All-Boy Scrapbook Pages: The Growing Up Years (Memory Makers)

All-Boy Scrapbook Pages: The Growing Up Years (Memory Makers)
Average customer rating:

My eyes thank MM for the break from pink and flowers

All-Boy Scrapbook Pages: The Growing Up Years (Memory Makers)
Memory Makers Books
Manufacturer: Memory Makers Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Papercrafts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Scrapbooking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Its All About Baby (Memories in the Making)

ASIN: 1892127342

Book Description

From swapping fishing stories with Grandpa and trading baseball cards, to a first job and the first time he brings a girl home to dinner, the life of a son is full of marvel and mystery. With All Boy Scrapbook Pages, readers will be inspired to celebrate these events through scrapbook pages that capture the essence of boyhood.

Featuring 150 fresh page ideas, creative techniques, photo and memento checklists and themed album ideas, this gallery of ideas is the first book of its kind dedicated solely to helping scrapbookers record the life of a boy as he grows into a man.

Customer Reviews:

My eyes thank MM for the break from pink and flowers.......2004-07-02

Somebody has finally assembled boy-themed scrapbook pages into a book. As a mom of two boys I can't tell you how many times I've wished that books about scrapping for kids didn't get dominated by so much darn pink! Oh well, now I have no excuse not to start my kids' own Growing Up Years albums.

All Boy Scrapbook Pages is from the Memory Makers folks who think of just about everything. The book is divided into themed sections to display examples of:
Introduction/Basics of how to scrapbook
Attitude (portrait/moments of the "macho" stuff)
Softer Side
Boy's Life (enthusiasms like sports and hobbies etc.)
Boys will be Boys (various antics)
Page title ideas

I was impressed with the clean, modern look of the pages. I noticed that a lot of color blocking was used, also much thoughtful journaling. It was a welcome change of pace from the floral- and accent-laden pages that (IMHO) we women seem to gravitate more naturally toward. The color choices were sometimes on the bold graphic side, other times muted, but very elegant and sophisticated overall. I think this collection is a good representation of the range of subjects and looks that are possible when dealing with boys' pages.

Each page included detailed instructions on how to recreate it. I was left with few questions and a lot of inspiration. My only nitpick: the pages were light on boys under the age of two and boys in the later teen years. I suppose that's what those baby books are for, but what about teenagers? I for one do not consider teens to be "grown ups" quite yet!

Book Description

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there."

Summering with a fellow schoolboy on a great English estate, Leo, the hero of L. P. Hartley's finest novel, encounters a world of unimagined luxury. But when his friend's beautiful older sister enlists him as the unwitting messenger in her illicit love affair, the aftershocks will be felt for years. The inspiration for the brilliant Joseph Losey/Harold Pinter film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, The Go-Between is a masterpiece—a richly layered, spellbinding story about past and present, naiveté and knowledge, and the mysteries of the human heart. This volume includes, for the first time ever in North America, Hartley's own introduction to the novel.

Customer Reviews:

Quo Vadis?.......2005-11-29

This is a fine, well-penned book, dealing, ultimately, with loss of innocence and with human selfishness and self-deception. But I'm not so sure that all this twaddle about the horrors of the Twentieth Century and what many readers, and certainly Hartley himself, regarded as the motif for this work (to wit, "The Past is a different Country. They do things differently there.") will really do. It reminds me of Tolstoy's remark that small minded people think that the human condition changes with each generation.

Hartley was more than a bit of a blimp (Americans, read "reactionary") in his later years, and most of his later novels are deservedly forgotten because of their tendentious invectives against the modern world.---He frequently went out of his way to refer to the Working Classes as the "WCs" -another blimpish drollery which I shan't bother to explain to my Transatlantic cousins not familiar with "water closets."

I was raised in upper middle class England during the age of tellies and all sorts of talk about sex. Yet, I still feel that, if confronted, as Leo was, with a similar situation at his age, I would have responded, inwardly and outwardly, much the same: Found myself enchanted with the lovely Marian, awed by the viscount, etc This is why this book, unlike Hartley's other later works, has stood the test of time, it truly does touch on things universal, even if one of those things is nostalgia.

