Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Giuseppe and Me
AUTHOR: Robin Reardon
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
LENGTH: 30 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 26th 2014
BLURB:
Alessandro Lupo (Alex) is a sixteen-year-old gay foster child who has been moved from “home” to “home” in New York City. Isolated by circumstances and by the protective shield he’s surrounded himself with, he wanders the streets of the West Village and gravitates toward Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 riots planted the seeds of the gay civil rights movement. Having been raped at his previous foster home, he worries about HIV and about ever being able to enjoy sex.
Alex, whose parents had both been Italian, feels his lack of family keenly. As he wanders the city streets, he scrutinizes people who might also be Italian. Alex is short for Alessandro, which means defender of men; Lupo means wolf. But Alex feels fearful most of the time—fear not just of Derek, the other foster teen in his current home, but also of life in general—and wishes for the courage of his 19th century countryman, Giuseppe Garibaldi, with whose statue in Washington Square Park Alex has imaginary conversations.
Then Alex meets two people who represent polar opposites: one who validates the low opinion Alex already has of himself; and another who helps him see himself in an entirely new light and teaches him that his life is worth more than a few minutes of anyone’s pleasure.
REVIEW:
Alex Lupo is a NYC sixteen-year-old guy trying to figure out just who he is. Actually, he’s a lot of things:
- He’s Italian and curious about his heritage
- He’s a foster kid who misses having a real family and all that that entails
- He’s a target for his bully foster brother
- He’s a molestation survivor
- He’s gay
- He’s capable of standing up for himself but unwilling to run the risk of doing so.
- He’s drawn to sex but he’s afraid of what he might discover.
What he’d really like is someone to discuss this stuff with. So much so that he fantasizes talking to a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the most notable Italian he knows.
During the course of the story, Alex meets two guys in two different parks that just might help him figure some things out. One is young, rich, and attractive but seems more concerned with getting what he wants without regard to Alex’s feelings.
The other is a bit older and Alex suspects that he’s Italian, and might be able to give Alex more of a clue as to defining himself. If only Alex had the courage to speak up…
This 30 page novella is part of the Real Story Safe Sex Project and is available free on Amazon and elsewhere. It’s a quick read and well worth your time. The character of Alex is charming and well drawn and his concerns are common to a lot of younger readers. Concerns that are all too easily remembered by us older ones.
The safe sex message contained in the story is clear but doesn’t dominate the tale.
As with most of Robin’s tales, I found myself at the end of the tale satisfied with the outcome, but really wanting to know more about what happened next. By all means check this out.
RATING: 
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