Letters to Montgomery Clift (Working Classics)

Letters to Montgomery Clift (Working Classics)
Average customer rating:

Moving and touching, humorous exploration of young gay life

The Debut

A good debut!

A strong first novel about the bond between mother and son

Award winner

Letters to Montgomery Clift (Working Classics)
Noel Alumit
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Gay | Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1555838154

Book Description

This haunting and compelling novel of a Filipino boy sent to America by his parents to escape the brutal Marcos regime is a story of hope set against a backdrop of abuse and alienation. Following the Filipino tradition of writing letters to the ghosts of ancestors, Bong Bong Luwad begins to write letters to the ghost of Montgomery Clift, at first asking to be reunited with his family, but as he undergoes the pains of adolescence, sexual discovery, and mental illness, the letters form a journal of self-discovery.

Noel Alumit is also the author of two one-man shows, The Rice Room which was voted one of the best solo shows of the year by The San Francisco Bay Guardian, and 2002's Master of the (Miss) Universe, named by the Los Angeles Times as a Theater Best Bet. He lives in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews:

Moving and touching, humorous exploration of young gay life.......2006-08-03

This is a wonderful piece of early essay writing, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone (dare I say it!)

The Debut.......2004-07-31

What an impressive debut book. "Letters to Montgomery Clift" is moving, compelling, and a bit funny. Like others who have reviewed the book, I also was not able to put down the book once I started reading it. I was completely engulfed in the main character's world--feeling his challenges, hopes, anger and awakenings.

If you get a chance, see Noel Alumit performances--the one I saw was brilliant!

A good debut!.......2004-05-21

A friend of mine recently gave me this book. The story sounded interesting and I decided to crack it open and give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel written by author Noel Alumit. It begins with Bong Bong, a young Filipino boy who is sent away from his home by his mother during the vicious Marcos regime. She promises her son that one day she and his father will join him as he is sent away to live with his Aunt Yuna in California. Once there, life for the young man becomes worse, as we learn that Yuna is an alcoholic, who resents taking care of the young boy and begins verbally and physically abusing him. As a source of comfort, the young boy begins to write to handsome Hollywood 50's idol, Montgomery Clift. Clift becomes his guardian angel and a confidant. Over time, however, the letters lead way to mental illness as the young man tries to deal with his blossoming sexual orientation and the fact that he may never see his parents again. He begins a path of self abuse and hurting those that care for him. Although the ending is a little bit too convienent, the story is good overall and worth reading. I recommend it.

A strong first novel about the bond between mother and son.......2004-01-21

In the Philippines during 1976, a very young Bong Bong Luwad is put safely on a plane to America by his mother Cessy to stay with her sister Yuna. She promises to come to the US as soon as she found his father.

Living with Auntie Yuna is like a hell on earth for Bong, and all the while he holds on to hope of reuniting with his mother. It's during his stay with Yuna that he first discovers Montgomery Clift, in a film titled "The Search." Leaving a permanent impression on Bong, he writes letters to Monty, even though he knows that he's dead, asking for his guidance. These letters help him through the many tough patches to come in to his life: life with of Yuna, being thrown into the foster care system, discovering a dark secret about his foster family, learning about the fate of his family, and dealing with his own sexualtiy.

This is an engrossing story of separation, loss, love and hope, and told from a view that isn't heard to often in literature: a Filipino perspective view of the world and of sexuality. Bong Bong is a strong character, not only in dealing with his own coming out, but with the realization of what happened to his family. He is likable and you want him to succeed. At the heart of the story, though, is the bond between mother and son; that's what drives Bong to suffer through the ups and downs, hoping that in the end everything will be okay, that he will be with his mother again.

A strong first novel.

Award winner.......2003-10-12

Winner of the Stonewall Award for Literature from the American Library Association. I read this title on the basis of the award that it won and it did not disappoint. Alumit has written a story of a Filipino boy placed with his aunt in the USA after his parents are beaten and in hiding from government agents in the Philippines. Bong Bong (or Bob as he becomes known) struggles with loss, disappearance, and adjusting to growing up in America. Alumit wonderfully describes the abandonment Bong feels throughout his young life and pulled me further into the story. The letters Bong writes are the way he handles his disjointed life and provide the reader further insight into his emotions. It is a great first novel from a playwright and I hope to be able to see his one man performances now that I am aware of his quality writing.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Gods Old and Dark (The World Gates, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

disapointed
too short, need more story
Not Up to Lisle's Standards
Keep your facts straight
A Conclusion for Now

Gods Old and Dark (The World Gates, Book 3)
Holly Lisle
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Wreck of Heaven (The World Gates, Book 2)
Memory of Fire (The World Gates, Book 1)
Vengeance of Dragons (The Secret Texts, Book 2)
Diplomacy of Wolves (The Secret Texts, Book 1)
Courage of Falcons (The Secret Texts - Book 3)

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0380818396
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Book Description

The spellbinding conclusion to the magnificent epic of fantastic adventure and worlds within worlds.

