Shockproof Sydney Skate

Rating:
Summary: autobiographical?
Review: I liked all the references to early 1970's New York but I was a little confused about what the focus was supposed to be. I never figured out who Sydney was, there wasn't enough character development. I guess the real focus was supposed to be the mother, the author probably wanted the book to revolve around the mother but in 1972 I guess the world wasn't ready for that. A good afternoon read.

Rating:
Summary: Great quirky fiction!
Review: This coming-of-age story, published in 1972, is aptly compared to Catcher In The Rye, on the book jacket, several times. I can see why. This is quirky, smart, funny, sad, touching, dark at times but always real and connects you with it's characters in a way that popular fiction rarely accomplishes today. A great read. I read it twice in one sitting!

Rating:
Summary: highly enjoyable!
Review: This is a rare gem about a lesbian mother and her teenage son without the earnest eagarness of the "Heather Has Two Mommies" genre. The son is funny and sarcastic and has weird sexual experiences of his own; indeed some of the scenes involving his various girlfriends are a little bizarre. But they're fun, and it's real. Though no one wears bellbottoms anymore or says things like super-fabulous, this novel is still very relevant.

Rating:
Summary: Odd Story
Review: This was an odd story of a young man with a lesbian mother who does not think her son knows about her sexual orientation. This is not the focus of the story. It was published in 1972 and perhaps uses vernacular of the time - it was hard to follow.