I read this book when it first came out. I met and spoke with Mr. Harris briefly when he gave a lecture at my university in 1997. I am glad he wrote this book because he is telling the world what they should know about the invisible lives of black men and the women that they hurt. I think the author's writing style is extremely simplistic but I felt it was decent for a first novel. This book really made an impression on me because it was really my first look at how difficult life can be for a gay black man. One thing that I did not like about it was how Mr. Harris gave the impression through his depiction of Ray that most black men have these feelings and struggle with them. He seemed to give the impression that any man could be turned on to homosexuality if he found a man who was persistent enough which I don't believe at all. I never read anymore of Mr. Harris's books for that reason. However I do applaud his efforts to expose the lies carried on by men in our community.

In his first book Invisible Life, the author E. Lynn Harris introduced me to a world which before this was truly invisible and unknown to me. The chronicle of Raymond over a number of years described not only the life of a black man but one who was bisexual as well. Meeting Raymond Daly first as a young Southern college student deeply involved in a heterosexual relationship with his college sweetheart, to the days of his affair with a gay black man and then a black actress, to an acquiantance dying of AIDS, this book is especially memorable and poignant. It isn't any wonder then, that by the end of the book Ray is beset with uncertainties as to his sexuality. Pressure from his family not to even think of himself as a homosexual, hiding his bisexuality from the stodgy law firm he works for and then meeting a beautiful black actress who falls in love with him, by the books end, Ray must finally decide to consider the direction of his realtionships and his sexual life.

I found this book to be an easy read. Perhaps a bit too easy. It only took me les than a day to finish the book and at times I found the writing was like a very long coversation, instead of a novel. Despite this The characters were finely drwan and I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series to see the final decisions Ray makes regarding his life.

A friend gave me Invisible Life to read on a road trip. I am the type of person where as if something doesn't grab my attention right away, it's a problem. After picking up the book at several different times, I almost decided not to continue it. While bored out of my mind, I picked it up and just read and read and read, until the book was finished. What took several weeks to start, only took what seemed like moments to finish. I can appreciate a new author. It's not easy putting all the thoughts that linger in your mind for so long into a masterpiece on the first try. Raymond Tyler's college years vividly reminded me of my own. I stopped for a moment to think of how many black male athletes at my school were possibly gay. This opened up a new frame of thought for me. I have known several women athletes who were bi-sexual, but never had I phantomed the notion of black male athletes being gay. For a moment, I wondered how Harris would describe two men making love tastefully, and without intimidating passive minds. At any rate, he gave the book a dramatic twist that kept me constantly reading trying to figure out what would happen next. I couldn't wait to get the the next novel.

I purchased this book in order to plan a 6 week trip to New Mexico and Arizona. If you want a book that will clearly and intelligently tell you about everything in these two states, this is a good option. Unfortunately, this book isn't very helpful in prioritizing sites. For example, I'm sure every single indian pueblo is listed, but it's difficult to tell which ones are worth allocating time to. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent book, but, if this is your first visit to the area, you will need a more opinionated book to help you sift though the many, many sightseeing options.

I had earlier editions of this book and just loved them. We found the best places to stay, motels and bed and breakfasts that are really special, at a great price. I used this book for planning many trips to the Southwest, for myself and friends, and it was always a great experience. It is the best reference books on places to eat and to stay, phone numbers of attractions etc. You can find every place in the Southwest. However, I would still use another travel guide for more detailed information about e.g. national parks and monuments or specific hiking tips.

Finally, a complete, comphrensive FIELD guide to the birds of India! Gone are the days of hauling 2 or 3 hardcover bird books to the subcontinent just to be able to identify relatively common species. The drawings in this book are excellent, the descriptions very detailed, and the range maps very helpful. My two criticisms are that birders familiar with the common names in Salim Ali's "The Book of Indian Birds" will be confused with the revised nomenclature in this guide (based on the Inskipp's Indian Checklist); some changes are relatively minor, while others are so dramatically different (and frankly puzzling) that cross-referencing is a chore. The second involves the seperation of many of the range maps from the plates and descriptions, sometimes by many pages. This was due to the large number of species featured on some plates- there just wasn't enough room for the maps also. A better strategy might have been to put them all in the back of the book. But the benefits of this book far outweigh the shortcomings- my next trip to India promises to be more rewarding and productive bird-wise (as well as easier on my back)due to this excellent and overdue field guide.

