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Hardcover
Publisher: Da Capo Press
E. Lynn Harris
Bolstered by national television exposure on Oprah and a cover story in the New York Times Magazine, the "down low"—a term used to refer to closeted black men who have sex with men—was thrust out into the open last year. Keith Boykin, a former Clinton White House aide, syndicated columnist, and AIDS activist, breaks new ground by going beyond the media hype with the first responsible, eye-opening look at the down low sensation. Unlike all previous accounts on the topic, Beyond the Down Low refreshingly presents the DL not merely as a problem of gay and bisexual men living in the shadows and endangering women with HIV, but more broadly as a telling example of the African-American community’s overall failure to engage in critical but uncomfortable conversations about sexuality. Chief among those blacks who have lagged behind in leadership have been the black church, the African-American news media, and the black civil rights establishment, including the NAACP. Beyond the Down Low is a provocative, timely, and well-researched answer to the question "Why are so many black men on the DL?" More importantly, the book is a prescriptive solution to ending the closet in black America.
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| Leaping and Bounding to Unsubstantiated Conclusions |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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Boykin's blog is filled with misinformation, i.e., at one point he stated West Hollywood is the product of White Gay gentrification, forcing people of color out of the neighborhood with high rents and property values. This was a statement made by a man who lived in Los Angeles for two years!
Boykin's personal agenda, largely based on having an axe to grind with anyone not sharing in his black gay narrow-mindedness, gets in the way of any cohesive or reasonable argument to be made with the book.
So reading this book came with no surprise that it is filled with stories from personal history as the ONLY means to back-up his claims.
Boykin rambles, repeats himself, and says nothing insightful or of value.
Pass on this book - it is a copy of a diary, posing as a "research effort".
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| Informative, Insightful, but Somewhat Repetitive. |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I knew very little about the term "Down Low" and the ramifications it presents. After hearing about this book during a dinner conversation, I decided to give it a try with the goals of learning something new while expanding my cultural vision. Both came to fruition. I learned something new - primarily the backlog of information regarding the debates on DL and its impact, particularly on the Black community in the United States. I also learned that it is not a standardized term that explains the ambiguity that often shadows discussions on the issue.
What Boykin does well is present a number of facts that help someone understand what the current discussion is. What Boykin does not do well is present the facts in a manner that is conducive to a completely enjoyable read. I enjoyed the beginning of each chapter that were often peppered with personal anecdotes, but began to quickly lose interest mid-way through each section when presented with - what appeared to be - a super-saturated presentation of statistics. That would have been quite fine had the statistics not been repeated so often. I found a good portion of the book to be redundant.
All said, I this is a great primer on a timely issue. I would recommend it for anyone who has heard of the Down Low and is interested in learning more with facts.
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| MUST READ!!!!!! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This book was a great book. I must say when I first got the book I was in dout thats it was about anything pozitive or helpful to the black community. But I must say I was very happy with this book. Keith Boykin really did alot of resaerch to put this book togeather. I think that any on that read the book (ON THE DOWN LOW)By J. L. King. Should read this book to get a full understand of things, and take away some of the fears, Lies and myths about HIV and the down low. It is a must read!!!! :)
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| Definately a better read than J.L. King's book |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Instead of sensationalizing the issue, I felt Mr. Boykin was aiming to educate people about homosexuality in black America instead of entertaining the masses. Great book!
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| Take it or leave it |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I've just finished reading Boykin's book, "Beyond the Down Low." While I find it well written and his observations often on point, I come away from reading the final paragraph thinking, "So what?"
Really, Boykin has unearthed nothing "new" about sexuality or sexual identity as it has been played out since there have been men, women and the undecided.
Boykin's book gains much of its cachet because it is one of the few published books that addresses sexuality from the perspective of a gay black man. The very paucity of literature that focuses on the plight of gay black men in America alone makes Boykin's contribution invaluable, regardless of the quality of his prose. Ultimately, however, his work is forgettable.
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