Other recommended authors and books

 

This is a new feature that I have started to pay homage to some other writers who have toiled to bring forth remarkable, literary achievements. I also hope to make this an ongoing feature as I exchange more books with fellow writers and authors.

 

How you too can get in on it

 

Just write me at author@twoirishlads.com and we'll make arrangements to exchange novels. Thereafter, I will write a review (like those below), and you can do the same for me.

 

Gerry Burnie

Two  Irish Lads

 

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Common Sons by Ronald L. Donaghe

 

Common Sons   Author: Ronald L. Donaghe   http://www.rldbooks.com  Publisher: Iuniverse Inc  ISBN: 0595097081   Available on www.amazon.com

 

Set in a small town in the middle of nowhere in the mid-1960s, Common Sons not only anticipates the coming gay revolution, but delineates its fields of battle in churches, schools and society, pitting fathers against sons, straight teens against gay teens, and self-hatred against self-respect.

From the opening scene (where a reckless bout of drinking at a dance ends in a very public kiss between two teenage boys), the citizens of the small town of Common, New Mexico, become aware of the homosexuality in their midst.

The two boys are unable to deal with their struggle in private as the story of their public kiss spreads through the small town. Some seek to destroy the relationship between the two boys, while others seek to destroy the two boys themselves. Common Sons is a moving tale of self-discovery, love and finding the courage to come out and come to grips with truth in the face of hatred and adversity.

 

An absolute must read for anyone coming out--young or old

 

I must say with regret that I have only read one of author Ronald L. Donaghe’s nine novels—thus far. Having said that, Common Sons is a marvellous place to start.

 

It is a tale of two teenage boys, Joel and Tom, growing up in the small, dusty town of Common, New Mexico. They do the usual things like cruising the main street in Joel’s pickup, and eating hamburgers at the A & W, but there is a fundamental difference between them. Joel is a farmer’s son with a pragmatic way of looking at things, and Tom is a Baptist minister’s son with only a biblical view of reality. They are also in love with one another, although neither of them realizes this at first.

 

Ron Donaghe has also done a remarkable, and equally superb job of emphasizing the oppressive atmosphere in which their love is destined to bloom, i.e., the oppressive heat, the howling sand storms, and the relentless boredom of Common itself. Add to this a cast of narrow-minded bigots, sneering bimbos, and Tom’s fire-and-brimstone breathing father, and the stage is set for an adventure in human endurance.

 

The catalyst is an ill-advised, but quite innocent kiss between the two boys at a 1960s, country dance—read a “pre-coital warm up with beers and brawls” before the ‘main event.’ Joel and Tom also get around to the main event in the pick-up truck, the first such event for both of them, and in the cold light of dawn they each reflect on it from their different perspectives.

 

That is as far as I will go with the plot—for fear of ruining it for others. Instead, I will deal with some of the many admirable points that the author has incorporated into this novel.

 

Point one: The author has approached the topic of ‘coming out’ with sensitivity, insight, and a remarkable degree of realism. Those of us who came out in the 1960s, especially in an insular community like Common—or Pefferlaw, Ontario, Canada, for that matter, can attest to how well he has captured the alienation that Joel and Tom experience when they realize that they are ‘different.’ We can also attest to the delight that others took in pointing this out to us. However, Joel and Tom are further subjected to threats of physical abuse, and an attempt on their lives by a particularly nasty and brutish, redneck villain. In this regard the author has pointed out with stark reality the extent to which some individuals are prepared to go to emphasize their homophobic hatred and beliefs.

 

Point two: Ron Donaghe has also given us an insight into the dark ages of psychology, when homosexuality was considered a mental illness, or a 'deviation' at best. The greater part of society would now regard this as “quackery,” but it did exist along side religious dogma.

 

Point three: Referring to the last point, Donaghe has approached the topic of religious dogma—especially “literalist” religious dogma, with remarkable objectivity. Donaghe’s is an intellectual approach—as is the Reverend Suskine’s Unitarian view of it in the novel, so this is not the indictment it might have been. Nevertheless, he has quite effectively made reference to the hypocrisy practiced by some so called "Christians" in the name of religion. 

 

[As a historian, I can also add that this homophobic view of sexuality has only existed for about six centuries. The Catholic Church was the first to declare it a sin, and the then King of England adopted it into law to strengthen his political ties with the Holy Roman Empire. Ergo, it has as much to do with the politics of the day as it does with morality].

