Book Review: Openly Bob by Bob Smith

One of the books I managed to finish during my sick leave was another book from the Publishing Triangle list of the best lesbian/gay books, though this one appears on the site's Visitors Best list in the #23 position. Openly Bob contains a series of humorous essays from comic Bob Smith, talking about living openly as a gay man. From his parents accepting his partner into the family fold to surviving couples therapy to auditioning for plays and TV roles in Los Angeles, Bob shows that his life is just like anyone else's. I laughed and smiled quite a bit while reading. I have to admit that sometimes, though, it felt a little forced, like many paragraphs were set ups for punch lines. I didn't mind that, but my laughs were tempered a bit. Smith's knack for humor really shined, however, when he just wrote without trying to create a joke. In the essay "Ma Nature", for example, he described a group of birdwatchers in Central Park (to which he belongs) and compares them to different species of bird.

"There are gay men who, like some birds, give away their identities as soon as they open their mouths. Everyone can spot the flamingos of our species, but most gay men are more like the confusing sparrows where the differences are more subtle. We have to look for distinguishing field marks. Check for the arched eyebrow. Is that a nipple ring? What ruffles his feathers?" (pp. 82-83)

Openly Bob offers a humorous look into the everyday life of a gay man. Read it, and it will definitely put a smile on your face.

Image from Biblio.com.