Love the One You're with: A B-Boy Blues Novel (Amistad Pbk)

After I read B-Boy Blues, I went out and bought the other 5 books in this series and read them back to back. Hardy's writing is phenomenal. It grips you so you can't put the book down because you fear something will happen in the time you are not reading. Like you are part of the story and it will pass you by if you stop reading. A MUST for anyone interested in this genre.

James Earl Hardy returns with the 5th installment of his "B Boy Blues" series featuring Mitchell and Raheim along with a colorful cast of supporting characters and thank god a decent story.after the last couple of books left me feeling majorly disappointed this is return to form the writing although still a little preachy and in ya face is back to the style and content of the first 2 books in the series the action takes place when Raheim is in LA making his first movie and Mitchell is left alone in NYC where all he finds is PHYNE men who wanna get him naked the story moves along at a good pace the only criticism is that the story takes place in 1995 come on JEH move it along a bit we wanna know what goes on in the 21st century .....

I love this brother's writing. He brings you into his world with humor and true emotion. The brother has true skills.

First, let's talk about that cover: classy, sexy and very telling. You know you're in for a jood ol' time with a scene like that! And, once again, JEH does not disappoint. After picking it up at my p.o. box, I started the book on the train home (you know folks was just breakin' their necks tryin' to see!) I finished it in 20 hours. (I didn't get any sleep and the only thing I ate was a bagel, but do I care???). This is his best book since B-Boy Blues, mainly because they have the same breezy vibe. The action is fast-paced and the sex is OFF-DA-CHAIN-LINK-FENCE!!! This time the object of Mitch's lust is not Raheim but Montee, a fly brutha I hope JEH brings back in his own novel (he is, as Mitch states, one Bad Papa Jama -- just as PHYNE as he can be). JEH strikes the right balance, giving you a lot to laugh-out-loud about (Gene and B.D., aka Brain Dense, are a riot, and the meeting between Mitch and Raheim's mother had me howling) and think about (the chapter on Black SGL activism was dead-on point, and the one on the Vietnam War had me in tears). And he'll have you scratching your head, trying to figure out who the gay hip hop and r & b male artists are (I think I got `em figured out). In the hands of a less-skilled writer, this story could've been predictable and preachy, but it's filled with passion, heart, and soul. You can really feel the love Mitch and Raheim have for each other, even in the face of temptation, and admire and respect what they have built. And, with all this DL-psychodrama going on, we need a story that explores monogamy among SGL men with a critical, realistic eye. JEH, keep makin' us brothas proud -- of you and of us.

James E. Hardy is back again with BD, Babyface, Gene, Mitchell, Raheim and his son Lil Brotha Man, a family of wonderful characters I've missed. Love the One You're with delves into the "black gay male" psyche. Topics such as gay republicans, young boys in school and how to mold them, black identity different mentality and thoughts on bisexuality are widely placed throughout the book. Initially I had a slight problem with this because I wanted to read more about the characters. As I continued to read I realized these issues were the characters and it gave them more life.The novel is told around Raheim while he is away to make his first feature film. Mitchell is left at home with temptations coming from everywhere. There's an old cliché' when the cat is away the mice will play. Will Mitchell, aka "the mouse" play and risk the eighteen months he has thus far with Raheim.Grab your favorite blanket, and pick up the book to find out. You won't be disappointed.James E. Hardy still has that humorous and straight to the point style of writing. This is a definite page turner.Missy APOOO Bookclub.