But still, I remember taking my book reviews far too seriously, with phrases from them stuck in my brain for far too long. Not that this review will be a bad one, for Gaysia is an enjoyable and intriguing read. Then to consider: do I feel comfortable being critical in a public space? Could it be misconstrued? Can the author involved see a criticism as directed towards a book rather than to the author (although this is often impossible to separate if the book is a personal one)? So, reviews can feel strangely personal these days. Of course you want to know what people have thought after having laboured over for so long. The books that I tend to want to write about are from small publishers and by lesser-known authors (as I don't feel a desire, usually, to add my opinion to a thousand others who have written about a bestseller).īut this means that the author of the book will most certainly see the review. I wax philosophical about book reviews because they're strange beasts. I also think (and I could have used this advice when younger) that discussion is better than silence.
The books that I tend to want to write about are from small publishers and by lesser-known authors (as I don't feel a desire, usually, to add my opinion to a thousand others who have written abou I like to think it's a compliment to a book if I'm interested enough in it, engaged or enraged, in order to want to write a review. I like to think it's a compliment to a book if I'm interested enough in it, engaged or enraged, in order to want to write a review. The characters he meets - from Tokyo's celebrity drag queens to HIV-positive Burmese sex workers, from Malaysian ex-gay Christian fundamentalists to Chinese gays and lesbians who marry each other to please their parents - all teach him something new about being queer in Asia. Law takes his investigative duties seriously, going nude where required in Balinese sex resorts, sitting backstage for hours with Thai ladyboy beauty contestants and trying Indian yoga classes designed to cure his homosexuality. So he sets off to meet his fellow Gaysians. But as the child of migrants, he's also curious about how different life might have been had he grown up in Asia. Law takes his investigative duties seriously, goin Benjamin Law considers himself pretty lucky to live in Australia: he can hold his boyfriend's hand in public and lobby his politicians to recognise same-sex marriage. Benjamin Law considers himself pretty lucky to live in Australia: he can hold his boyfriend's hand in public and lobby his politicians to recognise same-sex marriage.