If your idea of a vacation in Mexico is flying to Cancun and only leaving the Hotel Zone for hours of busrides to and from Mayan Ruins, you don't need a guide.

But if you have any idea what a wonderful spot on earth the Yucatan is, you need to break out from the Hotels and explore. This book and a really good map is just about all you need.

The level of information was perfect. Overviews of different parts of the peninsula, descriptions of major Mayan sites, and enough detail about places to eat and places to stay that you can really find your way around.

Fresh, usable, and very helpful. Take it with you, rent a car, and just GO!

This is a nice little book that doesn't try to be all things to the California Wine Country Visitor. It has some really fine touches:

The three-day Weekend itinerary is one that works for a first time visitor, and while I would change few stops, I have been touring here since 1968!

The little inserts on many pages are very up-to-date (the new wine cruises up the Sacarmanto River) and the informative ones (like the one about Oakville Grocery and the historical tid-bit on page 86) give the reader something to look forward to on every turn of a page.

The black & white maps could have used a little more detail (have to say something needs improvement) but the color AAA ones are a nice, convenient touch.

All-in-all there may be better tour books around, but not as concise, well written, informative, and available for only $14.

Going to the California Wine Country? Buy this book!!! You will enjoy your trip much, much more with it along.

an exciting book, students will learn about pavlovian and thorndlike conditioning to the deepest terms

The architecture of Santa Fe is amazing. We wandered the back streets just enjoying the incredible forms it took. This book gave us the history of Santa Fe architecture, information about particular buildings, and made us feel like more than mere looky-loo tourists. Now, after the trip, I look at it to relive the beautiful sights! We burned out on shopping the first day and enjoying architecture provided us with exercise and entertainment! I definitely recommend the book -- I would have given it 5 stars, if it had had color photos!

Richard Harris has the uncanny ability to tell his readers the important facts, allude to the interesting titbits and list the necessary information that travelers need, all while knowing what to discard as irrelevant - an excellent writer's skill seldom mastered by most travel guide writers. You can't go wrong with his guide to Guatemala. His chapter on the ancient Capital of Central America, Antigua, is one of the best found today in any guide book. He not only illuminates the history of this important Spanish colonial town (an UNESCO world heritage site and a must see) he also lets you know the current contemporary situation of Antiqua. While I was in Guatemala (1/1999) I checked out his recommendations of lodging, restaurant, nightlife and they are "right on the money". He has an excellent recommended reading section and he is strong in his editorial support of eco-tourism. However, there are some obvious weaknesses : the maps are few and crude, and the index is entirely anemic. Recommend.

Richard Harris' book is a tremendous account of the history of blacks in the small, industrial city of Chester in southeastern Pennsylvania. He covers the presence of the first Negroes in Chester all the way through slavery times, the Civil Rights movement, and into the post-industrial decline of the city. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X spent time in Chester helping to shape the minds and morale of the downtrodden black people? The Harris book covers some of the details of personalities such as these two, including many prominent female activists and actually helps to strengthen the pride of the African Americans who were repressed and poorly educated for hundreds of years. Chester is the oldest city in Pennsylvania and for many years because of its geographic location represented freedom from slavery for those fortunate enough to cross the border of Delaware into Pennsylvania. The book represents the only written account of the remarkable struggle for freedom of the black people in Chester. It also gives the reader a clear picture of the prejudices that people have faced in their efforts to partake in the so-called American dream within a Northern industrialized city. It touches on the decline of the industrial-based society and the ramifications of the loss of jobs and the mis-education of so many young people who were forced to accept sub-par levels of education in recently desegregated schools. Given the fact that the late Richard Harris used newspaper reports, formal and informal interviews to compile the information presented, there are a few discrepancies in terms of historical fact. Despite the few fallacies, it is my opinion that the book remains a steadfast account of the struggle of black folk in the city. It is a must-read book for those who attempt to understand the plight of cities and their inhabitants who faced racism and political corruption in the apartheid America that has only recently begun to be dismantled. However, as blacks begin to move into political and economic positions of power in the city, the cruel reality remains that the power base that existed during the years of a European-American majority population has crumbled due to white flight and systematic racism in the politically polarized Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Today, as Harris' book predicted, the predominantly black city of Chester is characterized by poverty, drug addiction, hopelessness, crime, low academic achievement and political impotence. Reading Richard Harris' book is crucial to understanding how contemporary Chester came to be. It is sometimes a sad tale of yesteryears as we consider the fact the present-day Chester is somewhat like a foster child who has rich and absent suburban parents.