Live magic has returned to the Earth -- as the demons of every universe gather to destroy it ...

The World Gates offer passage into countless realms, dimensions, and nightmares, changing forever those few with the courage to cross over. Lauren Dane and Molly McColl, two sisters transformed, now hold the future of all living things in their hands -- for Lauren's mission to bring life-giving magic back to Earth and other dying worlds has not gone unnoticed. And Molly's power to protect her will not hold against the countless ancient evils that are closing in. For the maelstrom is coming to drag down gods and humans alike. And darkness will surely prevail unless a last, desperate stand is made against the dreaded Night Watch, eater of worlds.

Customer Reviews:

disapointed.......2007-04-10

the ending of this series was disapointing. more so then some other fantasy series. expecially for one so short. i am glad i read it or else i wouldnt know the end but it felt like the writter scrambled to piece it all together and was possibly rushed to get it out sooner.

too short, need more story.......2006-04-02

I really liked this trilogy. Except...it didn't feel like a trilogy. I was disappointed in how quickly the author wrapped up the story. As soon as I was done with the book I went online to see if there was perhaps another book and I just had missed it. I like my books to be at least twice as long usually. And I REALLY like to have the end of the good/evil battle. This book just didn't tell the whole rest of the story.

Not Up to Lisle's Standards.......2005-07-28

Gods Old and Dark, the last novel in fantasy author Holly Lisle's acclaimed World Gates trilogy, wasn't just a book about a colossal battle for the survival of Earth. It was a colossal struggle to finish, as well, as Lisle frantically tried to end the series before page 325.

The novel begins with the Sentinels of Cat Creek, a secret organization to save the world, discovering that Lauren Dane, her sister Molly, and some of their friends are using magic without their permission and drawing the attention of the evil Night Watch. They slowly get sucked into the war between Molly and the dark gods, with Thor (yes, that Thor) as an ally and a chance to become gods themselves. Sounds exciting, right? It's too bad that completing the series with the flair it started with seemed to be the farthest thing from Lisle's mind. From page one, Thor is a deus ex machina, sent to get the Sentinels out of a bind that Lisle hadn't thought through completely. While he does get a (very) little bit of character development, he also consistently saves the day for Lauren and her magic-wielding army, rendering the struggles faced by the characters of the first two novels pointless.

Lisle hurtles from battle to battle and scene to scene with a speed that gives the novel a rushed feel instead of a suspenseful tone, as though she wanted to move on to other, more important projects. Characters are made immortal, taking away suspense; if the reader doesn't fear for the death of a character, it takes half of the fun out of a book. The end, too, is unsatisfying. Loose ends are left behind with the FBI, two of the Sentinels, and the Night Watch, as though Lisle forgot that she wouldn't be returning to the series. The end feels like a sloppy attempt to end a series intended to go on for several more books.

The one major satisfaction in the novel is the redemption of Baanraak, one of the evil Night Watch. While even that is sloppy - Lisle uses a plot device rather than an honest character development - Baanraak and those involved in his part of the plot are the only compelling characters in the story. His eccentric romance with Molly is one of the few pleasures of Gods Old and Dark.

While Lisle's latest novel gives some closure to the World Gates trilogy, it does not live up to the stirring and multifaceted tale begun with The Memory of Fire, nor is it on par with Lisle's other work. The Chicago Sun-Times described Holly Lisle as "an author unlikely to write a sloppy or stupid book." It is this reviewer's hope that this remains Lisle's only attempt to prove them wrong.

Keep your facts straight.......2005-03-29

This book provides a satisfactory conclusion to the World Gates series. The every-day reality is enough like our own that we can believe there really are gates between worlds up, down, forward, backward, and sideways. The heroine is just a bit too perfect. Some annoying inconsistencies from the 1st 2 books have crept in, and the author has not fully thought out the immortality concept that is largely limited to this book. She could have done better.

A Conclusion for Now.......2004-04-20

Gods Old and Dark is the third (and concluding) novel in the World Gates series, following The Wreck of Heaven. In the previous volume, Baanraak starts forcing Holly to die and be reborn so as to shape her personality into the Night Watch pattern. He catches her once without the Vodi necklace and she was almost lost forever. Meanwhile, Lauren finds a secret message in the notebooks and learns that her parents had intended Molly to be her protector while she herself brought magic back to the Earth and to the dead worlds up the line.

In this novel, Molly is busy exterminating Night Watch teams and Lauren is creating conduits for the magic to flow back up the world lines. Aril, the Master of the Night Watch, notices the magic returning to the Earth and messily terminates all his fieldmasters for overlooking this development. He then promotes their assistants to replace them and provides specific instructions for the situation. He also dispatches assassins to track down Lauren and sends his assistant, Rekkathav, to observe the operation.

