Shorn: Toys to Men by Dennis Milam Bensie

Shorn: Toys to Men - This is a true story. Real names have been used with permission; others have been changed.

About the Book:

What shapes a mans life more? Being molested at age seven, having a gruff father ashamed of him for being effeminate, or being humiliated by school bullies for being a sissy? In the memoir, Shorn: Toys to Men, author Dennis Milam Bensie chronicles his journey from damaged boy, self-medicating by cutting the hair of shoplifted Barbie dolls, to confused young man, paying hundreds of gay street hustlers to shave their heads. Bensie demonstrates how hair can be currencya moral gauge for good and bad, male and female, lawful and unlawful. The world of theater is his backdrop, a sanctuary where he gradually spins fantasy into reality. After getting his start in community theater, Bensie moves up to professional houses throughout the United States, turning his private sexual conflict over haircutting into a successful career as a skilled theatrical wig designer. Humorous and honest, this book is a uniquely tangled love story, a triumphant quest for love, forgiveness and self-acceptance.

·  Paperback: 268 pages

·  Publisher: Coffeetown Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2011)

·  Language: English

 ISBNs: Paper: 978-1-60381-092-0 Cloth: 978-1-60381-093-7 ePub: 978-1-60381-094-4

Price: $17.95 (Paperback) $25.95 (Cloth) $6.95 (Kindle/ebooks)

 Categories: Personal Memoir; Theater/Stagecraft; Child Abuse

Distribution: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de Baker & Taylor Smashwords (ebooks)

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:

This is a memoir that made me want to go back in time and warn Dennis. I really hope that the world today is a lot more accepting of Young people and their sexual orientation. I can not believe some of the things that people have gone through in the past. I applaud Dennis for dealing with his issues, and do not know if I could be as positive as he seems to be now. I also feel as though the statue of limitations for certain crimes should be higher for instances like the one in this book. Dennis went through more things then most people will ever have to deal with. Never mind all of them together. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.