GLBT-RT

In Good Conscience: Sister Jeannine Gramick's Journey of Faith. Directed by Barbara Rick. New York: Out of the Blue Films, Inc., 2006. 82 minutes. $29.95 for purchase by individuals; $100.00 for public libraries/high schools; $195.00 for community/religious groups; $299.00 for colleges/universities.

Barbara Rick has created a wonderful documentary about a nun's journey as she speaks out for better acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church, taking her message of hope all the way to the Vatican.

Sister Jeannine Gramick's mission was inspired by the question, "What is the Church doing for my gay brothers and sisters?" Because of this, she has been an outspoken member for the gay community, much to the consternation of the Church hierarchy. As the documentary progresses, Rick shows that the church has forbidden Sr. Gramick from speaking out on behalf of the gay community on several occasions. Using her wit and charm, Sr. Gramick confronts protesters with a message of hope, understanding, and love.

Part of the documentary focuses on Sr. Gramick‘s trip to the Vatican, where she shares ideas on heterosexist doctrines within the Church and tries to obtain an audience with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Instead of disclosing her own orientation, she focuses on her mission and her ministry.

In Good Conscience is similar to the gay documentary A Jihad for Love (2008), and is a welcome addition to the hard-to-come-by documentaries on homosexuality and religion. Rick's film is recommended for any public or academic library serving teen and adult patrons.

Reviewed by Johnnie N. Gray
Interlibrary Loan Librarian
Christopher Newport University

For the Bible Tells Me So. Produced and directed by Daniel Karslake. New York: First Run Features, 2008. 98 minutes. DVD. $24.99

For the Bible Tells Me So recounts the coming-out experiences of five Christian families who have a gay son or lesbian daughter, and examines theological responses to literal readings of the Bible which condemn homosexuality.

While the sons and daughters do describe a little of their trepidation about coming out, and their evolving relationships with their parents, most attention is given to the reactions of the parents themselves. At first, these include concern, fear, confusion, and profound disappointment; over time, all of the parents engage in difficult questioning of long-held beliefs, and reach at least some degree of acceptance.

Interwoven with the families' stories are the observations of Christian theologians from several denominations, who provide a brief introduction to Biblical interpretation that takes cultural settings and translation issues into account. For the most part, the spiritual transformation the parents experience is less about interpreting scripture and more about realizing how literal readings of the Bible threaten their child's well-being when that child is gay or lesbian.

With the focus on the parents' experience, For the Bible Tells Me So speaks most directly to non-gay people who are attempting to reconcile religious beliefs with acceptance. GLBT folk themselves may also find it useful; however, the experience of questioning one's own nature in the context of religious teachings is captured more powerfully in the 2001 release Trembling Before G-d (featuring GLBTRT founder Israel David Fishman), about gay men and lesbians who are Orthodox or Hasidic Jews. Public and academic libraries should have both films in their collection.

Reviewed by Ruth Ann Jones
Special Collections Cataloger
Michigan State University Libraries

A Prophet in His Own Land: A Malcolm Boyd Reader: Selected Writings 1950-2007. Edited by Bo Young and Dan Vera. Brooklyn: White Crane Books, 2008. 322 p. hardcover. ISBN: 9781590210116. $33.00

This anthology of essays was gathered to honor gay Episcopal priest Malcolm Boyd's 85th birthday (celebrated this year) and is introduced by gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson.

The entry "Superchrist of a Superstate: Political Manipulation of Christian," written in 1975, reads as a nearly contemporary review of the ongoing debates between liberal and evangelical views of the social gospel.

Other essays detailing Boyd's work in African American voter registration in the southern United States during the 1960s, his work with Martin Luther King, Jr., his view of the place of Dr. King in historical perspective, and his legendary work with Dick Gregory at the 'hungry i' are equally memorable.

A Prophet in His Own Land is highly recommended for church libraries, larger public libraries, and academic libraries collecting in United States 20th-century religion.

Reviewed by Dave Combe
EP Foster Library
Ventura County [CA] Library

Pomfret, Scott. Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2008. 288p. hardcover. ISBN: 978-1-55970-869-2. $26.00

Is it possible to be both an out, proud, sexually active gay man and an observant Catholic? Why would anyone want to be? These are the questions at the heart of Scott Pomfret’s hilariously ribald memoir.

Pomfret opens with a list of dramatis personae that introduces such characters as Father Bear-Daddy, the lay minister trio known as the Hale Marys, Father Butter-ballino and his lesbian parishioners Joan of Arc & Clare of Assisi, protester Mr. Sodomy (he's against it) and Bill the Breviary (he is, too). Obviously, some names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

Despite the humor, Pomfret has a serious purpose as he recounts his attempts to engage Boston's Archbishop (later Cardinal) Sean O’Malley in honest discussion, inviting him to "witness the dignity and power of love between men and to acknowledge that a gay man [can] be as good a Catholic as any other." Along the way, Pomfret visits the gay Catholic groups Dignity, which permits sex, and Courage, which doesn't. He rails against clerical cravenness and hypocrisy and wrangles with the conservative pieties of his brother and sister-in-law. Most poignantly, he examines his own heart for an answer to his atheist boyfriend's question, "Why do you keep going to a church that hates you?"

