Fighting Words: Personal Essays by Black Gay Men

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story-telling and beautiful narratives
Review: The stories told here range from that of a child experiencing his first feelings of attraction and angst to adults negotiating a world which does them no justice. Well written essays and a well varied array of perspectives make for an entertaining, stimulating and inspiring text.

Rating:
Summary: I wish it could have been longer.....
Review: This is an excellent collection of essays by black male writers, excluding the gay part, because as mentioned time and again in many of these essays they must come to terms with their African-American heritage before they even think of coming to terms with their sexuality. I only wish that some of the essays were longer and some not edited. Essays that stood out for me were Coloring Outside the Lines, The Letter, and Dearest Brother Set. They and many others have helped me to evaluate the inner predjudice that lies within the gay community itself, a community whose so called main goal was to establish equality. Don't get me wrong, not all of these essays were like that but of those chosen for this book, essays of that matter were the ones that stood out the most.