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The Grass Sweeper God
A loving and emotionally disturbed mother kills herself, leaving a suicidal note blaming her twin sons’ sexual identity, in her words, “Gutter rats that can rot in hell.” The family blames the twin’s for their loss; consequently, banishing them from the family...
Sixteen-year-old Smiley Hanlon is a young woman tethered to a young man's body. In the 1950's Appalachia coal fields of Solitude, Virginia, Smiley is placed in the "Mentally Retarded Class" because he is effeminate and wears a blouse and saddle shoes to school.
Smiley is backed by his best friend, Lee Moore who protects Smiley from a father and many townspeople who hate him. Smiley has dreams of becoming an entertainer. Raised by his aunt in a juke joint, as a child Smiley sings and dances on the Formica bar top into the wee hours. Chosen as the female lead, Dorothy, in a new town production called Dorothy of Oz Coal Camp, his dream is being realized. The triumph of the play and his dream is sabotaged by his father and classmate bullies culminating in a tragic and horrific moment that changes both Smiley and Lee, forever.
Smiley and Lee flee to NYC. They learn that prejudice is prejudice whether in the coal fields of Virginia or on the streets of NYC. Smiley suffers at the hands of his real mother who is a religious zealot. She tries to change who Smiley is because he is a boil on the body of Christ. Lee suffers at the hands of psychologists who practice Aversion Therapy-electric shock treatment to cure his homosexuality.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Both Smiley and Lee become forces of change as do countless others. In 1969, Smiley Hanlon and his friend, Lee emerge as leaders of a gay revolution, the historical Stonewall Riots. The riots are vicious but the real battle will be won or lost on another continent: Solitude, Virginia.
The Grass Sweeper God is a force of nature that flows through all things...straightens out that which is bent...which is sick...
Sixteen-year-old Smiley Hanlon is a young woman tethered to a young man's body. In the 1950's Appalachia coal fields of Solitude, Virginia, Smiley is placed in the "Mentally Retarded Class" because he is effeminate and wears a blouse and saddle shoes to school.
Smiley is backed by his best friend, Lee Moore who protects Smiley from a father and many townspeople who hate him. Smiley has dreams of becoming an entertainer. Raised by his aunt in a juke joint, as a child Smiley sings and dances on the Formica bar top into the wee hours. Chosen as the female lead, Dorothy, in a new town production called Dorothy of Oz Coal Camp, his dream is being realized. The triumph of the play and his dream is sabotaged by his father and classmate bullies culminating in a tragic and horrific moment that changes both Smiley and Lee, forever.
Smiley and Lee flee to NYC. They learn that prejudice is prejudice whether in the coal fields of Virginia or on the streets of NYC. Smiley suffers at the hands of his real mother who is a religious zealot. She tries to change who Smiley is because he is a boil on the body of Christ. Lee suffers at the hands of psychologists who practice Aversion Therapy-electric shock treatment to cure his homosexuality.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Both Smiley and Lee become forces of change as do countless others. In 1969, Smiley Hanlon and his friend, Lee emerge as leaders of a gay revolution, the historical Stonewall Riots. The riots are vicious but the real battle will be won or lost on another continent: Solitude, Virginia.
The Grass Sweeper God is a force of nature that flows through all things...straightens out that which is bent...which is sick...
- GenresFiction
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2014
12 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 29, 2014
The Grass Sweeper God is a book that will stay with me for a long long time.
Smiley is a boy that has been born in the wrong body, in the 1950's and because he wears his aunt's blouse to school they put him in a class for slow kids. Being a female in a boys body is hard enough.... but to have to grow up in the 50's in a small rural town made it even worse. Smiley was always being bullied for being a "freak". Without his best friend Lee to stick up for him, things could have been worse. A teacher helps him get into a play based on the Wizard of Oz, playing Dorothy (to get this dressing like a girl thing out of his system). It seems almost that he might start being accepted more in that backward hateful town. Then things took a turn for the worse when something so awful and horrific happens that it changes Smiley forever.
This book spans about 20 years and follows not only Smiley and Lee but a myriad of other characters that were all incredibly developed and real.
This is a perfect book for today's day and age. With Gay marriage being legalized more and more, I believe everyone needs to learn about the history of the Gay Rights movement, and that is what this was for me.... an education. I had never heard of the Mattachine Society or the Stonewall riots. This puts you in the mind and heart of gay and transexual people... and what they went through, to come this far, will break your heart. This should be a book that is required reading in school, this is American history .... written in a way that will entertain while you learn about a time that is just as important as the Women's Rights movement, and the African American rights movement.
I would recommend this book to anyone. When I started reading this book, in the afternoon, I couldn't stop reading until I almost passed out on my kindle, and the first thing I did upon waking was grab my kindle to get back to the book. I laughed, I cried and I learned a lot. I can see this book winning awards, really..... it's that good.