A superb examination of youthful naivete.......2005-10-06

Leo Colston is an exceptionally naive 12-year old when he goes to spend many weeks one early 20th century summer at a friend's English country home. Soon he becomes caught up in the comings and goings of two lovers with a world of class differences between them. Yet he still manages to retain his innocence, a situation author L. P. Hartley makes completely believable. Hartly pulls off the enviable trick of making Leo three-dimensional and fully fleshed-out despite his youth and his obtuseness. This ability to be unruffled by the passions around him is employed as a devastating counterpoint to the emotional implosion that rocks the family when the lovers are exposed.

My only real complaint with the book was the introduction of Leo as a grown man towards the end. It felt tacked on, and as though the book would have been better without it--as a sort of fever dream, beautifully written and left alone to stand on its own without the hard addition of reality and adulthood.

Deeply psychological novel.......2004-10-23

Reminiscent of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, THE GO-BETWEEN is a very similar coming of age tale. Two young school friends spend a summer together, and one of the two carries love notes between two young lovers. Ultimately this leads to a tragic suicide. Fans of psychological literary fiction, and such authors as Iris Murdoch, Ian McEwan, etc., will greatly enjoy this story.

Easy to see why this book is still a classic!.......2004-07-22

On the surface this is a story about a boy's unwitting involvement in facilitating a love affair at the turn of the century (1899 or so), told retrospectively by that boy as a man in his 60s.

On a deeper level one could say it's about our capacity for self-deception, or about the agonies of going from the intense and uncomplicated pleasures of childhood to the tortuous emotions of adulthood. But this makes the book sound detached and overly literary, which it's definitely not. It's involving and dramatic instead.

Hartley's commanding style makes this story extremely gripping; because it's told in retrospect the narrator is as articulate as an adult, yet the emotions expressed (and somehow the ones the reader feels) are the intense and confused ones of a child. Everything seems vivid and yet nothing is completely understandable, just as it is for us as children.

This lends the book a very bittersweet feeling and a magnificent aura of mystery. It's hard to imagine this book will ever go out of style.

Totally convincing.......2004-04-13

A tale of innocence betrayed, in which a school boy is used as go-between in an affair between the lady he worships and a farmer. A vivid picture of Edwardian England, in which the natural ebullience, complacency and optimism of the age give way to emotional defeat for all concerned. Also a good movie, with a screenplay by Harold Pinter.

Average customer rating:

Haruki Murakami's favorite book
Terrific story
Classic!!! Wonderful!
A simply love story for new generations.
A masterpiece

A Christmas Memory
Truman Capote
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375837892
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

A Christmas Memory is the classic memoir of Truman Capote's childhood in rural Alabama. Until he was ten years old, Capote lived with distant relatives. This book is an autobiographical story of those years and his frank and fond memories of one of his cousins, Miss Sook Faulk. The text is illustrated with full color illustrations that add greatly to the story without distracting from Capote's poignant prose.

Book Description

First published in 1956, this much sought-after autobiographical recollection of Truman Capote's rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic. We are proud to be reprinting this warm and delicately illustrated edition of A Christmas Memory--"a tiny gem of a holiday story" (School Library Journal, starred review). Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: "It's fruitcake weather!" Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls--one young and one old--and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.

Customer Reviews:

Haruki Murakami's favorite book.......2007-04-29

I read "Children on their Birthdays" twenty years ago. I found so many peculiar characters in the story, but they were all innocent. Also I felt a small dusty town in the south. Peculiar, innocent, and dustythey still impress on me. Three stories of literary calendartwo Christmas stories and one Thanksgiving in this book also take on peculiarity and innocence. Old cousins, dogs, and bullies they are all innocent. And so was Capote. However, I never found "dusty", but "breezy" in these stories. Capote is one of Haruki Murakami's favorite authors, and he translated some Capote's stories into Japanese. He translated them so good that we sometimes notice his original stories and his translation indistinguishable from one another.

