The Home for the Literarily Bent
Archive for August, 2009
A Switch Hitter Follows the Ads: A Sex Odyssey
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A Switch Hitter Follows the Ads: A Sex Odyssey front cover
by Jill Baker Boyle
Published in 1969 by Ram Classics
This book is the “autobiographical” account of Jill’s travels across the U.S. as she meets men and women that she has met through adult personal ads.
As our tale begins, Jill is home in Los Angeles with her husband, Lance, and her lesbian lover, Elise, preparing to bid them adieu as she departs in her van for a year of carnal adventures. After a goodbye evening of “triple loving,” Jill discovers her lovers have a surprise for her going away present: a painter has added “Hi-Ways and Bi-Ways” to the back of her customized van.
Jill’s first stop on her adventure is a meeting with a shy young lesbian, Joan, who lives a mere ten miles away. Inside Hi-Ways and Bi-Ways, Jill introduces Joan to the joys of lesbianism while parked outside the Laundromat. Before Jill departs, she plays matchmaker for Joan and her landlord.
Pressing forward on her journey, Jill travels to San Francisco to meet Mark. After a few days of shared passion and a night of drunkenness, Jill and Mark make their way to meet with Mark’s old girlfriend, Cora. Mark and Cora’s earlier romance ended because Mark was a high class boy and Cora was a girl born on the wrong side of the tracks. I won’t spoil the action for you, but this tryst contains the book’s best line “Take off that cheap nightie, baby, and let me see those tits of yours.”
Jill’s heads to Denver to meet a young married couple, Kansas City to meet a frumpy librarian with an interest in dildos, on to Chicago to meet with a transvestite named Robert, and finally to Indiana to meet yet another shy young lesbian, Lois.
We learn that Lois lives on a farm with her brother, Tom, and his wife, Wilma. Tom turns out to be an abusive drunk and Wilma is the object of Lois’ desires. Eventually, all four of them have an encounter on the farm which culminates in the best visual scene in the book. I can only describe it thus: garden hose enema.
When Jill tires of fun and frolic at the farm, she and Lois head to New York, the last stop in Jill’s itinerary. Jill plans to attend a private sex party and the final scene really heats up. But I won’t spoil it for you, you’ll have to read A Switch Hitter Follows the Ads: A Sex Odyssey to see how it all ends.
Voyage from Lesbos
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Voyage from Lesbos front cover
by Richard C. Robertiello, M.D.
Published in 1959 by Avon Books
Voyage from Lesbos is the case study of the “treatment” of a lesbian identified only as Connie as related by psychiatrist Richard Robertiello, M.D.
The book begins with a brief introduction to Connie. We learn that she works as a secretary, is attractive despite the fact that she’s slightly overweight, is able to discuss her homosexuality frankly, and is the submissive partner in her relationships.
A classical practician of psychoanalysis, Dr. Robertiello spends most of his time with Connie analyzing her childhood and dreams to help “cure” her of her homosexuality. As Robertiello reveals more about Connie, we “learn” the source of her inability to sexually relate to men stems from her the classic oedipal complex and her competitive relationship with her mother. Connie also seems to suffer from the belief that her genitals are dirty and that no decent man would want her.
Most frightening to me are the references to Connie’s depression. Depression is a legitimate and often debilitating mental illness. Sadly for Connie the person she entrusted to help her with her problems doesn’t recognize that depression is the illness she suffers from and needs the most help with, instead he views the depression as a natural symptom of her “real” illness: homosexuality.
If I didn’t know that this book dates from the 50s and that Robertiello’s other books were mainstream psychological discussion, I would have assumed this to be satire of Freudian psychology. But if it were satire, it would be too over the top to have the subtle edge of credibility that good satire demands. Telling you that by the book’s end Robertiello claims to have successfully “cured” Connie of her homosexuality won’t ruin the book, but it might ruin the sense of comfort that you have with the then current state of medical knowledge. As disconcerting as Robertiello’s opinions are, realizing that his opinions were considered to be fairly mainstream until about 30 years ago gives one pause. More frightening is that even today many people (not just the extreme lunatic fringe) still believe that homosexuality is a disease in need of a cure.
I couldn’t help but wonder what became of Connie after her treatment from Robertiello. Was she really “cured” of her homosexuality? Did she learn to embrace her lesbianism? While I don’t believe for a moment that such a “cure” is possible or desirable, it certainly is possible someone might have denied their sexuality for the rest of their life. But at what cost? And what of others who, like Connie, were victimized not only by the real fear of coming out of the closet but by the professional psychological community that told them their sexuality was a mental illness? Luckily we’re now able to hear some of their stories, but nothing will make up what was taken from them.
Cinema Sewer
02 years ago
by Todd
in Multimedia
Cinema Sewer front cover
Edited by Robin Bougie
Published in 2007 by Fab Press
I don’t like comics. I suppose comics are fine if you are a little kid, but adults should have much better things to do than read comics.
