Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In these smart and probing essays, film critic Betancourt (Judy Garland's Judy at Carnegie Hall) reflects on his relationship with masculinity through the lens of the heartthrobs of his youth. He recounts grappling with his sexuality as an awkward boy growing up in Colombia in the 1990s and shares how his attraction to the outlandishly masculine Disney characters Gaston and Hercules made him envious of the former's swagger and the latter's "pecs," while at the same time they provided "guidance on what kind of man I wanted to become." In "Walk Like a Loaded Man," the author contends that Ricky Martin's evolution from the smoldering, straight-performing pop star behind "Livin' la Vida Loca" to the purveyor of Instagram "thirst traps" featuring his husband represents an overdue expansion of the "Latin lover" persona. Betancourt's verve and wit elevate the prose, and the more personal entries are intimate and affecting, such as "Of Capes and Men," in which Betancourt considers the showy garb of Puerto Rican TV astrologer Walter Mercado in light of Betancourt's own efforts as a teenager to suppress mannerisms he feared would expose him as queer. Readers won't want to put this one down. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In this collection of 10 essays, Betancourt (Judy Garland's "Judy at Carnegie Hall") brings a Colombian perspective to the concept of masculinity in his native country, the larger Latin American world, and U.S. pop culture. Betancourt, with his witty, erudite, and self-revealing writing, goes back to his childhood memories and the masculinist system he knew growing up in Colombia. He also reflects on the complex interaction of pop culture with the development of his sexual identity. He traces his earliest memories to attractions to male Disney characters and male imagery in telenovelas. Watching the 1970 film Myra Breckinridge, in which the lead character undergoes gender-confirmation surgery, was a pivotal moment for him, as was his TV viewing of the famous Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado, who was also known for being gender-nonconforming. These moments made Betancourt see that there's a need for society to refrain from gender stereotypes and reframe narrow-minded perspectives. VERDICT Readers seeking an honest portrayal of one gay man's voyage in the masculine imaginary will find a rich source of companionship.--David Azzolina
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A queer journalist ponders how pop culture has informed his views of masculinity. In this absorbing fusion of memoir and cultural analysis, media critic Betancourt examines his boyhood in Colombia. He was obsessed with Disney films like Sleeping Beauty and Hercules, identifying with the female roles while staring desirously at the "bulging pecs and towering torsos" of the male heroes. These movies, he writes, offered "glimmers of possibility about what kind of man I wanted. And what kind of man I wanted to be." Since Betancourt's mother ran an animation studio in Bogotá, his access to animated media became an integral part of his youth, informing how he thought about himself then and now as a 30-something gay man. The ways men were portrayed in film and TV were integral to his teenage years, when Betancourt "daydreamed about the way men's bodies on screens made me feel." The feelings continued in college as he relished books by John Rechy and James Baldwin. Enrolled in a private school known for its bilingual educational program, Betancourt learned about American high school customs by watching childhood favorites like Saved by the Bell. As a teenager of divorced parents, he became enthralled with telenovelas and the "decidedly modern provocation" of Hombres. The author recognized early on that homosexuality and masculinity were intertwined and greatly scrutinized, as the "visibility of one came at the expense of the other." Writing throughout with an affable, conversational tone, Betancourt explores the power of the cape, as evidenced in a fond profile of flamboyant Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado, and discusses the smoldering allure of Ricky Martin. Male physical fetishization in visual media further pushed the boundaries of his sexual identity, and the author candidly reveals a coming-of-age period in which he finally embraced the power of his own voice. A witty, educated, and entertaining analysis of the development of a writer's queer desire. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