Terrific story.......2007-01-10

I ordered this book after first reading the story in a collection of Capote stories from the library. I knew I wanted to own it and share it. I ordered one for myself and one for a friend who loves Christmas so she could enjoy it and share it with her friends and family. I haven't listened to the CD that comes with it, but that was a nice surprise. The only thing I didn't like about the book are the illustrations. After having read more about Capote and seeing photos of him and his aunt, the pictures just didn't seem to match. They seemed too charming to me, not conveying the reality. For someone without a preconcieved idea of what the characters should look like it won't matter and this book is actually geared towards children, whereas the original story was not. I enjoyed my initial reading the most being able to create the scenes in my mind with his beautiful descriptions and my own experience with elderly relatives. I plan to search for version with no illustrations.

Classic!!! Wonderful!.......2007-01-01

A Christmas Memory is short but it is so rich that you will not end feeling deprived. The writing is so beautiful. I wanted to just crawl into that story and be there with them.

We had this for a book group and it received a unanimous thumbs up. Only one other book has done that.

A simply love story for new generations........2006-12-10

It's a shame Janet Schulman's 10 Trick-or-Treaters arrived too late for more timely October Halloween mention: all we can say is, it's sure to maintain interest over the next year and beyond, offering a blend of zany, bright drawings by Linda Davick paired with a Halloween-theme counting book based on the adventures of ten little trick-or-treaters. Truman Capote's classic A CHRISTMAS MEMORY receives Beth Peck's warm holiday drawings, a cd narrated by Celeste Holm and returns the 50th anniversary of a classic holiday story to print. A Christmas ritual of baking fruitcakes symbolizes the story of Buddy and his eccentric, elderly cousin. It first appeared in 1956 as a memoir of Capote's childhood but makes a simply love story for new generations.

A masterpiece.......2006-08-04

I refer to the short story "A Christmas Memory". Simply put: one of the most moving, well written and memorable short stories ever written in the English language

Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood

Average customer rating:

A "Golden" book for sure!
Golden Throughout
HongKong revisited
Gweillo - Martin Booth
Perfect but pick up the English/HK edition "Gweilo" for a cover photo of the little boy

Golden Boy: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood
Martin Booth
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312426267
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Book Description

At seven years old, Martin Booth found himself with all of Hong Kong at his feet when his father was posted there in 1952. This is his memoir of that youth, a time when he had access to corners of the colony normally closed to a gweilo, a "pale fellow" like him. From the plink plonk man with his dancing monkey to Nagasaki Jim, and from a drunken child molester to the Queen of Kowloon (the crazed tramp who may have been a Romanov), Martin saw it all--but his memoir illustrates a deeper challenge in his warring parents. This is an intimate and powerful memory of a place and time now past.

Customer Reviews:

A "Golden" book for sure!.......2007-10-02

This book was recommended to me by a friend who said she was sad when it ended. Well, I am recommending it, and also sad when it ended. It is a delightful memoir of a blond 9 year old boy living in Hong Kong in the 1940ties. Blond means "luck" to the Chinese and everyone wanted to pat his head. He learned Chinese and was allowed into areas that no other "white" person could go.

Golden Throughout.......2007-01-14

I read this book because I love Hong Kong and its history. I was totally unprepared for Booth's parents and adored Joyce. How cannot you not like someone so lively, loving, accepting (except of Ken) and adventuresome?

While the family (Ken, Joyce and Martin) are exploring Algiers, Joyce buys some dates from a market stall, and Ken pitches a fit because they are probably unsanitary. He asks, 'How can you tell where they've been?' Joyce replies that they've been up a date tree. 'And they picked themselves I suppose?' 'No,' Joyce rplies, 'I expect they were plucked by a scrofulous urchin and thrown down to his tubercular aunt who wrapped them in her phlegm-stiffened handerchief.' I had a large mouthful of iced tea when I read that and spat the tea I didn't snort up my nose all over the page. I couldn't stop laughing. This was, I learned, pure Joyce.

