Interesting Book

[Guest Tomcal_]

On my last trip to Rio I read "Young Man from the Provinces" A gay life before Stonewall, by Alan Helms, I found it facinating reading and recommend it! Alan Helms is currently a professor of Literature at the University of Massachusetts, but in the late 50's and 60's was one of the top models in NYC and lived the jet set life style with many celeberties which he details in his book. It is not a gossip tale, but rather a detailed look at a gay man from a dysfunctional family who ends up being a finalist for a Rhodes scholorship,but gets turned down because they suspect he might me gay!(this is around 1959)he goes in the the wealthy/High society/gay scene of NYC of the late 50's and 60's)He then completes his Ph.d while on drugs and many failed relationships, and ends up a professor with his life in some resemblence to normal. I hope others will find this book as intersting as I did. My only critique is that other than the picture on the cover, which I assume is Alan Helms when he was young, but there is no photo credit, there are no pictures in the book. When he mentions varous models/actors he was dating, you would like to see some of them.

[Mikeyz7]

Thanks Tomcal. Sounds like it would be an interesting read. But what I can't understand is -- given your escapades in Rio, as detailed so elequently elsewhere, how do you find the time to read a book in Rio?, and Why? ;-)

[Guest Tomcal_]

LOL...remember, it's a 14 hour flight from L.A. to RIO! On the way there I am too excited to sleep so I read, on the way back I am so exhausted, the only thing I can do is sleep.

[+ Charlie]

I had forgot about this book until your post. I, too, thought it was very enjoyable when I read it about eight years ago, since it reminded me of various people I knew (myself included).