Terrance Dean

If you want to write a memoir, write a memoir. If you want to write a salacious tell-all book, then do it. However, do not try to mix the two, because when you do it fails miserably.

The blind item parts were an absolute mess. His life story was interesting, but I did not like how homosexuality was equated with molestation. Little gay boys and gay girls unfortunately are raped every day. The last thing that needs to happen is that when they find their voices and come of age is for some uninformed adult to say that a rape formed their sexuality.… (más)

I think this man is overly delusional and living in a fantasy. He descriptions are repetitive. The beginning about his upbringing was interesting but beyond that it gets pretty redundant! He almost comes off as a hypocrite. And forget about finding about down low celebs. Names are withheld and descriptions are vague enough that it could be numerous people. I almost feel that some of the things he writes are not true. His numerous sexcapades are described in detail. Its a quick read but I found myself disgusted and ready to be done at times.… (más)

At some points, I was lost. The author kept going back to an earlier slot of time that I lost track where the author was supposed to be... I thought the author was already in New York and yet, another chapter started with him saying that he was in Los Angeles and was asked to go to New York.

It felt like several scenes were repeated, to describe the 'down low' of the gay black community. It was either someone with an altered name to protect the real identity in another gay scene, and another gay scene, and another gay scene. They were all gorgeous. They were all either popular or on the way up or work with someone famous. It was a wasted effort to reveal famous people without their real names and the reasons given were the same. This book felt draggy because of the same scenarios.

That said, it was interesting to see the issues regarding this community. Just that the shallow,-spilled-nothing-more scenes did not have to repeat.… (más)

Terrance Dean has written a textbook example of the fast-paced “summer novel” with Mogul. Drawing on his experience in the music business, already discussed in his 2008 non-fiction book Hiding In Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry from Music to Hollywood, Dean here lays out the life and hidden loves of a top producer “on the DL.” Dean shows that he is capable of writing a successful page-turner. Fast moving, gossipy, and sexy, it seems the perfect accompaniment to lounging in the sun.… (más)