'Golden Boy' is delightful, insightful and something more - a word or phrase that escapes these old brain cells. This is the first book by Booth I've read, and I'm eager to read more.

HongKong revisited.......2007-01-09

I had the pleasure of travelling to Asia in 2004 during Chinese New Year and have been to the places mentioned in this book. What a wonderful account of life in Honk Kong. Speaking with persons who have actually lived in this city and during that time I was assured that the descriptions are right down to the point. What a wonderful book.

Gweillo - Martin Booth.......2007-01-05

This book was originally published in the UK as 'Gweillo' (Foreign Devil) and is a delightful and colorful journey through the childhood of the author, Martin Booth who was a school friend of ours.
It is a must read for all who spent time in Hong Kong in the colonial days - it will bring back many fond memories.
It was written soon before Martin succumbed to brain cancer - he was deterined to finish it.
I love the book!

Perfect but pick up the English/HK edition "Gweilo" for a cover photo of the little boy.......2006-12-02

I wish I had ordered the earlier edition under the title Gweilo because this edition does not have a photo of the author as the young boy he was when he was in Hong Kong.

Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them: A Companion Journal: A Safe Haven to Record Your Heartaches, Hopes, and Prayers for Your Wayward Son

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Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them: A Companion Journal: A Safe Haven to Record Your Heartaches, Hopes, and Prayers for Your Wayward Son
Melody Carlson , Heather Kopp , and Linda Clare
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 1578564840
Release Date: 2002-02-19

Book Description

You can do something while waiting for your troubled son to come to his senses.

As the mother of a struggling son, you’ve suffered over his drug use or depression, underage drinking or premarital sex, truancy or violence, criminal behavior or rejection of your values. Naturally, you wish you could “make things right” for him, but it may seem as though there is little to do but watch and wait.

However, there are things we can do as mothers to help our boys–and ourselves. We can pray. We can learn from others who have lived this same nightmare. We can open our hearts to what God is teaching us.

Based on Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them, a book of reassurance for mothers, this comforting companion journal provides a place to record your thoughts, concerns, revelations, struggles and prayers: an outlet that will soothe your soul and help you to see your son, yourself, and your God in a new and hopeful light.

My First Years Journal for Boys (Anne Geddes)

Average customer rating:

adorable

My First Years Journal for Boys (Anne Geddes)
Anne Geddes
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0740756001

Customer Reviews:

adorable.......2007-01-26

The pictures in this memory book are adorable. I'll admit, I still haven't finished filling it out, but it was the best one I've found.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
Grand and Humble Review by Nick
Compelling, adventerous, and psychological
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Great book, great twist!

Grand & Humble
Brent Hartinger
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060567279
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Book Description

Harlan's a popular kid and Manny's a geek.

But something strange is happening to both of them. Harlan is slowly losing his grip because he's plagued by panic attacks he can't control. And Manny has started having nerve–racking nightmares that leave him exhausted and terrified.

In this complex and original novel, popular author Brent Hartinger takes us on an intense psychological journey as Harlan and Manny struggle with a fear they can't name. It's a journey that eventually leads downtown, where a secret lies at the intersection of Grand and Humble.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2006-07-26

I've never read anything like this book (and that's a good thing). To say any more would be a bad thing. Just read it.

Grand and Humble Review by Nick.......2006-06-15

Grand and Humble was awesome! It was a one of a kind book, and I have never read anything like it. I was always wanting to read more and find out what would happen next. Grand and Humble is about two boys, Manny and Harlan, that each live totally different life styles. Manny is a geek, with not a lot of money, and lives in a small house. Harlan on the other hand, is son of the senator, has more money than he knows what to do with, lives in a huge house, he is on the swim team, and on top of that he is the school president.
Now you're probably wondering how two totally different guys such as Harlan and Manny have anything to do with each other. Well, it is their senior year of high school and everything seems to be going great for both of them, until they start getting visions of them-selves getting hurt and even their deaths. After a few months the visions started getting out of control, and they don't know how much more they can take. What will happen when they find out the meaning of these visions?