I also don’t like going to the movies. If you catch me after I have stood in line, overpaid for a ticket, gotten raped at the concession stand, and endured the company of so many people who are using what might otherwise be precious air, you will catch me in a mood to join any revolution that calls for genocide. While I could watch movies at home, I rarely have the time and even more rarely have the inclination. Another hassle is that getting a good movie involves more energy than I care to invest. One problem is that there really aren’t many avenues available to get the sorts of movies that appeal to me. While some of you might be content to go to a certain national chain I won’t mention by name (it’s name rhymes with cock duster), I hold it in the same low esteem I hold traditional movie theaters.
Another thing that limits my movie watching is that few movies tickle my fancy. Even watching XXX movies is tedious. Porn is the kind of experience that should leave you feeling queasy and disturbed about humanity. Unfortunately, the supply of such fare is scant and the overwhelming majority of what the porn store stocks is a bore.
So what is someone that dislikes comics and movies doing reading this book? It’s simple: Bougie’s work is so good, I couldn’t put this down. Bougie’s talent as an artist and enthusiasm for his subject comes through on each and every page such that I reconsidered my aversion to comics and movies.
The pages of Cinema Sewer focus on coverage of obscure horror, low budget 60s and 70s exploitation, Hong Kong cinema, and (my personal favorite) classic and extreme pornography. Though Bougie’s love of extreme and obscure movies shines through in his writing, it doesn’t obscure his objectivity. When a film is good, Bougie’s excitement is contagious. If a film is bad, his criticism is biting, thought provoking, and entertaining.
While I could go on and on in singing the praises of Cinema Sewer, it is so good that you should experience it yourself. If you buy no other book this year, it should be this one. Truly the best book I have read in years.
The Puppy Papers
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The Puppy Papers front cover
by Puppy Sharon and Steven Toushin
Published in 2004 by Wells Street Publishing
Tempted though I am to go on and on about this book, I am going to do you and me both a favor and keep this review as succinct as possible. What we have here is a book that consists of nothing more than a D/s couple’s emails back and forth from their initial meeting through their growing relationship. If that sounds remotely interesting, I can testify that it isn’t. Even the brief bit of bestiality is ho-hum.
The best thing about this book is that I bought my copy used so I didn’t further enrich the pockets of the either the publisher or the authors of the boring vanity piece. If you are ever tempted to read this, do yourself a favor and find something, anything, else to read.
The Big Book of Porn
02 years ago
by Todd
in Reference Books
The Big Book of Porn front cover
By Seth Grahame-Smith
Published in 2005 by Quirk Productions, Inc.
When I first started thumbing through the pages of the Big Book of Porn, I didn’t want to like it. For one thing, despite its title, it didn’t take long to notice that it contains almost nothing that is actually porn. Another thing I noticed was how slickly printed this book is. One wonders who had more input in the final product: the author or the art director. Every page is printed in full vibrant colors on heavy slick paper using designs that seem inspired by Adobe Flash, a fact which didn’t bode well for the actual words.
The book begins with a timeline of important events in the history of pornographic movies. While I might have omitted some events Grahame-Smith includes and included others he omits, this is hardly worth quibbling over and sets a good tone for the rest of the book.
The second section is devoted to reviews of classic porno films. It’s here that the omissions and inclusions bug me as Grahame-Smith’s tastes stay consistently mainstream and relatively tame. Each title includes a blurb that lists its director, cast, running time, fetishes covered, and memorable quote. Maybe I’m jaded, but facials and girl/girl just don’t rise to the level of fetish in my book. There’s little on his list that is surprising or even outré which is a shame. Still, this is a handy reference of older titles that are worth watching. Grahame-Smith also uses this section to highlight some more recent pornographic films that he thinks will become classics and a pair of “weird” classics. There is also a guide for caring for your porn included in this section which seems out of place.
Grahame-Smith next turns his attention to listing significant mainstream actors, actresses, and directors. These biographies were thorough but left me wanting more which is always a good sign. Once again in an attempt to stay current, he lists five current actresses who may reach the list someday. That left me wanting less.
The fourth section is devoted to the various genres of porn and places to procure porn. His survey of porn genres is akin to a guided tour of what you will find if you visit your local adult video store. (Or maybe it’s just the local stores I patronize?) At any rate, I have no idea who needs help finding adult movies. Or at least, I can’t imagine how anyone who couldn’t find it already would benefit from the advice in this book.
After a tour of the world as it relates to their laws and consumption of pornography, the book includes a lengthy section on how to make your own porn. Though I can’t imagine ever wanting to make my own homemade adult movie, if I ever do I will make a point to consult this book as the advice seems straightforward and beneficial.
The book concludes with a glossary of terms related to sex and pornographic movies. This is the book’s best moment. Instead of limiting the glossary to standard terms, it includes several which were quite unique. My personal favorite is “Hunting Bin Laden” defined as “Flooding on of your partner’s orifices with liquid, either through an enema or by urinating into them.” It was nice to know there was a common term for that. I personally always called it jet skiing after the text following an advertising store sign “WATER SPORTS ARE HERE!”
I wish that coverage was more inclusive – there’s not any meaningful mention of gay porn and the even the straight porn is limited to the most mainstream of stuff. However, Graham-Smith is such a fantastic writer he easily overcomes that limitation. He manages to write about porn in a manner that is funny without being corny or juvenile. In anyone else’s hands, this book would have turned into a cheesy mess.