterosexuality. He is a completely gay character even if he doesn't feel comfortable categorizing himself as such. Thanks for your comment, keep them coming. La La.
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