Compelling, adventerous, and psychological.......2006-05-13

This book is about two boys, Harlan and Manny. Harlan is having terrifying premonitions that leave him questioning them. Manny is having nightmares that he thinks are concerning his past. Little do the boys know that their problems have to do with their past and present lives. It turns out they know less about their past than they thought.

I thought this book was an excellent book! It was compelling, adventerous, and psychological - all in one book. I was not able to put it down. I also hope that their is an equally thrilling sequel. Everybody thought I was crazy walking around while trying to read that book because it was such a page turner.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
[...]
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-04-26

Two boys, who on the outside couldn't be more different. Harlan Chesterton is good looking, popular, the rich son of a prominent Senator. He's an ace on the school swim team, he's dating the beautiful Amber, his best friend, Ricky, has street cred. If it weren't for the debilitating panic attacks, along with the flashes of tragic premonition that Harlan experiences, his life would be perfect. After all, that's what his mother is aiming for--running the lives of her husband and son until every detail is absolutely perfect.

Manny Tucker, on the other hand, is a geek. A theater geek, to be exact. Never one to attract attention, Manny prefers working behind the scenes with the lighting, bringing the stars of the stage into perfect, shining glory. He's not popular, he's often picked on by the other kids in school, and his good friend, Elsa, is deaf. He likes working on the computer, coming up with movies to film with Elsa, and living a simple life with his single-father dad. Except lately he's been having vivid nightmares that seem to portend a tragic ending.

How is it that two boys, so far removed on both a social and financial level, should share the same feelings of dread and uncertainty that Harlan and Manny do? And how is the intersection of Grand and Humble, a scene which both see in their unwanted "visions" of either the past or future, involved?

GRAND & HUMBLE is an engaging mystery that delves into the paranormal. The result is a thriller with twists and turns and a surprise ending that will leave even the best of detectives guessing until the final page. Not to be missed by all lovers of a good, thought-provoking "what if" story, GRAND & HUMBLE is sure to please!

Great book, great twist!.......2006-04-09

I just finished Grand and Humble.

I've enjoyed Hartinger's other books, and this one still had everything that I liked about his other 3. All of the characters are well thought out and very distinct. Even the minor characters that we don't spend much time with still have very strong personality and presence.

The characters help move the plot along effortlessly, and the closer you get to the ending, the faster you want to read so you can figure out exactly what is going on. You'll never guess how it ends!

Hartinger does a really good job of taking regular every day teen issues and putting a unique spin on them.

An American Journey: Over 30 Years on the Road to Memories, Music & Legend

Average customer rating:

What A Great Book
A wonderful look at the Oak Ridge Boys.
An American Journey

An American Journey: Over 30 Years on the Road to Memories, Music & Legend
Joseph S. Bonsall
Manufacturer: New Leaf Press (AR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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G.I. Joe& Lillie: Remembering a Life of Love Andloyalty
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The Journey

ASIN: 0892216018

Book Description

"How do you manage to keep on going after all of these years?"
"Bottom line . . . We love what we do."

Follow the incredible long-lasting career of the Oak Ridge Boys, the singing legend that started as the Georgia Clodhoppers, the only outside group ever allowed to entertain within the WWII secret government installation at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Their history is varied and amusing, from the lean years of the early 70s (including a stint at the Nugget Hotel in Vegas, with the opening act of two elephants named "Bertha" and "Teena") to the glory days of the early 80s (including the five-million-record-selling "Elvira," Grammy awards, and appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson) and on to special private concerts for the president and his family.

The versatile Oak Ridge Boys has been called "a Gospel quartet singing country music with a rock and roll attitude" and is as American as baseball or apple pie. The group still sings and tours, pleasing their longtime fans, and making many new fans every day.

