I just finished reading "Fish, a Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison" by T.J. Parsell and nothing has affected me so deeply since Brokeback Mountain.
Fish is a true story of TJ, the author, who was 17 years old and sent to state prison in Michigan in the late 1970s for robbing a Fotomat with a toy gun. From there he was repeatedly assaulted before being forced to become the "property" of other inmates in prison for protection. Through his recollections, we get to learn all about the dark side of prison culture and prison rape and the consequences of a dysfunctional childhood. But at the same time, we see a beautiful picture of a naive boy trying to come to terms with everything that's happening around him, realizing -- and finally accepting -- his own gay identity and learning to take responsibility for who he is.
But don't let the topic of prison rape put you off: this book is so much more.
It is one of the most powerful, raw, thought-provoking memoirs I have ever read -- and it works on so many levels. I was left simultaneously angry and heartsick at the system for letting such things happen, celebrating the fact that TJ moved through and beyond these experiences, and mourning what might have been if things had been different.
The story also includes a recounting of how the author experienced his "first love" with another man in prison. Though the affair was short-lived and doomed, the lover basically saved TJ's life. This love story was the most poignant aspect of the book, and it just left me aching for everybody in the world who has never even experienced such beautiful, transcending, life-changing love. This love, though, was as gut-wrenching as Brokeback Mountain because it is a true story.
This story humanizes all of its characters and provides raw, introspective insights from the author who finally was released from prison and made a successful life for himself, though he lives with the scars.
If you want to learn more about this book, you can check it out at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Memoir-Boy-Mans-Prison/dp/0786717939/sr=8-2/qid=1168541685/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-3508022-0417634?ie=UTF8&s=books
This is a story about being gay, but about so much more. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind reading some raw and heavy emotional stuff.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me.
Vic