Flamboyant

Swados, Elizabeth. "Flamboyant", Picador, 1999. Laughter and Tears Amos Lassen In "Flamboyant" Elizabeth Swados takes a look at the claustrophobic society of Orthodox Jews and how it relates to the GLBT community. Chana Landau is a devoutly religious Orthodox Jew who is sent to teach at the Harvey Milk School for GLBT students in downtown Manhattan. She is naïve and enters a world where the values are the opposite of what she believes. Her religion teaches that homosexuality is an abomination but she finds herself totally engaged by her students. She is particularly drawn to a student who goes by the name of Flamboyant who is very gifted while being sexually ambiguous and is a 15 year old prostitute who claims to have Jewish heritage. The novel consists of the diaries of Chana and Flamboyant and each tells the story form her own point of view in her own particulate and authentic voice. As the novel progresses there is the clash between two different worlds--of religion and of the street. Chana finds herself caring about her students and even more about Flamboyant when it is revealed that she is a he. The two gain strength from their mutual respect for each other and the reader both smiles and cries as he reads. Swados shows no great sympathy for Orthodox Judaism and what we see is the lack of a moral alternative to Flamboyant's nihilism. The novel is full of smart observations and some well drawn characters. Swados shows compassion and this is a novel full of heart.

American Jewishness is becoming more and more integrated into mainstram American society, Chana Landau does an amazing job juggling both cultures and maintining both modernity and tradition. It is interesting to see the cognitive differences that seem relative to each culture, suggesting that cognitive differences are not universal (despite what theorists say). I loved the book, I recommend it to Jews, non-Jews, old, young- everyone. Im a college student, and Flamboyant was one of my most favorite novels yet. Its a must read.

This book was wonderful. It was unusual and entertaining with a great message. Elizabeth Swados developed real life characters who I ended up caring a lot about. I very much enjoyed reading this novel.

Ms. Swados captures the idiosyncratic natures of an orthodox jewish and young woman and her relationship with Flamboyant--accent pronounced -a yet younger prostitute who is a student athe Harvey Milk School. Ecah sentence pinches the reader-me with the sheer use of words and idioms and sterotypes twisted on its head. The humor is black but never at the expense of the two characters but perhaps at the expense of their environments. A magical tour of New York and two very different people. Ms. Swados has a one of a kind voice--