Two Natures Jendi Reiter 9780996907422 Books
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*2016 Rainbow Awards First Prize, Best Gay Contemporary Fiction; First Runner-Up, Debut Gay Book
*Named one of QSpirit's Top LGBTQ Christian Books of 2016
*2016 Lascaux Prize in Fiction Finalist
*2017 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist
*2017 Book Excellence Awards Finalist
Jendi Reiter's debut novel offers a backstage look at the glamour and tragedy of 1990s New York City through the eyes of Julian Selkirk, an aspiring fashion photographer. Coming of age during the height of the AIDS epidemic, Julian worships beauty and romance, however fleeting, as substitutes for the religion that rejected him. His spiritual crisis is one that too many gay youth still face today. This genre-bending novel couples the ambitious political analysis of literary fiction with the pleasures of an unconventional love story. Vivid social realism, enriched by unforgettable characters, eroticism, and wit, make Two Natures a satisfying read of the highest sort.
Two Natures Jendi Reiter 9780996907422 Books
As a card-carrying member of Generation X, I expected to be caught up in waves of nostalgia and an emotionally gripping story.I was wrong. This story ripped my guts out, made me laugh, made me cry, made me angry (that part is a testament to great writing and compelling characters - I wanted to hug Julian on one page and slap him into next Tuesday on the next), and left me with the strangest sense of hope at the end.
Given how far we've come on LGBTQ rights (though we still have a long way to go), it can be easy to forget the recent past and the struggles that gay men and women faced. This book is a poignant reminder, cleverly weaving those lessons and history into a compelling story and doing so without being preachy - no small feat!
On a personal note, one of my dearest friends from graduate school and one of the first openly gay men I ever met once told me that he was resigned to a life of serial monogamy. That was so heartbreaking and eye-opening. The possibilities that I as a cis straight woman took for granted — marriage/legally and societally sanctioned commitment complete with benefits, public displays of affection that wouldn't result in possible violence, children that couldn't be ripped away from me and my future partner at the whims of judgmental politicians, etc. I think I got a glimpse of what life might have been like for him in Two Natures. I'm pleased and proud that most of my gay friends from that era are now married and/or in committed relationships that have lasted for decades. It's beautiful, it's incredible, and it's definitely worth celebrating and working hard to protect.
I'm so glad this book came my way. It will stick with me for the long haul, I think.
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Tags : Two Natures [Jendi Reiter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>*2016 Rainbow Awards: First Prize, Best Gay Contemporary Fiction; First Runner-Up, Debut Gay Book<br />*Named one of QSpirit's Top LGBTQ Christian Books of 2016</b><b><b><br />*2016 Lascaux Prize in Fiction Finalist</b><br />*2017 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist<br />*2017 Book Excellence Awards Finalist</b><br /><br />Jendi Reiter's debut novel offers a backstage look at the glamour and tragedy of 1990s New York City through the eyes of Julian Selkirk,Jendi Reiter,Two Natures,Saddle Road Press,0996907424,FICTION LGBT Gay,FictionLiterary,FictionRomance - LGBT - Gay,Genre Fiction Coming of Age,Literature & Fiction Literary
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Two Natures Jendi Reiter 9780996907422 Books Reviews
Such an awesome writer. I would have thought it was written by a gay man as she (the author) captured the feelings and emotions perfectly.
Again, it is necessary to acknowledge a profound debt of gratitude to my favorite author Kittredge Cherry for the opportunity to read an extremely meaningful and powerful book, “Two Natures” by Jendi Reiter. Set in the “peak AIDS years” of the early-to-mid 1990’s, the novel is presented as the memoir of Julian, a young fashion photographer in New York City.
I will say at the outset that this book offers an amazing level of honesty and insight. Like the earlier work of Patricia Nell Warren, Reiter’s representation of gay male psychology and eroticism is clear-eyed and unabashed. Although her descriptions of male-male sexual encounters are no more explicit than the similar descriptions of heterosexual lovemaking in many modern-day romances, some readers may find this unpalatable. To them, I can only say, “Get over it, people!”
Although Reiter is investigating the link between sexuality and spirituality in this narrative, as well as presenting a deeply incisive exploration of the social and cultural aspects of the urban LGBTQ community during the AIDS crisis, she is not heavy-handed or in any way “preachy”. Her characters, Her main character and many of the peripheral cast members are sympathetically and vividly described. Julian himself is voiced with wry and biting humor.
A trigger warning for those who, like me, have “been there and done that” with respect to losing dear ones to AIDS, and who have experienced the anger, disgust and grief resulting from the vicious and callous rejection of gays – especially those stricken with HIV – by the so-called Christian establishment, the honesty of this book is stark. Although it reflects back on an era that may be fading in the memory of many of us, it is really the very recent past. It is not a story to “love” in the trivial sense, but is rather deeply and painfully moving, and therefore deserves the highest approval rating.
I agree with the praise other reviewers express. One person wrote that "Two Natures" might help someone searching for their true identity. In my case, complacency was diagnosed. Because of the book's power, I am asking myself about how to define reliable love... how to meet its obligations. I laughed and suffered as I read. The episodes of the novel unite as a single tone throughout the book, a voice free of conformity while carrying the hearts of its characters. I grew to "know" them as if they were flesh-and-blood people. Jendi Reiter's words embrace the quiet courage to become morally vulnerable.
There’s so much beauty here- in the author’s use of language certainly. And in the pursuit of non-dualism, in various levels of the story, creating complex characters that are so very human and contradictory, hypocritical. Extending the reference to Christ’s two natures and how very not human it is to be split.
On the other hand, despite the author’s clever hand with witty dialogue and humor generally, Julian (our hero) is hard to live with and his happy ending with Peter feels somewhat impossible. You can’t help buying Ariana’s argument that Julian’s hero complex isn’t quite the love either of them need.
Definitely worth reading.
As a card-carrying member of Generation X, I expected to be caught up in waves of nostalgia and an emotionally gripping story.
I was wrong. This story ripped my guts out, made me laugh, made me cry, made me angry (that part is a testament to great writing and compelling characters - I wanted to hug Julian on one page and slap him into next Tuesday on the next), and left me with the strangest sense of hope at the end.
Given how far we've come on LGBTQ rights (though we still have a long way to go), it can be easy to forget the recent past and the struggles that gay men and women faced. This book is a poignant reminder, cleverly weaving those lessons and history into a compelling story and doing so without being preachy - no small feat!
On a personal note, one of my dearest friends from graduate school and one of the first openly gay men I ever met once told me that he was resigned to a life of serial monogamy. That was so heartbreaking and eye-opening. The possibilities that I as a cis straight woman took for granted — marriage/legally and societally sanctioned commitment complete with benefits, public displays of affection that wouldn't result in possible violence, children that couldn't be ripped away from me and my future partner at the whims of judgmental politicians, etc. I think I got a glimpse of what life might have been like for him in Two Natures. I'm pleased and proud that most of my gay friends from that era are now married and/or in committed relationships that have lasted for decades. It's beautiful, it's incredible, and it's definitely worth celebrating and working hard to protect.
I'm so glad this book came my way. It will stick with me for the long haul, I think.
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