Just finished reading this great great book of which I truly wished the author had taken it further and delved into waters unknown by including along with the story the true behind the scenes machinations of the book and all that went with it. This book is excellent and beautifully produced as well. A must must have for all librarys and a huge clue to black history. (I never rage about a book, but this one was GOOD!)

It is not very often that you discover a fascinating and exciting book by accident, totally unaware it even existed, and it enters your life like a cool breeze after a hot and humid summer day. You're thrilled, you're excited, and you find you can't tear yourself away from it until you're finished. This is the situation I found myself in right from page 1. Novelist Neihart has given us an entertaining story based on real events and people, but has taken liberty with some of the scenes and action in recreating these historical events for us.

It's the real life story of A'Lelia Walker, the daughter of Madame C.J. Walker who became a multimillionaire by selling personal-care products to African American women. The story is based on the life of A'Lelia, how she used her inheritance after her mother died, and the flamboyant characters she surrounded herself with. She threw elaborate, celebrity-filled parties in her Westchester mansion and 136th Street apartment. The story centers on the 1930 lavish drag ball, where female impersonators and the underground gay culture existed in all its splendor and sexuality. We are introduced to such figures as; Langston Hughes, the poetic genius, Nancy Cunard, the shipping heiress, Richard Nugent, Harold Jackman, and the most tragic figure of the drag ball, sexual addict Jennie June. There is more revealed about this fascinating character than any other in this story, including A'Lelia's. That Jennie June is a major part of the story is fitting as she is the most compelling and interesting of all the people portrayed.

Neihart has created a magnificent view of the Harlem Renaissance and written it in a way that is entertaining, light, and easy to read. It was a rough & sometimes tragic time to being living, but as this story shows it was also an exciting time of parties, fun, and lavish entertainment. Never dull, never boring, it's a piece of history that will enlighten and educate you.

Joe Hanssen

I read "Hey Joe" while I was on vacation and it is the perfect book for that- vacationing, hanging around. The novel chronicles sixteen year old Joe on one night when something really important happens- I won't give it away. The novel also introduces a counterplot with a jury verdict, a female sexual predetor, Joe's neighbor who hasn't come to terms with certain items, and his mother.
"Hey Joe" takes its readers in the colorful, crazy, and at times implausible world of this New Orleans teen. The characters are fun, have a sense of reality, the dialouge is realistic, and the story moves well. I enjoyed the fact that Joe was not hung up about his sexuality, but rather accepted it. Niehart also didn't portray Joe as a flamer or any of the characters as caricatures, which is often a mistake in first novels. The writing as languid, easy to understand, and enjoyable- all things a vacation book should be.
I must say that the novel ends on a confusing note. I have a hard time beleiving that such a comfortable guy would end with such jargon. And I couldv'e done without the counterplot about the trial and jury. That sounded a bit outlandish. The book wasn't meant to change the face of the world and how people view gay teens ... but was meant to be enjoyable, dream like and even a bit romantic- in it's old notions of course. But don't take it for anything else. Niehart has a good stlye. I just hope to see it develop in the future.

"Hey, Joe" takes you inside the head of a young teen just coming to grips with his sexuality. In a very believable way, we watch as Joe tries to balance his emerging sexuality with the push and pull of all the other everyday problems that surround him. Ben Neihart has coupled his own insights into this coming-of-age story with an implausible, but entertaining suspense story involving murder, betrayal and, of course, love. As a first novel, "Hey, Joe" shows great promise. Neihart has a strong voice, a clear style and an ability to create likable characters. His one weakness, his contrived subplot, is offset by his unwillingness to take the safe wrap-it-up ending that until the final page seems all too likely. For those drawn to coming-of-age novels, good character development and a fun fast read, "Hey, Joe" is a good bet

"Hey, Joe" is the novel I reread the most this year. The characters are funky and the lines they speak are so palpable that they jump off the page. I found myself reading lines out loud to my friends. New Orleans, where the novel is set, looks and smells and feels exactly as I remember it. Joe, the main character, is the most heartbreakingly open-hearted character of the year. He's a sixteen year old kid who just happens to be gay and who gets caught up in a wicked conspiracy. The fresh supporting cast recur at just the right frequency, as in the best novels; just when you've forgotten about one great character, he or she returns. There's plenty of sex, plenty of great food and booze and dancing. Gentle breezes. Wet kisses. All of the best things in life

Neihart has spun an interesting tale where the telling takes precedence over the story. Initially, the somewhat loathsome characters are mildly intriguing. Soon we are bored with them just in time for the story to blow up into a mystery of sorts. Unfortunately, it unfolds in a long, confusing sequence that ultimately does not pay off. The book seemed more like a personal experiment in writing. Recommended for writing students only.

"Burning Girl" by Neihart is a wonderful story about a boy who gets caught in a vicious scandal, but he must go further in to get out. Neihart explores sexuality, deceit and the power of love. The characters in the book seem so real and I feel like I know them. Neihart did a wonderful job, and for this he will be put on the map.

In equal parts I love and hate this book. I can't quite tell how serious the author is. Some parts, I swear, are so purple and breathless, but other, blacker, sadder parts caught me off guard, made me cry. The three main characters are shallow, Dawson Leery-like "kids" who don't talk at all like kids, but then again Peanuts never talked like real kids either.The murder mystery at the center reveals a strong, harsh, judgemental moral code. The settings are as gorgeously described as anything in Myst. I really tried to guess whodunnit and I failed.The sex scenes, boy-boy and boy-girl, were sort of overdone, yet I still was aroused. The violence in some scenes made me queasy and in other parts sort of made me laugh. I wished there had been more sex scenes with Jewel music because I really get crazy when I hear "Who Will Save Your Soul" while I'm in bed with my boyfriend.