After Lauren is attacked by the Night Watch during a downworld foray and again within her own home, the Cat Creek Sentinels suddenly notice that Lauren is violating Council policy. A couple of hard-liners want to terminate her activities in a permanent manner, but the rest vote to wait and see. It does help that Lauren has an old god on her side who is capable of great havoc using the new influx of magic.

In this story, Lauren and the Cat Creek Sentinels learn the secret of immortality and the pain thereof. One Sentinel gets her first taste of combat and very nearly goes berserk. The FBI office in Charlotte performs a good service for the Cat Creek Sentinels. And Baanraak is ambushed by Molly and suffers a split personality.

This volume provides a conclusion of sorts, but the story continues past the end of the book. Maybe the author will return to this universe some day, for it has the potential for many other stories. In the meanwhile, we will have a new fantasy to read in 2005: Talyn.

Highly recommended for Lisle fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high magic, interesting societies and complex relationships.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing and life changing!!!.......1999-06-12

This book is truly amazing. Roper brings life and relevancy to a few of the well known stories of the Old Testament, making real the power of God, the distinction of His calling, and the simplicity of being available to join the work of the Lord. The insight is invaluable, the truths shared are life changing, and the words written are well grounded in intellect and reason. Roper brings together the history and culture of the Old Testament, illustrates the parallels between the Baal religion and our own society, and powerfully demonstrates the evil and corruption of society. At the same time, Roper provides a realistic solution to immorality and injustice without being trite or idealistic. The wisdom contained in this book will change your life and reshape your faith!

This is a MUST READ for anyone who is seriously persuing God.......1998-03-20

Roper is an amazingly insightful author. He brings the old story of the old testament to life and makes it relevant to us. It is truely a life changing book. I have read it several times over the past three years.

Survivors of the Dark Rebellion: God's Heroes from Adam to David (War of the Ages)

Average customer rating:

Survivors of the Dark Rebellion: God's Heroes from Adam to David (War of the Ages)
Sally Pierson Dillon
Manufacturer: Review & Herald Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GODS OF OLD AND DARK (WORLD GATES, NO 3)

Average customer rating:

GODS OF OLD AND DARK (WORLD GATES, NO 3)

Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IHX8KY

Customer Reviews:

Amazing for 1988.......2002-08-11

David's Sling was written in 1988, and it still holds up well in 2002 with the idea. The Information Decision Duel idea is amazing. Basically a slashdot where two people have a debate online as a way to make a decision, with a neutral referee. Politics don't age as well, but in 1988 who knew the Wall would fall freeing Eastern Europe from Soviet rule.

Ray

Hmmm, deux ex machina anyone?.......1999-05-21

In brief: Just a little too simplified a world view for me. A wonderful "thinking method" that makes you able to perceive things in their true light. How? Just seems to work.

The view that engineers are the pinnacle of societal evolution. Yes, engineers are on average smarter and such than most people, but last time I checked no halo. There are reasons (other than an evil cabal of tobacco, unions and bureaucrats) that engineers are rarely world leaders.

My least favorite scene involves reprogramming hundreds of MIRVs while they are in rentry. Ones that (unless it happened out of POV) had no communications ability.

If you liked it I suggest Ayn Rand. She had a simmilar feel.

Information age epistle.......1999-03-11

This book develops one of the clearest visions of an information age society I have yet seen. A group of intriuging characters, interesting military and political concepts, and interesting social scenarios makes for good reading. It leaves you wishing for more.

An achievable meta-philosophy........1998-11-12

I was so taken aback by the incisive clarity of this vision that I reread the book 4 or 5 times almost immediately - which I have never done before in a long reading career! I then began to pass it along to as many people as I could, to see if the spark would ignite; alas! it did not return from one of them. Hopefully, it is still randomly careening off minds. I recalled it was published by BAEN, and tried to get the hypertext extensions, but they, too, had disappeared. If nothing else, this book is a wonderful primer for those aware of the overwhelming informational impact of these "parlous times".Read It!! p.s. If anyone knows where to get the hypertext, please let me know. Thanks.

If Eienstein wore combat boots....................1998-10-11

The Soviet Union and East Germany may not exist anymore, but if you lived or served in the Military during those times it isn't hard to drop into the world created.

1.. Technology is a good thing, the bureaucracy is a bad thing. Written and effectively proven.

2. People who think about whats going on around them are smarter and more competent than others. Written but not proven, implied. If you need proof.....

3. War is bad, peace is good. Vigilant peace is better. Thats the story and it is very vell done.

Make sure you note the comparisons of the tobacco companies, the unions, and how politics flows in a money, media cycle.

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