In view of the recent postings on this book, including by the author himself, I wanted to update some commentary I made in early 1998 on this site. I predicted that fundamentalists would not respond to this book, and the lengthy commentary by a person with that viewpoint proved me wrong. I didn't blame Harris for reacting vituperatively, although the anti-gay commentary seemed more directed to the visibility of gay people in American culture than to the book itself. Books like Harris's are needed by movements as correctives to the rah-rah propaganda that balances the still largely negative attitudes towards homosexuality and homosexuals. I disagreed with some of his analysis, but he moved certain aspects of his subjects forward and so the book was worth reading. What the fundamentalist who now recommends the book as a negative portrayal of gay life misses is that Harris is offering a critique of American life, using gay men as his study example. Now the people who read Allan Bloom selectively are doing the same thing with Harris, justifying their own animus against what they oppose with the words of their enemy. Insofar as I failed to see that this would occur, I owe an apology to Harris which I am publicly making here.

I had spotted Daniel Harris' "The Rise and Fall of Gay Culture" at a local bookstore and picked it up out of curiousity. I read it this summer when I had the chance. This semester at university, my sociology professor told us to choose a book about a subculture and discuss it, and I chose this book.

I think Harris is too bitter in his analysis of our current gay status. Sure, pride parades can be pathetic spectacles of leathermen, babies with rainbow patches, dogs with AIDSWalk shirts. But however much this culture has assimilitated, I doubt we should complain. To be able to confront issues concerning sexuality in all aspects of life is something that past generations of gays, specifically the gay men that Harris discusses, were not able to do. I appreciate his detailed analysis of certain aspects of gay male culture, such as the ads, bear culture, the leather movement--but I was disturbed by his characterization of AIDS as kitschified, and disagreed with many of his points. I think it's important to read this book critically, not openly. Taking what Harris says as verbatim would cause for much bitterness and, methinks, self-hatred. We don't need more of that, we have Jerry Falwell. There were certain things that Harris didn't cover which I wish he had, such as the rainbow as a symbol, the role of FTM transpersons, where Stonewall really fits, etcetera. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in studying gay male culture from a subjective, critical perspective.

Author Daniel Harris's book of critical essays is breath of fresh air for gay scholars in the field of gay studies. Harris looks critically at several different areas of gay culture: gay males and "diva" worship, gay romance in the personal ads, how gay men helped the underwear revolution, the AIDS "crisis", leathermen, gay pornography in both film and literature, gay magazines, drag and gay propaganda. Whiles Harris's book is now six years old, it is for me, relevant and fresh as he argues about the dangers in assimilation into heterosexual, mainstream culture. I wished he would have pointed out more clearly how gay men can stop and fight against assimilation through building our culture which I think for any scholar is a very blurry answer. Be prepared, this book generated quite a bit of debate in a book group that I belong to in Chicago and I feel that it gets similar reactions in any part of gay community when it is read. For me, though I wished more gay men would read such a fine work as this. If anything can be said for this work, it does generate thought and critical discussion which I think more and more people do not want to engage in, because it is so much easier not to. Plus society doesn't reinforce this; so much as it does the idea of the "status quo."