Review: Friends of Dorothy – Monologues Act I A

Book Review
Avatar of Fran LewisBy Fran Lewis
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Suicide, life choices, dealing with the world is not always easy. Buried within the folds of someone’s mind, soul and being can be hidden demons, fears and feelings that often go unnoticed.

Many try to cope with these unexplainable or difficult feelings, some choose to take a more direct route and find their answers in another world. Friends Of Dorothy Monologues is a compilation of creative, introspective and quite thought provoking scenes depicting real life situations that many encounter and graphically and beautifully and individually recounted by the voices of different person in the various monologues.

Oliver has decided to take the route we hope no one would follow as he relates his feeling towards God, his friends and others deciding to take his own life in order to release the demons within him and revert the evil back to others. A poem that when you read will enlighten you to his inner most thoughts and an ending that you keep you wondering why! Next, we meet a Pastor who describes his feelings toward his son who is gay. Many parents, children, adults and friends cannot accept those whose life choices do not confirm to their way of thinking. How sad! Andre is a great student whose loved by all except his father. Acceptance by a man who has definitely sinned in his own way and was victimized as a child for his appearance makes you wonder whether he was taking his anger out on his son or remembering what happened to him as a child. One father’s rage, anger and resentment towards his son and one son’s true feelings expressed in a surprise ending with a real twist.

As we meet a young boy whose mother sold him for meth we understand more fully that life’s choices are not always your own gut some that you need to take responsibility for. As our narrator relates his last days in a hospital room riddled with disease, full glow Aides, his recounts his life on the street and using his physical attributes to get what he needed in order to survive. Rethinking his choices, who is to blame and the startling ending and realization he comes to regarding his mother will surprise the reader. How forgiving are you?

One young man’s drive for keeping his family together followed by the Last Goodbye- Breion’s Diary. As he eloquently and beautifully describes his feelings about his family, their lack of acceptance and their narrow-mindedness, unrelenting taunts and cruel statements you being to understand the world of someone who is gay and who did not want to hide. Yet, we have to admire, applaud and truly understand the courage of this young man who chose a path and kept going away from those who would never accept him nor understand.

Suicide- not uncommon in teens or adults- Why? One young man crying out for help to release his life long pain. Why wouldn’t his family understand rather than criticize, cast aside, ignore and toss away a young man with a future. As his brother was forced out of his house for coming out and being gay, this fair-haired child, and the one everyone revered had the same fate. Living in Chicago our narrator relates how he and his brother survived together. Praising him, getting him a job and hanging out together he hoped would make a positive difference in his brother’s life. But, sometimes our hopes, thoughts and dreams for another person are not the true reality of what they seek for themselves, as you will learn after reading this monologue.

Next, The Anniversary begins with a car accident and the death of a dog, an encounter that would change everything. Our next narrator relates his love, his feelings and his reason for coming to a specific place and pouring out his heart to someone who is no longer with him. As he flashes to the past and then reenters the present he remembers where he is, the accident on the bridge, the victim and the date: Sept. 11, 2001 when love ended and so did many lives.

Mrs. Winterbourne’s house and his love for her is next along with Brownie a special dog and his relationship with Chad. The rare and amazing kindness, understanding and acceptance of his being gay by this wonderful woman and the sadness when she passed.

I really found Scene 9 quite humorous, to the point and straightforward as one gay man lets it rip and tells the world he is gay: ACCEPT ME! Letting the world know what he thinks and an ending that is just perfect!

Scenes 10 and 11 round out the monologues with Santos. The narrator’s description of one hot man, his life, his past, their meeting and their chemistry make you wish you could have gone along on that cab ride along with our narrator and Santos. The intense feelings, the cab driver’s reaction, the instant connection and an ending you will never expect. You decide if it was worth it and if he should change the locks.

Fear- is front and center in each monologue and comes full circle as the theme in Scene 11. The power of fear can consume your every being and when coupled with allowing others to dictate your goals, destiny and life can be destructive, explosive and detrimental. This last monologue sums up the rest at the narrator explains how his life disconnected from his friends, family and loves. Who you are is what others need to accept. What others dictate should be recorded on their own tape recorders where yours should be devoid of their voices, choices and thoughts.

Author A. Scott Boddie’s Friends of Dorothy Monologues: Act I provides an in-depth insight into the minds, feelings, inner most thoughts and fears of many who are gay in addition to how others perceive them, the fears they face, the lack of acceptance, loyalties, betrayals and forgiveness.

This is one book that everyone should read to truly understand that being gay is a life choice- not an illness not a stigma that someone should wear like the scarlet A. Acceptance: whether sexual preference, color of skin, race or creed: Why Can’t We?

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Avatar of Fran Lewis
Fran Lewis

Born in the South Bronx, I grew up with people from many ethnic backgrounds. I learned to play and work with children in my school that came from other countries and different places.
I was always over weight as a child and got picked on a lot by the other children in my class and even my teachers. I found it hard to do many of the sporting activities that my sister and cousins could do. I learned at an early age that kids can be mean and I promised myself that I would never retaliate or do mean things to other kids in return.

When I decided to write my short stories I realized that I had a lot to say about my youth and in both of my books I tell about a ten year old girl named Bertha who learns to deal with real life issues kids face today at home and in school.

As an educator I the New York City Public Schools for over 36 years, I realized just how unique and precious our children are. I was the reading and writing staff developer in my school and the dean. I loved the children and had the respect of my fellow teachers and parents. Teaching children to read was really very rewarding and introducing them to writing and creating their own stories was exciting for the students. I love reading different kinds of books in many different genres. I have started reviewing books of new authors and those that are more established. I love giving them great reviews and saying wonderful things about their writing. I have three Masters Degrees and PD in Supervision and Administration. Currently I am a member of Who’s Who is America’s Teachers and Who’s Who of America’s Executives from Cambridge. In addition, she is the author of three children’s books and a fourth that has just been published on Alzheimer's Disease in order to honor her mom and help create more awareness for a Cure. The title of my new Alzheimer’s book is Memories are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey; Ruth’s story. My second Alzheimer’s Book is called Sharp As A Tack or Scrambled Eggs Which Describes Your Brain. This book should be out in June 2010. I was the musical director for shows in her school and ran the School’s newspaper. I write reviews for authors upon request and for several other sites. You can read some of my reviews on Ezine.com and on ijustfinished.com under the name Gabina.

Other accomplishments:
Book reviewer
Radio show talk host: book discussion with Fran Lewis and authors all over the US and the world- how cool is that I get authors that even request a review.
Would love to become an interviewer.
Caregiver and expert on Medicaid and medicare Author of five books and writing number six
The sixth book is based on a true story but will be written as a fictional memoir.
Worked in the same school for 36 years as the reading and writing staff developer I was the dean of discipline and assisted the Principal and AP when needed I was the test coordinator for the school and instructed teachers in testing procedures –administrated the tests and oversaw the reading, math and other tests to make sure that everything ran smoothly.

I am an expert in the ELA or any test prep for reading and writing
I can take an author’s book and even if it is not five stars write a five star review for them by looking for the soul of the book and for something positive. I am a member of Who’s Who of America’s executives, teachers and professionals and belong the Cambridge’s Connect and Pen with Sword
I would like to take my three children’s book plus the fourth one and put them together in one book. I played the piano as a kid and the violin.
I was in the Bronx Borough Orchestra. I played the piano in Carnegie Hall –that was scary. I do consulting for some of the teachers in my school when they need help with lesson plans. I love writing for Robins Falls Magazine.

I love writing reviews in my own style. I even find time to help my nieces and nephews with their homework over the phone.
Email: riffyone@optonline.net

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