Black Gay Man: Essays

Rating:
Summary: Lucid and arresting arguments
Review: Although Reid-Pharr's book is marred by an odd, initial instance of racism and classicism where he pejoratively depicts a white lover as ugly, lower classed and pitiable (warning: if such an instance of objectification was levied by a white man for a black man in an academic publication we would surely take far more issue), these essays, while not original in scope or argumentation, go a long way towards solidifying the issues that many liberal wealthy, nicely turned-out black gay intellectuals may face.

One is quite saddened with the way that these essays represent a dangerous trend to publish a book of previously printed essays as a book without sufficient thematic coherency. There is, after all, no truly focused tie for all of these disparate arguments besides the weak ad hominems of framing these thoughts under a headline that is so often seen in personal ads (BGM).

The equally wonderful Dwight McBride may well do better in his forthcoming collection of essays. However, with the genius of these black gay critics blazing academe, one yearns for truly substantive book-length studies beyond their first books (which were rewrites, to some extent, of their dissertations). Edited volumes or collected academic essays pale in comparison with substantive, focused research with original thought based on careful methodological engagement of primary sources along with closer analyses of texts and media.

Too often the arguments in this collection of essays traffic in the polemical at a time when evidence for claims and subtle challenges to hyper-politicized critiques are so sorely needed in discussions of black identity and sexuality.

But, alas, because the previous reviewer was so obviously scorned (and this reviewer's writing in this online review is much too sophisticated for him or her to be complaining about the accessibility of Reid-Pharr's writing) I am giving this collection 5 stars.

And yes, buying it is quite worth the money.

Indeed I am over the age of 13.

Rating:
Summary: deceptive title from a hyper-academic writer
Review: TO NONACADEMIC READERS: Be forewarned! Don't let the title deceive you. This is not a cute, accessible anthology with writings that would interest the average gay, black man. This is not "Brother to Brother" or "Fighting Words." This is a series of musings from a professor that is clearly trying to impress a tenure review board. TO ACADEMIC READERS: Reid-Pharr gives nine chapters which deal with theoretical questions on race, sexuality, and gender. The title is supposed to scare you in its seeming essentialism. The book is divided into three sections: black, gay, and man; but these are arbitrary. Reid-Pharr's project is to critique obtuse, overly "socially-constructed" academic hyperbabble without returning to played-out identity politics. However, this book is just as theoretically burdensome as any other recent cultural studies. Shockingly, the author never once mentions postmodernism and only discusses modernism. A lot of this book seems borrowed: the grotesque picture on the cover smacks of Mapplethorpe; the raunchy sexual tales are influenced by Delaney; the "I'm a lesbian" line comes from Sedgwick and Francisco Valdes. I usually would say all black gay lit. enthusiasts should buy something like this; but I can't say that this time. This book is going to disappoint many. It reminds me of Hazel Carby's weird "Race Men" book.