The Preface was unfortunately by and large the most impactful piece in this collection, and it served as a great launch point for the work. Before I get into detailing my experience, I want to lead by saying I firmly believe there is a short story in this work for every queer reader, and its existence is an important anthology of history and an archive of stories least often told. The work, for me, failed to connect. Often the first sentences of each story failed to speak to me or motivate me to continue on. Stories such as "Suicide Ecstasy" and "My Body: Design and Architecture" had glowing titles and started out on high notes, and they were the two that came the closest to resonating with me. I found that I am not personally involved in the POV chosen for each story. What often fascinated me was the study of a character who quickly left history along with my interest. "The New York Rage" is the story that fascinated me the most, with an excellent introduction that set the stage for an AIDS-stricken 1990s decade. "Many cults, I knew without saying, were desperate attempts to forge identities that could not be co-opted" is a quote from that story that will stay with me for the foreseeable future. Even if one story was not connected, I still moved on to the next to testify each page of this work, due to its historical importance. Any dislike on my part was purely stylistic and narrative preference. I firmly believe that someone with tastes different or different from mine will enjoy this work, and I hope this encourages everyone to read it with the belief that it will contain surprises.

Several interesting stories rolled into one. Each story has its own dark tone& theme. LGBQT, political issues , societal dilemma , self-exploration, family issues, sex, & drugs.

Its an average read that you can bring in short trips or camp. A kind of book that you don't need to rush reading it.


Thank you Independent Book Publishers & Netgalley for the ARC.


3.4/5 stars

The Preface was unfortunately by and large the most impactful piece in this collection, and it served as a great launch point for the work. Before I get into detailing my experience, I want to lead by saying I firmly believe there is a short story in this work for every queer reader, and its existence is an important anthology of history and an archive of stories least often told. The work, for me, failed to connect. Often the first sentences of each story failed to speak to me or motivate me to continue on.

Stories such as "Suicide Ecstasy" and "My Body: Design and Architecture" had glowing titles and started out on high notes, and they were the two that came the closest to resonating with me. I found that I was not personally invested in the POV chosen for each story. Often what hooked me was a study of a character that soon exited the narrative, along with my interest. "The New York Rage" is the story that resonated with me the most, with an excellent introduction setting the stage with an AIDS-gripped 90s decade. "Many cults, I well knew without saying, were desperate attempts to forge identities that could not be co-opted" is one such quote from that story that will stick with me for the foreseeable future.

Even if a story did not connect, I still moved on to the next one to bear witness to each page of this work, due to its historical importance. Any dislike on my part was purely stylistic and narrative preference. I fully believe someone with opposite or differing tastes than my own will thoroughly enjoy this work, and I hope this encourages all to read it in faith that there will be surprises held within.

This book gave me a look at a gritty underworld that I had never experienced before. It was eye-opening and well-written. Thank you for letting me check it out!