• Read the inside story of a legendary quartet, told by 30+ year member, Joe Bonsall
• Go behind the scenes and learn about life backstage
• Get the scoop on the ups and downs, the disappointments and the successes of one of the greatest gospel and country acts of all time
• Meet the men behind the voices
• Includes many, many photos

Customer Reviews:

What A Great Book.......2007-03-24

This book is a must have for fans of the Oak Ridge Boys. It is well written by Joe Bonsall and has many very interesting articles about the group and its history.

A wonderful look at the Oak Ridge Boys........2006-12-21

I bought this book last year after one of the Oak Ridge Boys concerts and I'm very happy I did. Joe Bonsall has written a great book, humorous yet moving. It explains how he came to be part of the Oak Ridge Boys and their rise to success. It is chock full of pictures and Joe has penned some witty captions as well. The early days in gospel were very informative; I, for one, had not realized how the group could be a great success in gospel music and still just a step away from starving. The only item the book does not discuss is the discord and subsequent breakup with William Lee Golden for a few years. Given the fact that the quartet is back together again with seemingly no problems now, that's probably wise. I should mention that Mr. Bonsall does not gloss over the fact that Golden was gone and there's a nice tribute to Steve Sanders as well. I enjoyed the insiders look at their concerts plus seeing how they cope with life on the road. Joe Bonsall has written quite a bit about the group and it is all very informative. If you enjoy the Oak Ridge Boys, you'll definitely love this book.

An American Journey.......2006-02-25

If you are an Oak Ridge Boys Fan like I am,you will love this book.

What My Little Boy Is Made Of: A Memory Book

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What My Little Boy Is Made Of: A Memory Book

Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0736914463

Book Description

In the bestselling What Little Boys Are Made Of (more than 280,000 copies sold) Jim Daly’s Americana artwork rejoiced in little boys so rugged and sweet. Now Daly’s poignant paintings and a gathering of tender quotes help parents celebrate their boy’s wondrous life adventures.

This memory book provides engaging questions and lots of room for a parent to record stories of their own son’s journey. The mountains he climbs, the forts he builds, the prayers he whispers at bedtime—these are the moments mothers dream of and grandmothers cherish.

More personal than a photo album, this treasury of the unfolding dreams, memories, and milestones of a very special little boy’s childhood will be cherished forever

Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa (Writing in Latinidad)

Average customer rating:

Engaging: You Will Finish This Gripping Memoir Quicker than You Received It
Memoir travels maze of sex, family and self-acceptance

Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa (Writing in Latinidad)
Rigoberto Gonzalez
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0299219003

Book Description

Heartbreaking, poetic, and intensely personal, Butterfly Boy is a unique coming out and coming-of-age story of a first-generation Chicano who trades one life for another, only to discover that history and memory are not exchangeable or forgettable.

Growing up among poor migrant Mexican farmworkers, Rigoberto González also faces the pressure of coming-of-age as a gay man in a culture that prizes machismo. Losing his mother when he is twelve, González must then confront his father’s abandonment and an abiding sense of cultural estrangement, both from his adopted home in the United States and from a Mexican birthright. His only sense of connection gets forged in a violent relationship with an older man. By finding his calling as a writer, and by revisiting the relationship with his father during a trip to Mexico, González finally claims his identity at the intersection of race, class, and sexuality. The result is a leap of faith that every reader who ever felt like an outsider will immediately recognize.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging: You Will Finish This Gripping Memoir Quicker than You Received It.......2006-09-04

Years ago Rigoberto Gonzalez did a reading at the University of California, Riverside, his alma mater and the approximate locale where he met the "older lover" who abused him. Someone in the audience asked him why he felt he could write a memoir so young? Rigoberto, then in his early thirties, answered, "Because I write about another time that is no longer my life."

