Mama was a Preacher

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Summary: A surprising look at the world of Tel-Evangelists
Review: REVIEW OF MAMA WAS A PREACHER The second novel of Author22, a mysterious and elusive figure who intrigues the reader with his first-hand knowledge of the country/religious music business, provides a unique perspective that defies categorization. In a nutshell, the story contends that gay cabals can be found in the most unlikely places--take, for example, the 1950s Bible-belt evangelist movement! Though this seems to be territory that James Leo Herlihy might traipse (Midnight Cowboy, Season of the Witch), the author boldly goes beyond what mainstream fiction depicts as gay life. Indeed, the audience for this work clearly is gay. Though fundamentalist Christians or heterosexuals could find the premise of corrupt religious movements acceptable, the nature and frequency of the sexual liaisons will find greater acceptance among gay readers. If one is looking for a torrid story of sexual peccadilloes, then Mama Was a Preacher will bring great satisfaction. A powerful need exists for the latest generations of gays to know about their heritage, and Mama Was a Preacher gives that look beneath the surface of the quaint 1950s--where a smoldering and hidden homosexual life thrived. The kicker would be that a teenage boy, dressed in white suits with red trimming, could pioneer the musical television ministries of contemporary times. In fact, the concept is far from fanciful. Tracing the development of Johnny, his lifelong partner Cowboy, and their street urchin acquaintances, makes up the picaresque nature of the story. What may surprise some is the need for teenage gay hustlers in Los Angeles in the 1950s could find religion in a mission run covertly by gay men. The concept is not so unusual. A hundred years earlier, Horatio Alger, a minister, was run out of Barnstable, Mass., for molesting the boys in his charge. Later, he went to New York and opened youth hostels for wayward street boys. He also won fame for writing his novels about the life of young men (fraught with latent sexual dangers). So, Johnny is not to be disbelieved. He opens a mission for gay street boys, and not surprisingly meets opposition from the Christian Coalition who may be the ultimate force that leads to the tragic, but not unexpected, ending. The story does offer some positive gay images: such as lifelong relationships of gay life, but the gay-sex is rampant, indeed hard-core. The audience for pornography will be disappointed by the redeeming qualities of this novel, but those looking for an expose of the sexual lives of roving evangelists will find thought-provoking and passionate entertainment. This is a singular work of importance in gay literature.