Amusing and sometimes instructive sidebars, including "Thousands of Years, My Ass: A Short History of Matrimony" and "Excommunication FAQ" occur throughout.

Recommended for general collections. Pomfret is co-author of the Romentics line of explicit romance novels featuring gay men.

Reviewed by Joyce Meggett
Division Chief for Humanities
Chicago Public Library

Kundtz, David J. and Bernard S. Schlager. Ministry among God’s Queer Folk : LGBT Pastoral Care. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780829817065. trade paperback. $25.00.

The fourth book in the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry series, Ministry among God’s Queer Folk is a practical handbook for pastoral caregivers reaching out to LGBTQ persons within, as well as outside, their congregations and communities. The authors draw a distinction between pastoral care and pastoral counseling, arguing that the latter is the province of those specifically trained in therapy, while the former is open to all sufficiently trained ministers and lay people.

This book assumes no experience with the LGBTQ community on the part of the reader and covers a broad range of issues important to those beginning pastoral work with this community. A definition of pastoral care and a discussion of its function, coming out, creating communities of care and caring for relationships are all included with specific focus on how pastoral work with the LGBTQ community is unique. The authors include many descriptions of specific examples of pastoral work with LGBTQ persons to illustrate their points. Particularly useful are full and half page callouts of bullet points on important subjects.

The authors give this sensitive subject respectful and through treatment. Recommended for semi-nary and theological school libraries.

Reviewed by Sarah Corvene
Baker Library, Harvard Business School

Baim, Tracy. Gay Games VII: Where the World Meets. Chicago: Windy City Media Group, 2007. 208 p. paperback. ISBN: NA $49.30

Gay Games-VII: Where the World Meets is a pictorial showcase of Chicago's successful effort to host the 2006 Gay Games. The opening section of the book provides the reader with an adequate historical overview of the Gay Games movement, which places the Chicago Gay Games in proper context. Additional text covers the struggles the Chicago committee had to overcome in order to land the games.

The main section of the book presents 1,000 high-quality photographs (selected from over 60,000)—taken by both professional and amateur photographers during the games—of participants, spectators, sponsors, and committee members. Photographs from the opening and closing ceremonies are included, and are arranged alphabetically by event.

There are a few flaws which weaken the book's research functionality. The lack of a comprehensive alphabetical index makes it difficult to locate information efficiently. Photographs of committee members, celebrities, and sponsors are captioned, while photographs of participants and spectators in the main section do not carry captions.

This reviewer would have liked to have seen information on the location, duration, and event participants at the start of each event's section. The absence of these items indicates this is a companion piece to the Federation of Gay Games website, the official website for the Chicago Gay Games. It should be noted that standard book trade sources, such as Books-in-Print, do not have a listing for this book.

Recommended for libraries with a GLBT athletic/sports collection.

Reviewed by TJ Lusher
Assistant Dean
Automated Library Systems
Northern Illinois University

Stevenson, Richard. Death Vows. Albion, NY: MLR Press, 2008. 198p. trade paper. ISBN: 9781934531334 $14.99

Death Vows is the ninth mystery novel by Richard Stevenson (pseudonym for writer Richard Lipez) featuring the private investigator Donald Strachey. Strachey lives with his long-time partner, Timothy and the books are typically set in the Albany area. This case draws Strachey across the state line into Massachusetts, where two wealthy and snobbish gay men solicit his services to investigate a young man with a sketchy past who is set to marry a friend of theirs (Massachusetts being one of the few places in the country where two men can marry). While their questions about the intended betrothed are not unfounded, he turns out to be but one of the characters who isn't quite what he seems.

Stevenson's Strachey novels are fast-paced and full of the twists and turns expected in this genre. There's also a bit of humor tossed in. So far, four of the books in the series (Third Man Out; Shock to the System; On the Other Hand, Death; Ice Blues) have been dramatized for the here! television network. This book could be intended for the same treatment; whole pages often consist of little but dialog.

Stevenson's books don't carry the literary weight of Michael Nava's, nor do they tackle themes as dark as those found in the writing of John Morgan Wilson. The style is closer to that found in the work of Mark Richard Zubro. Nonetheless, they are satisfying in their own right and sure to please mystery fans. Recommended for popular reading collections.

Reviewed by Michael Colby
Shields Library
University of California, Davis

Revoyr, Nina. The Age of Dreaming: A Novel. New York: Akashic Books, 2008. 327pp. ISBN: 9781933354460. trade paperback; $15.95.

Revoyr, Nina. The Necessary Hunger. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1998. 368pp. ISBN: 9780312181420. reprint, trade paperback; $15.95.

Revoyr, Nina. Southland. New York: Akashic Books, 2003. 350pp. ISBN: 9781888451412. trade paperback; $15.95.

Readers looking for LGBT content won't find it in Revoyr's latest, which tells the life story of a fictional Japanese-American silent film star, and focuses on the circumstances regarding his early retirement. The book is beautifully written, unfolding quietly at first and slowly building tension, and is recommended for all fiction collections; however, the only gay action involves one minor character and is all off-screen. Advise your Revoyr-loving patrons that this is a good one, but not a gay one.