BUTTERFLY BOY: MEMORIES OF A CHICANO MARIPOSA speaks to us about cruelties we do not want to confront: physical and sexual abuse among gay men, child sexual abuse, continuing cycles of abuse, poverty among immigrant farmworkers, family abuse linked to socioeconomic conditions, and inequality in secondary and higher education. These are some of the issues most of us have lived, our "dirty little secrets," but very little of us admit to. I praise Rigoberto Gonzalez for his courage to bring this out to light.

Without a doubt, BUTTERFLY BOY is an example of taking risks with one's writing. Each scene is more heart-breaking than the last, and addictive. Addictive not in the sadistic sense, but because Gonzalez weaves a narrative that pulls you in, and its unsentimentality and your empathy that won't let you go. His prose is poetic and never dramatic. A read you won't be able to put down.

This book will become a classic in Chicano/a and ethnic literature. Worth the buy at any price.

Nothing can be more true than when Gonzalez said that he writes about a life no longer lived. He is an accomplished, award-winning writer and a leading figure in Chicano letters, movers and shakers. He is currently a professor in creative wrting at Queens College in New York. It's hard to believe he went through all the events he writes about, plus more I can't imagine, and still become as successful as he is now. Considering his up-bringing and where he's arrived, I hope this book falls into the hands of those who face similar adversities and have shrinking hope.

Memoir travels maze of sex, family and self-acceptance.......2006-08-25

What makes a writer?

This seemingly simple question can elicit many complex answers and even more questions. Case in point: Rigoberto González's poetic and heartbreaking memoir, "Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa" (The University of Wisconsin Press, $24.95 hardcover).

González is an award-winning author of poetry, fiction and children's books. He is also a book critic contributing regularly to the El Paso Times.

How did González, the son of migrant farmworkers whose first language was Spanish, become González the writer? Answers begin to emerge from his painful assertion of himself as a gay man in a culture steeped in machismo.

González tells of his journey into adulthood and a life of literature in a nonlinear fashion, moving back and forth from childhood to adulthood, Mexico to the United States, self-loathing to self-revelatory empowerment.

The book begins in Riverside, Calif., in 1990. González, as a college student at the Riverside campus of the University of California, has fallen in love with an older man who, as symbolized by painful yet beautiful "butterfly" marks he places upon González, brings both tenderness and brutality to the relationship. The unnamed lover cheats on González and doesn't hesitate to beat him up to establish his superiority over his young man. At times, González believes he deserves such brutality.

Other times, he is grateful to have escaped the oppressiveness of his family and its legacy of dropping out of high school to work in the fields. The escape comes in the form of literature. A sometimes-callous, sometimes-tender teacher named Dolly lends the young González a poetry book and works with him to subjugate his accent. And the fire is lit: "I became a closet reader at first, taking my book with me to the back of the landlord's house or into my parents' room, where I would mouth the syllables softly, creating my own muted music."

González then suffers the death of his mother when he is only 12. Compounding this loss, he is shipped off to live with his tyrannical grandfather. His own father -- who abuses alcohol and carouses with women --eventually starts another family, further alienating González. Again, books prove to be González's salvation, eventually leading to his surreptitious and successful application to college.

González remains closeted in both his sexuality and intellect, realizing that neither facet of his identity would be understood or appreciated by his family.

In the midst of scenes from his college life in Riverside and his adolescent exploration of sex and literature, González recounts a long and agonizing bus trip with his father. He leaves Riverside and travels to Indio, where his father lives, so they can begin their journey "into México, into the state of Michoacán, into the town of Zacapu, where my father was born, where my mother was raised, and where I grew up." This passage home takes on a special aura because González will turn 20 while there. Throughout the trip, González longs for his lover while seething with an almost uncontrollable anger toward his father. Throughout, he wonders if this trip was a mistake or a necessary part of becoming an adult.

What makes a writer? Obviously, talent is a necessary ingredient. And in the case of González, add to the mix hard work and a burning desire to be heard. Ultimately, it is a mysterious alchemy.

In any case, "Butterfly Boy" is a potent and poetic coming-of-age story about one man's acceptance of himself. There's no mystery in that.

[This review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]

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