I picked this up b/c it has been on my list to read for a while. A friend of mine who I once respected revered White so he was sort of in my mind as something I should read. Something important that if I wanted to consider myself a lettered homosexual, I should be at least passingly familiar with White. Reflecting on it now that I am older and less impressed by so called intelligence it makes sense that he would be a White fan. He was both cowardly, fickle and self-loathing. I thought White over represented the the self-hating and yet entirely lacking in self-control homosexual that was so popular in his day. I guess it's interesting to have a messy, 'no rainbow flags' kind of homosexual writer but I couldn't get through this book. I just found his perspective loathsome. I wouldn't give this book a second glance.