A Year Straight: Confessions of a Boy-Crazy Lesbian Beauty Queen

One night, Elena Azzoni was being crowned queen of the lesbian pageant, Miss Lez. Months later, she was twisted into literal and psychological knots in yoga class, stunned by a sneaking attraction to her male yoga teacher. This dramatic turnaround made her question not only her own identity but her place in the lesbian community. Conflicted but resolute, she explores dating men. Mishaps abound; she dumps men who don’t meet her standards, is dumped in turn and finally finds Mr. Right. Unfortunately, what could have been a searching and personal exploration of the fluidity of sexuality and identity becomes a shallow account of one-night stands devoid of introspection. Azzoni chooses to cast herself as unconvincingly naive and hapless and clings to outmoded gender stereotypes. Repetitive, rife with lazy generalities, this is a half-hearted attempt to turn a shift in sexual interest into a life journey. (Nov.)