A book that will have you laughing out loud at some points and near tears at others. Like the Buddy series also by Ethan Mordden follows a series of friends over the decades. It starts in an underground club in post WWII LA. Then it jumps 20 years to Minnesota. Then we have another huge time leap and we're now in NY at the time just before the Stonewall riots.

Good overall and a fine history lesson for anyone looking for gay history in a fictionalized format. We see the characters go from a underground bar to being out and proud. From trying to start a gay political group to stonewall and then to ACT UP and gay pride parades. All which our characters are somehow involved in however indirectly. A cop who feels bad about arresting gays in Griffith park who actually turns out to be gay himself. Who later becomes a gay porn icon, think Al Parker. Of course with it covering so much ground it does cover the start of the AIDS crisis and the Reagan years. Not a part of the book that I liked, but it is true to what was going on.

One thing I did not like at all was the asides from the author, almost acting as a narrator. But only in some parts. It was very much like when an actor breaks the 4th wall. Characters die and then the author calmly comes in and states well that's the end of that person and this person who was associated with them is done with the book as well. Was just not handled well. ( )

http://libdrone.blogspot.com/2007/07/buddies-cycle_11.html ( )

I love this book. It is all at once uplifting and heart wrenching. ( )