What A Refreshing Re-Discovery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           When this book first came out, it was the Literary Event of 1983.  To think I was in my late twenties, when I first read it.  David Leavitt was hailed as a wunderkind, and, most importantly a voice for the Gay Community.

                                             Back then, when I was earning less, I did not buy as many books in hardback, as I do now.  But Leavitt changed all that; after this book, whenever a hardback appeared of his, I pinched pennies to buy it.

                                              Finding a nice hard back edition of this original cover, in The Strand, recently, caused me to take it home, and read it again!!!!!!!!!!

                                               It was like a breath of fresh air.  I had forgotten how almost Salingeresque Leavitt was, especially in a story like "Danny In Transit," about a neglected child shipped from place to place, withdrawing to a world of television, and ending up at a New England private school.  What is the poor kid in for, now??????????????

                                                 Then, there was "Territory," the tale of a social activist mother, with a gay son.  She is on the forefront, she can handle everything--she thinks.  That is, until her son brings home his gay lover, and she realizes, "I can only take so much--!!!!!!!!!"  Believe me, Constance and Allison MacKenzie never had these problems.

                                                   Leavitt's best example of wit came in the final story, "Dedicated," the tale of a gay male couple, and their fag hag friend, Celia, who goes with them everywhere.  At one point, Celia finds a copy of a gay porn mag, called "Army Slaves," which....well, you get the picture.
Celia is upbraided for looking at it; one of them says, and I am paraphrasing here, "Instead of talking about leather and whips, why not talk about Joan Crawford????????"  Cute and campy, and I laughed out loud, until I realized--Aren't they both the same?????????????

                                                     I found I wanted more.  Then, sadly, I wondered, what ever happened to David Leavitt????????  Yes, I know he teaches in Florida, but he has not written a decent book since "The Indian Clerk."  And "The Body Of Jonah Boyd" was  not only Leavitt at his worst, but American fiction, as well.  How did a once gifted young man evolve into a fade out of his former glory.  The story of David Leavitt is a sad one, indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       Because, even now, more than then, the Gay Community desperately needs a voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!