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Harper C.: Five Book Friday: Uncanny Graphic Novels (0 comment)
We are in the thick of winter here in the Pacific Northwest, which means it's dark, damp, and chilly. Rather than escaping to stories with warmer, brighter climates, I personally want nothing more than to dive deep into gothic and uncanny fiction as the wind rattles my windows at night...
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House of Impossible Beauties

by Joseph Cassara
House of Impossible Beauties

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  • Synopses & Reviews

ISBN13: 9780062676979
ISBN10: 0062676970
Condition: Standard
DustJacket: Standard

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Synopses & Reviews

Synopsis

"Exceptional...The writing is erotically luscious, lyrically intense, forthrightly in your face, and pitch-perfect in the dialog." -- Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

A gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and '90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning

It's 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city's glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where seventeen-year-old Angel first comes into her own. Burned by her traumatic past, Angel is new to the drag world, new to ball culture, and has a yearning inside of her to help create family for those without. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit. But when Hector dies of AIDS-related complications, Angel must bear the responsibility of tending to their house alone.

As mother of the house, Angel recruits Venus, a whip-fast trans girl who dreams of finding a rich man to take care of her; Juanito, a quiet boy who loves fabrics and design; and Daniel, a butch queen who accidentally saves Venus's life. The Xtravaganzas must learn to navigate sex work, addiction, and persistent abuse, leaning on each other as bulwarks against a world that resists them. All are ambitious, resilient, and determined to control their own fates, even as they hurtle toward devastating consequences.

Told in a voice that brims with wit, rage, tenderness, and fierce yearning, The House of Impossible Beauties is a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.

Synopsis

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2018 BY Buzzfeed - The Wall Street Journal - The Millions - Southern Living - Bustle - Esquire - Entertainment Weekly - Nylon - Mashable

"Cassaras's propulsive and profound first novel, finding one's home in the world--particularly in a subculture plagued by fear and intolerance from society--comes with tragedy as well as extraordinary personal freedom." -- Esquire

A gritty and gorgeous debut that follows a cast of gay and transgender club kids navigating the Harlem ball scene of the 1980s and '90s, inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning

It's 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city's glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where seventeen-year-old Angel first comes into her own. Burned by her traumatic past, Angel is new to the drag world, new to ball culture, and has a yearning inside of her to help create family for those without. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit. But when Hector dies of AIDS-related complications, Angel must bear the responsibility of tending to their house alone.

As mother of the house, Angel recruits Venus, a whip-fast trans girl who dreams of finding a rich man to take care of her; Juanito, a quiet boy who loves fabrics and design; and Daniel, a butch queen who accidentally saves Venus's life. The Xtravaganzas must learn to navigate sex work, addiction, and persistent abuse, leaning on each other as bulwarks against a world that resists them. All are ambitious, resilient, and determined to control their own fates, even as they hurtle toward devastating consequences.

Told in a voice that brims with wit, rage, tenderness, and fierce yearning, The House of Impossible Beauties is a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.


4 1

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Average customer rating 4 (1 comments)

`
Erin Tuzuner , February 27, 2018 (view all comments by Erin Tuzuner)
I feel this is a book for straight people who have never seen/heard of Paris is Burning. The baby gays coming up on RuPaul's Drag Race who speak exclusively in "gagged, tea, shade" should definitely give this a perusal, but as many novels inhabiting the nascent AIDs ruination of New York, this feels very incomplete.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780062676979
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
02/06/2018
Publisher:
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
Pages:
416
Height:
1.25IN
Width:
6.44IN
Author:
Joseph Cassara

Ships free on qualified orders.
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$11.95
List Price:$26.99
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
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4Burnside

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