About the Book:
Dennis Milam Bensie is One Gay American. Born in the 1960s and raised with traditional values in Robinson, Illinois, Bensie desperately wanted romance, a beautiful wedding, and a baby to carry on the family name. He denied his sexuality and married a woman at nineteen years old, but fantasized of weddings where he could be the bride. The newlyweds "adopted" a Cabbage Patch Doll and ironically witnessed a Cabbage Patch Doll wedding (a successful fundraiser staged by a local women's club) where the dolls were granted the type of grand ceremony off-limits to gay couples.
In search of his identity as a gay man, Bensie divorced his wife and stumbled through missteps and lessons that still sting his generation: defending against bullies, "disappointing" his parents, and looking for love in gay bars, bath houses and restrooms. He helped his straight friends plan their dream weddings and mourned his gay friends dying of AIDS.
Although true love has not yet come his way, Bensie has learned to love himself. Bensie is the author of the much-lauded memoir, Shorn: Toys to Men, which recounts his battle with paraphilia. One Gay American tells the rest of his story and draws parallels to gay history, decade by decade, with newspaper headlines and quotations. Bensie is the gay neighbor that you either love or hate. Either way, he's got a lot to say and says it with no apologies.
· Paperback: 242 pages
· Publisher: Coffeetown Press (September 1, 2012)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1603811532
· ISBN-13: 978-1603811538
Price $13.95
About the Author:
Dennis Milam Bensie grew up in Robinson, Illinois where his interest in the arts began in high school participating in various community theatre productions. He holds a degree in Theatre Costume Design from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and completed an apprenticeship in theatrical wig construction at Los Angeles Opera. He has costumed and wigged shows all over the country including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, Arizona Theatre Company, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, and the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego to name a few. His costume and wig design for Valley of the Dolls at Empty Space Theatre in Seattle garnered him a feature article in Entertainment Design Magazine and a Seattle Times Footlight Award for Best Design. Dennis also teaches master classes in wigmaking and wig maintenance around the country. He has been on staff at Intiman Theatre in Seattle since 1992 and is proud to have been involved with such productions as Angels in America, Nickel and Dimed and the world premier of the Tony Award winning musical Light in the Piazza. Shorn: Toys to Men is his first book. Dennis lives in Seattle with his three dogs.
My Review:
There is so much discrimination in this world. So many children are bullied and so many people hide in fear. I found this book very sad at times, but I think that more adults need to read it. The Author has a way of plainly speaking and although some conversations may seem taboo to some people, I enjoyed the author's take. When he talked about history and how certain events affected how he lived, I thought about the times he was talking about and the times I have lived through. Some of the things that he brought up seem unbelieveable to me. How does this happen to people? Especially in the 60s, 70s, and 80s?
There was just a law passed to allow same sex partners health Benefits. I am not sure of the specifics, but I wanted to mention it because I think it is important that ALL people are treated equally. When I read about the Cabbage Patch kids I believed it, and that is seems even sadder to me. To allow dolls to get married, but not two people that love each other is crazy.
I have fought for Gay rights in my town once, and it is not an easy battle. I give the author credit for putting himself out there and trying to make a difference. I hope that a lot of people read this book.
I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment