Rating: 
Summary: A Wrestling Classic!
Review: If this book is not ranked as a classic among modern sports
novels, it certainly should be. The chapters are not very
long, but I read everyone of them at least twice.Yes, the
book is good read with which every wrestler can identify. But it
is more than a book showing what every wrestler goes through.It is a novel which every gay teenage boy must read because the relationship between Joey & Dink is so honestly presented.The
situation with Anthony, however, is underdeveloped. What exactly happened? If it was as it appeared to be, can teenage boys get away with such a thing? All of the main characters were developed
to the point that I could see them in my imagination. Several places I thrilled to the author's depth & perception. For example, Dink's comment to Joey,"We both got a lotta woulda beens" I'm afraid we have to say Mr. Provenzano ended his novel
realistically. For the gay teenager, life is tough. Unfortunately, it can be so for gays at any age. My overall opinion of this book? I loved it and I highly recommend it as a
great read.
Rating: 
Summary: A very different take on coming of age gay
Review: If you're several decades beyond high school, don't let the fact that this book chronicles the romance, within the context of a high school wrestling team, of two teenage boys turn you off. This is a well-written and sweet book that has much plot, excellent character development, and is a great poolside summer read. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: A FINE GAY ROMANCE
Review: If you're several decades beyond high school, don't let the fact that this book chronicles the romance, within the context of a high school wrestling team, of two teenage boys turn you off. This is a well-written and sweet book that has much plot, excellent character development, and is a great poolside summer read. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Quite An Amazing Novel
Review: In this quite amazing novel by Jim Provenzano, fifteen-year-old Joey Nicci and his family have just moved to Little Falls, New Jersey from Newark where he attended a private Catholic school. Now he is in public high school for the first time and a member of the wrestling team. It's the only sport he really cares about as he loves the body contact with other nearly naked boys. Joey also wrestles with his feelings for other boys and is in love with Dink Kohrs, another member of the team.
The author deals with homophobia, both internalized and the other kind; gay bashing; the refusal of the church to acknowledge that some teenagers are different and to welcome them as they are-- in this instance the Catholic Church though unfortunately that organization doesn't have a monopoly on this attitude; the problems that parents and siblings have with gay family members-- Joey's younger brother Mike gets a shiner in school when another kid makes a derogatory comment about his brother and he defends Joey-- and finally the utter loneliness of being a teenager who is different. While awful, dark things happen in this novel that tear at your heart, its message is ultimately about hope and having the courage to do what is right. It could not have been written twenty-five years ago. Certainly no teenager could have told his wrestling coach then that he was gay.
Mr. Provenzano writes evocative, sparse language: "In math, Joey spent way too much time looking ahead, waiting for him to turn around. When Dink didn't, he watched the back of his buzzcut turn a dozen colors, depending on the light; copper, straw, even gold. As his hair grew out, the hair on the nape of his neck began to curl like a question mark. In practice, Joey got to hug in close to it, to find answers." These complex characters are alive-- all of them, even minor ones. The assistant coach Fiasole is completely fleshed out, and Joey's plumber dad is very believable and the most decent of fathers. There are wonderful human touches when Joey and his family visit their relatives in Newark, for instance, and a moving Christmas Day scene that pulses with life. You will care deeply about Joey, Dink, Anthony, Dino-- Joey's father-- et al.
PINS (the title has a two-fold meaning) is as fine a coming-out novel as I can remember. But it is much more than that and certainly rises above any "gay" literature category it might get placed in. You will not be able to put this novel down for it's quite a page-turner and should be on every high school library shelf in this country.
Rating:
Summary: Momentum Like A Freight Train
Review: Jim Provenzano writes with huge heart and humor, and his style is lean and quick, with snappy phrases that speed the narrative along. PINS is hard to put down-partly because of its rapid pace, partly because of its compelling story. I love this man's way with words and deep soul-searching of Joey, the young hero.
