Numbers: Amazon.ca: John Rechy: Books

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

2.9 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL, July 13 2004

By

karah (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

... Sheer Genius ... Sacred Text ... A Masterpiece of Modern American Literature ... A Book That Changed My Life ... My Favorite Novel .... My Favorite John Rechy Novel...

All this describes how I feel about *Numbers* -- but nothing I could type in this space would come close to fully expressing my profound love for this phenomenal work and its talented author.

While I am sympathetic to some of the confusion and frustration expressed by reviewers who have found only darkness and despair in its pages, I am more horrified by the lack of attention paid to the themes of liberation that resound throughout this story. For me, *Numbers* will always be beautiful and timeless. A tale of wonder filled with ageless glamour and promise.

In case you're wondering if my perspective comes from sharing in a particular "generational" or "environmental" link with Rechy himself, no, it does not. I was far from being born at the time the novel was written, and I have never (and in fact never could have) experienced or participated in many of its rituals.

However, *Numbers* is about much more than a series of sexual acts. It is the quintessential American journey of identity and one that is gloriously and unabashedly capable of contextualizing the experience of self-discovery with a sense of human vitality and spirit that acknowledges sexuality. This achievement alone puts *Numbers* above not only its contemporary works, but on a level that continues to evade many writers today.

Read *Numbers* not as a description of "days gone by," or a depiction of specific things you cannot do or would find harmful, but as a story filled with hope, possibility, and the power of finding yourself. Should you follow Johnny Rio's example or replicate his experience? Not if you think that means committing sexual suicide. *Numbers* may delve into themes of darkness and death, but it needn't be seen as a necessarily "fatalistic" novel.

Why not be inspired by Johnny Rio's bravery instead of disgusted by his recklessness? Follow him not by mistaking exploration for degradation, but in seeking (as he does) to learn ways in which you are deceiving yourself or playing needless games with others. Anyone can do that if, like Johnny Rio, they can ultimately commit themselves to the act of personal discovery -- in whatever form it may take.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Gross and disgusting, Jun 18 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

When I came out to my family an older family friend of my mother, who is gay, told me to read this book because he said it was his favorite. I eventually got around to it and I couldn't finish it because it was full of people acting like pigs in their sex lives. I looked at the date and it is a very old book, written before AIDS - way before AIDS. No one seems to treat each other like humans. Everyon is just out to be a player. This left me with a weird feeling and I felt sorry for my mom's friend. Guess what? He never had a lover and he is now in his fifties. It isn't hard to figure out why if this was his favorite book.

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4.0 out of 5 stars an other good book John Rechy, Jun 28 2002

By

"skykid2" (washington dc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Numbers (Paperback)

a must have for the John Rechy fan. it may take others a little to get in to the book but man once you do get in to it you are hooked.

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