Revoyr's other novels are more appropriate for review here:
The Necessary Hunger (1997; reviewed in the Spring 1998 GLBTRT Newsletter) follows Nancy and Raina, teen lesbian basketball players going through the college recruitment process together. Japanese-American Nancy has a crush on African-American Raina, who's dating another girl; to complicate matters, Raina's mother falls in love with Nancy's father, and the two families meld to share a household. Despite this drama, the author avoids a soap-opera feel; Revoyr ably switches between fast-paced basketball action and gritty urban scenes, and Raina and Nancy are believable, appealing characters.

Southland (2003), like The Necessary Hunger and The Age of Dreaming, is set in Los Angeles. Jackie, a Japanese-American lesbian, investigates four unsolved murders that took place at her grandfather's store during the Watts riots. Her quest takes her all over LA and back in time via relatives' papers, police reports, and witnesses' anecdotes. Here Revoyr transcends the conventional mystery genre to include elements of historical, romantic, and literary fiction.

Reviewed by Daisy Porter
Senior Librarian
San José (CA) Public Library

Maltese, William and Wayne Gunn. Ardennian Boy. Albion, NY: MLR Press, 2007. 236p. ISBN: 9780979311031. hardcover; $32.99.

Ardennian Boy focuses on the relationship that poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud shared. The concept is interesting in that some of the explicit poetry that they wrote about each other has been used to put together a fictitious account of their graphic affair. Each chapter is an exhausting read, as each is seemingly centered around an explicit sexual experience that seems to go on and on in excruciating detail. The bulk of the book is made of erotic escapades that are told from both Verlaine's and Rim-baud's point of view. A sliver of a story propels the plot forward.

Instead of tantalizing, however, the effect is annoying and makes a very tedious read. Verlaine is torn between a normal life with a wife and one with Rimbaud that is hedonistic and sexually charged, yet isolating from everything he has ever known. Rimbaud's concern is that Verlaine is not as fully appreciated for his literary skill as he should be. Rimbaud embarks on a task to shake up Verlaine's world for the sake of his craft. The poetry they wrote to each other can be seen as evidence of the quest they undertook.

If you enjoyed the movie Total Eclipse, this book describes possibly offensive sexual antics in more detail and then some. Not recommended for any library other than one's personal collection.

Reviewed by Johnnie N. Gray
Interlibrary Loan Librarian
Christopher Newport University

Philips, A. A. If You Believe in Mermaids… Don’t Tell. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing, 2007. 150 p. ISBN: 9781598583595. Paperback. $12.95.

Having just completed the minefield of seventh grade, Todd is faced with his father's demand that he attend summer sports camp. When he finds a brochure for a nature camp, Todd enrolls there in order to avoid what he describes as, "a dismal choice of torture camps." Still, Todd is worried about how other campers will perceive him, with his feminine ways, and practices his "boy walk" and masculine façade.

Philips' intent here is great; she develops a character who is trying to be his own kind of boy: a gentle, feminine boy, a boy who fantasizes about mermaids and dreams about looking pretty, in a world where that is frowned upon. However, while Todd's character is well-defined, the story falls short of appealing to any audience. While Todd is 13 years old, his mermaid fantasies and the desire to swipe a Barbie doll make him seem much younger. In contrast, a portion near the end of the book relates an incident where the camp bully gets a girl drunk, which gives Todd an opportunity to take a stance, but this scene doesn't quite work and seems disconnected from the
story. At one point, Todd is called a "fag," and at the end of the story, he sees men in dresses during the high heel race in D.C. Finally, there are editing errors in the book that make some passages awkward to read. Not recommended.

Reviewed by Sharon Flesher-Duffy
Library Media Specialist
Nashua High South (NH)

Brannen, Sarah S. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. G. P. Putnam's' Sons. New York: 2008. paperback. ISBN:9780399247125. $15.99.

When young Chloe learns that her Uncle Bobby is marrying his boyfriend Jamie, her reaction is what many children might have to such startling news: where will she fit in her favorite uncle‘s new life?

Sarah Brannen’s charming and delightfully drawn book is not about gay marriage (or even Uncle Bobby); indeed, the words "gay" or "homosexual" do not appear once in the story. Instead, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is about a little girl (or rather, a guinea pig) coming to understand that people have the capacity to love more than one person, and highlights a family's joy as a beloved member pledges his life to another.

Because Chloe has not been taught that some types of love are "wrong," it is not who her uncle is marrying that concerns her, but rather that her uncle is marrying at all (regardless of gender). And because Bobby and Jamie do not have to focus their energies on justifying their relationship to Chloe (or to anyone), they are able to spend time with her, reassure her that they love her, and show her that she is welcome in their lives.

Thus, Brannen's story takes something that is, regretfully, still not normative in our society and asks, "what if it was?" In doing so, it shows us how a child can be made to feel safe and loved, and how her life can be enriched when she is protected from the burden of being taught to fear others who are different.

Unhesitatingly recommended for all children's libraries.

Reviewed by Tracy Marie Nectoux
Cataloger, Illinois Newspaper Project
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign