The Quest for Brian edition by Jeff Graubart Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : The Quest for Brian edition by Jeff Graubart Literature Fiction eBooks 
One young man's struggle for gay liberation in the 1970s takes him down a path from which there seems to be no escape. As the reader watches Dave Rosen, falling farther away from the man he loves, from Champaign-Urbana to Chicago, Illinois, descend into a pit of obsession, drug addiction and then victory, they will be witnesses to actual historical events, heretofore unprinted, that will astound. This autobiographical historical fiction raises questions deep in the soul of every human being, gay or straight.
The Quest for Brian edition by Jeff Graubart Literature Fiction eBooks
The book purports to be a memoir of all the author's years in the gay liberation movement. I am, myself, a character in the early part of it. From that perspective, I feel entitled to claim that the book is more fiction than memoir, certainly the parts where I was involved. However, many things you might think are exaggerated, aren't. The real Dave Rosen did have balls of solid brass. He could and did walk into a Champaign City Council session, alone and unsupported, demand repeal of the city's cross dressing laws, and walk out with it in his pocket. He could and did stage one-man sit-ins at government buildings that lasted weeks, until the mere stench of him caused the occupants to give him something, at least, of what he wanted.Jeff does an excellent job of delineating all the currents and crosscurrents in the gay lib movement. First, between those who wanted us to be very careful not to piss off the straights, who wanted to work "within the system," a system that didn't at all want us, and those who thought direct action---parades, demonstrations, even riots---were the way to go. Second, between various Communist parties and the rest of us. These groups saw a perfect opportunity to infiltrate our movement for purposes of their own, or better still, set up their own gay lib front groups. The SWP, the RSL, and, ultimately, the FSP all tried it. This never worked right. The non-Communists didn't really care to be manipulated. Neither, for that matter, did the infiltrators, who were always gay, themselves. Thus, the Central Committee would attempt to withdraw its members, and when that failed, expelled them, usually damaging only themselves. This pattern continued until the early '90s when, suddenly, there were no more Communists. This left everybody else to be as bourgeois as they wanted and agitate for gay marriage. Yes sir, we don't have equality in housing or employment. Federal support for our health care is practically non-existent. But there are seven states in which we can be legally married. Go figure.
Now, I wasn't around for most of the Chicago events in this novel, and for those where I was, I would seem to have been entering stage right just as Jeff was exiting stage left. I never saw him. He has a lot of trivial fact wrong. Those not intimately familiar with the Chicago gay landscape of the '70s will never notice. Bars in the wrong places, etc. He takes us on an hilarious tour of the old Gold Coast at Clark & Illinois, when, from what I can tell, he'd never been there. He is ignorant of its rites and regulations. But then, I doubt he went to the bars at all. It wasn't really his scene; and if he had, I would have spotted him.
The prose in the early part of the book is rather clunky, but it gets better rapidly. By the time we get to Chicago, it's very good, indeed. Much of the time it disappears completely, allowing us to see straight into the story. There is no plot. Whose life has a plot? Most of the book is carried on in dialogue, all of which is very clever, and some of which is very funny. I found it all colossally entertaining.
It's truly a mystery to me why some books deserving of a professional publication can't get one, have to be self-published, and die on the vine for lack of reviews and proper promotion. This one is definitely deserving.
{For further from the author of this review, go to Learning to Love It}
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The Quest for Brian edition by Jeff Graubart Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
The Quest for Brian takes the reader on a trip through the history of the Gay Liberation movement as it was lived by David Rosen, a young gay man obseesed
with winning the love of Brian, a closeted gay man unwilling to live the openly gay life David insists upon. David's obsessions also involve outrage at
the injustice of the political and social status of Gay people. He becomes involved with Gay liberation at the University of Illinois, becoming somewhat of
a pariah in the gay community for his insistence on a more radical path than his peers, which is a recurring theme as he moves to Chicago.
The book chronicles his successes and failures, and the rages brought on by the violent resistance to change he encounters.
What could easily have been a very dry subject (Gay liberation in the 1970's) is actually very readable. I found myself anxiously turning the pages,
to see the resolution of David's political battles.
These battles are seen as the background for David's tumultuous personal life as his pursuit of Brian continues. We are introduced to a variety of
colorful political associates, friends and enemies, intrigue, backstabbing and political infighting which keep the action moving.
I thorougly enjoyed this book!
The book purports to be a memoir of all the author's years in the gay liberation movement. I am, myself, a character in the early part of it. From that perspective, I feel entitled to claim that the book is more fiction than memoir, certainly the parts where I was involved. However, many things you might think are exaggerated, aren't. The real Dave Rosen did have balls of solid brass. He could and did walk into a Champaign City Council session, alone and unsupported, demand repeal of the city's cross dressing laws, and walk out with it in his pocket. He could and did stage one-man sit-ins at government buildings that lasted weeks, until the mere stench of him caused the occupants to give him something, at least, of what he wanted.
Jeff does an excellent job of delineating all the currents and crosscurrents in the gay lib movement. First, between those who wanted us to be very careful not to piss off the straights, who wanted to work "within the system," a system that didn't at all want us, and those who thought direct action---parades, demonstrations, even riots---were the way to go. Second, between various Communist parties and the rest of us. These groups saw a perfect opportunity to infiltrate our movement for purposes of their own, or better still, set up their own gay lib front groups. The SWP, the RSL, and, ultimately, the FSP all tried it. This never worked right. The non-Communists didn't really care to be manipulated. Neither, for that matter, did the infiltrators, who were always gay, themselves. Thus, the Central Committee would attempt to withdraw its members, and when that failed, expelled them, usually damaging only themselves. This pattern continued until the early '90s when, suddenly, there were no more Communists. This left everybody else to be as bourgeois as they wanted and agitate for gay marriage. Yes sir, we don't have equality in housing or employment. Federal support for our health care is practically non-existent. But there are seven states in which we can be legally married. Go figure.
Now, I wasn't around for most of the Chicago events in this novel, and for those where I was, I would seem to have been entering stage right just as Jeff was exiting stage left. I never saw him. He has a lot of trivial fact wrong. Those not intimately familiar with the Chicago gay landscape of the '70s will never notice. Bars in the wrong places, etc. He takes us on an hilarious tour of the old Gold Coast at Clark & Illinois, when, from what I can tell, he'd never been there. He is ignorant of its rites and regulations. But then, I doubt he went to the bars at all. It wasn't really his scene; and if he had, I would have spotted him.
The prose in the early part of the book is rather clunky, but it gets better rapidly. By the time we get to Chicago, it's very good, indeed. Much of the time it disappears completely, allowing us to see straight into the story. There is no plot. Whose life has a plot? Most of the book is carried on in dialogue, all of which is very clever, and some of which is very funny. I found it all colossally entertaining.
It's truly a mystery to me why some books deserving of a professional publication can't get one, have to be self-published, and die on the vine for lack of reviews and proper promotion. This one is definitely deserving.
{For further from the author of this review, go to Learning to Love It}
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