Provenzano is such an enthralling writer, in fact, that his language easily overcomes the novel's one significant flaw--the book is slow getting to any significant conflict; the sentences fly, but is this story going anywhere? It's clear early on that fifteen year old Joey has a major case of puppy love for his friend Dink, but for longer than it should, the story seems stuck in exposition: Joey's normal, nuclear blue-collar family, locker room showers and horseplay, training sweat and... and Joey's head-on encounter with being gay--for him, not a coming to terms so much as a matter-of-fact acceptance of a dawning identity he's OK with--a refreshing variation on the suffering stereotype, but hardly meat for gripping conflict. Yet despite the fact that early chapters told me way more than I ever wanted to know about wrestling and seemed reluctant to focus, I couldn't stop reading. Provenzano's voice, language, and humanity are truly that enchanting.But there is a story--a very good one--and though slow to develop, it gains momentum like a freight train and never slows down, making you wish there were more. Caught up in the wrong crowd, Joey and Dink become parties to a gay bashing that threatens their relationship, becomes a notorious court case, outs Joey, and tests his mettle as a man. He does the right thing, despite the costs. And his inner conflicts are true and endearing. The title, PINS, refers to winning moves in wrestling matches and to court-ordered close custody for a "Person In Need of Supervision." There's sweaty, teenage lust. There's Joe's desperately funny foray into an adult book store for porn... Ultimately, though, PINS is about ethical choices and a young man who's remarkably self-possessed in his self-discovery. It's about family and holding together. And it's about a friendship that even distance and separation by the juvenile justice system cannot destroy: a genuine hard-luck, feel-good triumph.
Rating:
Summary: Wrestling's Where I'm At
Review: Liked this book very much. Well written story and compelling plot line which keeps you guessing. I particularly like the protaganist, Joey. A regular kid, from a regular family; just trying to figure out how to live his life, be true to his long acknowledged homosexuality and his boyhood at the same time. (. . .)this story will appeal to anyone interested in how young gay men cope with what they know to be true about themselves and yet stay part of main stream adolescent life. All of the characters were realistic portrayals of people we have all known and each of their inter-relationships with Joey proved insightful. A wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: Literature disguised as a teen sports novel
Review: One of the cleverest books I've read. While on the outset it reads as a passionate teen coming out tale, it's also filled with deft symbols (horses, saints, soldiers) that adults with a taste for literature will appreciate. One of the most convincing retellings of the Saint Sebastian story since the Jarman and Greyson films. With so many bland books written for the Oprah insta-classic market, this is a quirky and welcome addition.
Rating:
Summary: Picano-esque story of teen life
Review: PINS has a wonderful first paragraph. And I like the rest of the book too. Jim Provenzano recreates the world of a gay US high-school wrestler and then turns up the heat some by making him an Italian Catholic.
The attention to detail and ear for dialogue are perfect, making the novel seem autobiographical. The pace never lets up as the author changes focus from Joey as a friend, to lover, to son, to brother, to team-mate. The reader is seldom wrong-footed and I shuddered slightly as I recognised myself a little in the text.
The cover blurb calls PINS, a "full-fledged miracle of writing". It's not far wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: American Wrestling - PINS
Review: Pins is an important book that is long overdue, despite the fact that it has some serious literary problems. The author attempts to write a book that is both literature and political at the same time and often falls short because of this. It is obviously very well researched a written, He deals very well with the desire boys can feel for eachother in wrestling teams, and with the news events he wants to get "behind the scenes" of as well, althought the two halves of the story sometimes clash in a way that leaves a schizophrenic rift. A definite read for anyone who loves wrestling and wrestlers. The book failed for me in only a couple of instances. It never decribed or dealt with sexual arousal during a match (a commonplace occurance experienced by both straight and gay teens in wrestling). I also felt there were a bit too many gay characters on this particular team and the happy ending was contrived, almost to the point of inducing sickness. Otherwise, most of the book rings very true, even though I'm not totally convinced that Mr. Provenzano has an accurate understanding of modern youth culture and language. The book also panders a little too much to the "gay mainstream" culture for my tastes. The only S/M character is portrayed as a criminal, and ofcourse the WWF gets neatly blamed for this, and he is carted off to jail. This is only however part of the trend in the gay world to marginalize every fringe that isn't white male middle class. I was sorry to see a book that pushes so many boundries and strives for honesty to give a wink to mainstream gay politics. However, this is a really good, sexy, honest attempt that deserves alot of praise for its guts. I hope it finds its way into the hands of many HS wrestlers...
Rating:
Summary: An incredibly gripping story of family and love
Review: PINS is an incredibly well written story about a young man who is forced to grow emotionally strong in a very short period of time. The themes of masculinity, strength, family, and religion all are addressed in this story of an Italian American high school wrestler. The writing is amazingly vivid, forcing you along with Joseph Nicci and his family & friends. Jim Provenzano writes with unbelievable depth about issues facing many young men without giving easy answers. This book should be read by young athletes, parents of athletes, and others who would relate to this internal struggle of family, religion, and that burning first love.
|