Smiley is a boy that has been born in the wrong body, in the 1950's and because he wears his aunt's blouse to school they put him in a class for slow kids. Being a female in a boys body is hard enough.... but to have to grow up in the 50's in a small rural town made it even worse. Smiley was always being bullied for being a "freak". Without his best friend Lee to stick up for him, things could have been worse. A teacher helps him get into a play based on the Wizard of Oz, playing Dorothy (to get this dressing like a girl thing out of his system). It seems almost that he might start being accepted more in that backward hateful town. Then things took a turn for the worse when something so awful and horrific happens that it changes Smiley forever.
This book spans about 20 years and follows not only Smiley and Lee but a myriad of other characters that were all incredibly developed and real.
This is a perfect book for today's day and age. With Gay marriage being legalized more and more, I believe everyone needs to learn about the history of the Gay Rights movement, and that is what this was for me.... an education. I had never heard of the Mattachine Society or the Stonewall riots. This puts you in the mind and heart of gay and transexual people... and what they went through, to come this far, will break your heart. This should be a book that is required reading in school, this is American history .... written in a way that will entertain while you learn about a time that is just as important as the Women's Rights movement, and the African American rights movement.
I would recommend this book to anyone. When I started reading this book, in the afternoon, I couldn't stop reading until I almost passed out on my kindle, and the first thing I did upon waking was grab my kindle to get back to the book. I laughed, I cried and I learned a lot. I can see this book winning awards, really..... it's that good.
June 11, 2017
This was an interesting story about lots of very heavy topics, including the effects of intolerance and hate, overcoming horrible things that happen and finding your way in the world despite the bad, family, love, poverty, and isolation. There were vivid characters and a sense of place. All in all, the book was interesting. I would recommend this to others. The fact that it is semi-autobiographical is heartbreaking and also good in the end. I'm also from the author's hometown, so there was an additional level of interest in the names of places and people that struck a chord of home.
June 10, 2015
Smiley Hanlon’s life certainly is not an easy one. His mother abandoned him and left him in the care of his loving aunt and abusive uncle. In addition to that, Smiley is different than most other boys his age who are growing up in 1950s Solitude, Virginia. He’s ridiculed, beat up and bullied for dressing and “behaving” more like a girl than a boy. Despite these things, Smiley remains positive, happy, outgoing and determined to stay true to himself. His best friend, Lee Moore, remains by his side throughout it all and becomes Smiley’s devoted protector.
The Grass Sweeper God is a complex tale about growing up different and overcoming the ignorance, fear and hatred that so often comes with it. At times, this book is absolutely heartbreaking. The horrendous and despicable acts humans are capable of committing against each other, simply for being different, are shocking and infuriating. Doug Howery holds no punches when depicting these atrocities, and readers can be thankful for that. There’s no reason to sugarcoat the stories of vicious and downright criminal behavior endured by Smiley and his friends when one is looking to bring about change.
A certain amount of spiritualism and mysticism is introduced into the story. Through his friend, Carr, who is a local Native American, Smiley learns that the Grass Sweeper God is a powerful spiritual force. Carr also explains to Smiley about being a winkte – people with two souls and special spiritual talents. Throughout his life, Carr remains a faithful and loving friend and teacher to Smiley.
Doug Howery has written The Grass Sweeper God from several POVs and he does it seamlessly. Hearing the story from the POV of several characters adds a great deal of substance and interest to the novel. Although The Grass Sweeper God is a work of fiction, one can easily imagine that Mr. Howery has experienced many of the prejudices in his story firsthand, since the book’s characters and storyline are so well-developed. He’s careful to present several views on homosexuality and transgender issues, which is important for anyone looking for insight into these timely topics.
I would highly recommend The Grass Sweeper God. It’s well-written, heartfelt, engaging and informative. Kudos to Doug Howery for sharing this story!
http://ebookreviewgal.com received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Grass Sweeper God is a complex tale about growing up different and overcoming the ignorance, fear and hatred that so often comes with it. At times, this book is absolutely heartbreaking. The horrendous and despicable acts humans are capable of committing against each other, simply for being different, are shocking and infuriating. Doug Howery holds no punches when depicting these atrocities, and readers can be thankful for that. There’s no reason to sugarcoat the stories of vicious and downright criminal behavior endured by Smiley and his friends when one is looking to bring about change.
A certain amount of spiritualism and mysticism is introduced into the story. Through his friend, Carr, who is a local Native American, Smiley learns that the Grass Sweeper God is a powerful spiritual force. Carr also explains to Smiley about being a winkte – people with two souls and special spiritual talents. Throughout his life, Carr remains a faithful and loving friend and teacher to Smiley.
Doug Howery has written The Grass Sweeper God from several POVs and he does it seamlessly. Hearing the story from the POV of several characters adds a great deal of substance and interest to the novel. Although The Grass Sweeper God is a work of fiction, one can easily imagine that Mr. Howery has experienced many of the prejudices in his story firsthand, since the book’s characters and storyline are so well-developed. He’s careful to present several views on homosexuality and transgender issues, which is important for anyone looking for insight into these timely topics.
I would highly recommend The Grass Sweeper God. It’s well-written, heartfelt, engaging and informative. Kudos to Doug Howery for sharing this story!
http://ebookreviewgal.com received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2016
10% in and I had to give up on this one. The story might be okay, but the writing is SO BAD that I won't be able to find out.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews