American Voyeur: Dispatches from the Far Reaches of Modern Life
Benoit Denizet-Lewis. Simon & Schuster, $15 (295pp) ISBN 978-1-4165-3915-5
Denizet-Lewis (America Anonymous) offers these stirring and sensitive
portraits of individuals-frequently adolescents-struggling to articulate
desire and identity while bearing the weight of so-cietal taboo and
marginalization. In the best sections-such as his groundbreaking
investigation into a subculture of closeted gay African American men and
his acutely observed piece on the os-tracized organization NAMBLA-he
combines sharp-eyed reportage, sensitive depiction, and happily,
considering the sober subject matter, a wry wit. The pieces were
previously published in such magazines as the New York Times magazine,
and they have the expected celerity and read-ability-only a few
(including a piece on lipstick lesbians) succumb to a more shallow
treatment. But for the breadth of his inquiries, the real shoe-leather
journalism, and his ability to balance sympathy and skepticism (his
study of transient gay youth is one such an example) he admirably
succeeds. (Jan.)
Details
Reviewed on: 05/03/2010
Genre: Nonfiction
Open Ebook - 320 pages - 978-1-4165-9447-5