book rage by mark hernandez
books available at Obelisk Book Store
DaviD Brown
MeMoirs of A DrAg Queen
Most days you can find David Brown hanging
out at Marie’s, a ‘50s-style diner on University
Avenue near 30th across the street from Heaven
Sent Desserts. You’ll see David greeting the
patrons and clearing dishes from tables. He’s
become close friends with Marie and her son
Eric who bought the diner about six years ago.
And amongst the ‘50s memorabilia and pictures,
you’ll also find a large photo on the wall of a
Best gay romance 2009 / Best Lesbian romance 2009
beautiful black girl with a beehive hairdo. You
Anthologies are always a great buy because you’re guaranteed there
might think it’s one of the singers from the Shirelles or Ronettes, but actually it’s
will be a number of stories in it that you’ll love, and it’s the perfect thing to
David Brown in the only remaining photo of him from a happier time when he
keep by the bedside and read a quick one before you fall into dreamland.
was Princess Charmagne, a well-known San Diego drag queen during the 1960s.
Richard Labonte is a master at assembling great gay anthologies and Best
To say that David and Charmagne lived a rough life is a major understatement.
Gay Romance 2009 focuses only on romance stories for men. And for women,
David had always wanted to write a book about his experiences and started
this time around the stories in Best Lesbian Romance 2009 are selected by the
keeping notes in the 1970s which explains why his stories are so vividly told.
super-popular lesbian author Radclyffe. If you’ve read Radclyffe’s books, you
The book consists of many short chapters and is quite well-written and keeps
will have an inkling of the kind of romance stories she’ll have picked. Take one
you interested throughout. But so often you find yourself holding your hand to
of these books to bed with you and hopefully when you start fall asleep and
your face peeking through your fingers not sure if you want to read what might
start dreaming you’ll pick up right where you left off.
happen next.The first chapter starts with a wonderful Cinderella-like experience
Charmagne had, one of those moments we all remember from our youth when
the world was a wonderful place and we got to be ourselves and we were able The 7-Day Dating
to share that moment with someone special who truly understood us. But then and relationship Plan for gay Men
it restarts from his childhood growing up in Mississippi, his sexual abuse by his Grant Wheaton and his partner Dennis
uncle at age 9, being convicted of sexual assault on a white boy when he was 11 Courtney have been successfully matching
(even though it was an innocent consensual experience most kids have) and then up gay guys for a couple of decades now,
being raped constantly while in prison, having no dad and an absent mother, and in this book they’ve distilled their
ostracized at school and being called a sissy, and then, well, oh my god. knowledge, tips and techniques into a
But when he had the opportunity to come to San Diego and live with his aunt he short, easy-to-read book that’s got every-
loved it here and got a chance at a new beginning. He quickly discovered his new thing you’ll need to maximize your success
life as Princess Charmagne both as someone people loved, but one who people in finding someone you can share a deeper
also used and abused. It’s a period when San Diego was also trying to find its iden- involvement with for a good period of time.
tity as a gay community but was still very much underground. His new beginning Grant is the owner and founder of the
was tarnished by another sour run after being framed for a drug-related crime he New York-based ManMate which they say is
didn’t commit and serving a long prison sentence, being diagnosed with HIV; but the oldest and largest personalized gay in-
then finally his life started turning around. troduction service in America. After 20 years
Around 2003 while his counselor helped him deal with depression, she also of interviewing and introducing thousands of men, running workshops and
helped him get in touch with the resources he needed to assemble his many sto- classes, and having his own successful relationship with his partner Dennis,
ries into an autobiography. David finished it last year and it’s been a hit locally with who better to write a book on the subject? The book takes a no-nonsense
many signings and appearances. He’ll soon be giving his book national exposure. approach and expects you to be honest with yourself and be truly committed
It’s not only a look at a life nearly destroyed and then reborn, but a glimpse into to doing what’s necessary to make yourself available and ready for a relation-
early gay life in San Diego, as well. ship with someone else, whether it’s just for a while or for a lifetime. There are
David wants people to read his book and realize that when you you’ve been exercises, tips, ideas on to where to find potential mates and real-life stories
done wrong repeatedly, when people make fun of you, when you have trouble you can learn from. It’s honest, real, often funny and supremely useful. The
figuring out who you are and the world seems to turn its back on you, don’t give book details the “seven basic principles that will get you on the road toward
up. You have a purpose in life which you may not understand at first. Take care successful dating and a happier you.” But it’s called the 7-day plan because
of yourself, be helpful and kind to people and eventually it will all come back to you’ll focus on each one of the basic principles each day of the week. This
you in spades. And it has for him. Now in his 60s, David’s next adventure is just keeps it simple but repetitive until it becomes engrained. It’s important to
beginning. He hopes to go back to school and complete the mere 18 units left to invest the effort and make it a statistical probability that you’ll meet a great
get a law degree, and get more involved in local politics which he loves. guy to enjoy a richer life with. When you dive into this book you get the im-
So when you run into David either helping out at Marie’s diner or making his mediate sense that you’re working with the master, and if you just give in to
rounds around North Park, wave and say “hi,” and when you ask him how it’s go- the master you’ll be able to skip all the time wasters and then, with a little
ing, he’ll no-doubt smile and say “It’s going good. Life is good!” patience, it will happen!
26 RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2009
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