Readers' Reactions

The Impact of a Book

As the first shipments of Beyond Brokeback are being delivered, see how the readers are responding.

busterjone

I put [the book] in the bookcase in the living room. Everytime I pass by, I have to pick it up and look at it. Then I get this sudden rush of joy. Then I realize I have to put it back down and get on with the thousand other things I need to do this weekend ... but I still pick it up...

busterjone's post

cynical21

Above all, Brokeback Mountain was an intimate story, and it felt as if there were only the three of us in that theater, no matter how thick the crowds.  It felt like I was the confidante, the shoulder to cry on - and the trusted friend who was allowed to cry the tears that they never allowed themselves. Jack and Ennis became, for me, the treasured friend - best I ever had - who lost his battle with AIDS not so many months before this film premiered, and I wished with all my heart that he had lived long enough to see it, and to see the reactions of those who were transfixed by it, those who understood for the first time, in spite of the ugly, bigoted teachings of a cruel society, that love is an elemental force that knows no gender and needs no excuse for its existence...

I read through all the comments [in the book,] made by so many wonderful people, and I feel the kinship, the shared sense of hope, the determination to make this story count for more than a memorable piece of fiction, because, ultimately, it is NOT a piece of erotica, or a stirring melodrama, or a thriller.  This is about real life, illustrating in a way that few can dispute that, in a world so full of hatred and violence and bigotry, love can never be the problem.  It can only be the solution...

cyn's post

alma

My book arrived!!!

My husband immediately went to the index to find my two contributions (both about him! LOL) ...

P.S. Today a friend emailed me to tell me that in her South Carolina city, a gay friend of her daughter's was beaten to death outside a bar last night. They believe the beating was related to his homosexual orientation. I'm just sick that this still happens. Glad we have yet another book to give validation to the plight of the homosexual community.

Alma's Post

Oregondoggie

Son of a bitch, son of a bitch, the book arrived.  As easily as the right key turns the lock tumblers, the stories come together, and hard... drawing blood and tears from our souls...

Little Darlins, you have done it!

O-doggie's Post

JRBforBBM

I found [the book] beautiful on all levels: The paper, its quality and color; the type face and size that invited me to come in and look around; the organization in chapters, whose titles tantalized and suggested that I stay a while.  I read and was very moved by the first chapter.  Then reality struck and I realized that if I didn't close the book and set it down, I would be leaving on vacation with empty suitcases.

As I was folding and packing clothes last night, Jonathan and James came into my mind and I was drawn back into their story.  They would not go away... 

Read the rest here.

LoveEmBoys

Since I got that call informing me the books had arrived today, it was with rash anticipation that I came home, dropped my things in the entry way, opened the boxes, and made a beeline for my favorite recliner, and finally, FINALLY, cracked the cover on this long awaited book.

That was over 3 hours ago, and I haven't moved.  Well, that's not entirely true, because I got up once, I think at page 6, to grab a handful of tissues because the introductory story reached right out and grabbed my gut and was not letting go.  So much like the movie. ...

Read her entire post here.

Dave Cullen

I got a nice little surprise in the mail, today--the first test-run copy of Beyond Brokeback. I tore the wrapping off quickly, cracked the binding and listened to it crackle. What a joyful little sound. Then I lifted it to my face and breathed in that wonderful new-book aroma. I'm not sure what I'm smelling, actually--is it the wood pulp reacting to the oxygen the first time the paper is exposed to air or the binding glue, or a combination of scents? Then I just held it back at arm's length and looked at it. It looked real. And beautiful.

The beauty I had expected, because I'm seldom blown away by book jacket designs, but I really had been impressed by this one. So my expectations were high in that regard, but I had been just a little skeptical ...

Read on about Dave's First Impressions of the book.