 

Having said all that, Common Sons is an inspirational read, and an absolute must read for anyone coming out—young or old. --Review by Gerry Burnie.

 

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The Filly by Mark R. Probst

 

The Filly Author: Mark R. Probst   Publisher: Cheyenne Press 224 Pages, Paperback, 6 x 9 ISBN-10: 0-9797773-0-5 ISBN-13: 978-0-9797773-0-1 www.cheyennepublishing.com Available on www.amazon.com

Escaping into the fantasy of his books when he’s not working in the general store, Ethan Keller has lived a sheltered life in his mother’s boarding house. One day, an enigmatic cowboy passing through the small Texas town takes an immediate liking to the shy seventeen-year-old. Ethan is intrigued by the attention, and the cowboy eventually charms him into signing on to a 900-mile cattle drive. Ethan soon finds that his feelings for this cowboy run deeper than just friendship. He never knew that this kind of love even existed; and now for the two of them to make a life together in the untamed west, they must face nearly insurmountable odds if they are to survive.

 

An imaginative view of cowboy life from a gay perspective

 

Mark R. Probst is an author with a marvellously rich imagination, and his first novel, The Filly, is proof positive of this statement.

It is set in a small town in Texas in the 1870s, where we find seventeen-year-old Ethan Keller at work in Mr. Simpson’s general store. It is one of those quaint emporiums that sells almost everything imaginable, from biscuits to jigsaw puzzles, and in his spare time Ethan reads his beloved novels.

Ethan is a nice, intelligent kid, somewhat shy and naïve due to his sheltered life with his devoted, and widowed mother, so he finds adventure in reading such exotic tales as the Tale of Two Cities. It is not surprising therefore that he is immediately intrigued by a handsome, worldly cowboy named Travis Cain, who comes riding through town looking for work.

Travis is equally attracted to Ethan, and a friendship forms between them. The catalyst is “Cleo,” Cain’s beautiful and spirited mare, and from this we learn that in spite of his bookish nature, Ethan is an experienced and talented rider. Moreover, his ambition is to one day own a horse of his own—particularly a filly. These points come into play later on in the novel, which makes them both a logical progression in the story.

The two other central characters are Miss Peet, Ethan’s former schoolmistress, and his older brother William. Miss Peet is a somewhat man hungry spinster, and William is a hard drinking, whore visiting rebel, but intensely loyal to his “little brother.”

Having thus created a cast of interesting and colourful characters, the author then sets them to work interacting with one another in an almost comedic fashion. First, he establishes a bond between Ethan and Travis, and then casts Miss Peet into the arena with her rather rapacious eyes on Travis Cain as well.

I hasten to add that The Filly is far from a comedy, but I found this particular melange quite charming—as is the novel, overall.

The real turning point in the story is when Travis convinces Ethan to join him on a 900-hundred mile cattle drive. This is where Mark Probst’s vivid imagination really begins to come to the fore. I have read firsthand accounts of similar drives, and his account parallels these in both accuracy and character. Major drives like these were no cakewalks, and it was the making—or breaking of a man to undertake one of these dangerous and gruelling treks.

Every kind of condition could be expected, from fording rivers to crossing parching deserts, and sometimes sickness and death resulted. Nevertheless, it bound men together as only these extreme conditions could, and Ethan and Travis were no exception. However, their bond was far deeper than most, and even more challenging as they prepared to make a future together as lovers.

Strong points: Mark Probst’s imagination shines throughout, as does his obvious knowledge and dedication to western lore. His characterization is also a very strong point, for all his characters are vividly portrayed and completely believable. Moreover, his writing style is lean and clean, with just enough description to keep the reader informed while moving forward at a fairly brisk pace. I like that.

Not so strong points: Well … Travis does come across as a bit too articulate for his station. I was hoping that his mother might be a cultured lady who had schooled him, but that wasn’t the case when I met her in the novel. Nevertheless, this is only a minor quibble, and it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.

Definitely recommended: The Filly by author Mark R. Probst. It is a charming story of coming out and gay romance set against the rugged background of the ‘old’ west. It is also a refreshingly unique perspective of cowboy life from a gay perspective. –Review by Gerry Burnie.