Book Club

Jerry Stocking started a book club & this is what we're reading. It's really a fascinating study on gender roles and differences. Norah Vincent becomes Ned and:

Joins a bowling team

I threw like a girl and it bugged me as much as it bugged them. If I told them the truth at the end of the season I didn't want them to have the satisfaction of saying, "Oh, that explains everything. You bowl like a girl because you are a girl."

"I gotta say," he said finally, "that takes balls . . . or not, I guess. Wow, you're a F-ing chick. No wonder you listen so good." ~Bowling buddy on being told Ned is really Norah.

"You're cool. I don't care what you are. I really like bowling with you, man. Shit, you're cooler than Bob." This wasn't exactly the collest thing to say in front of Bob, since Allen was Bob's in-law.

Visits strip clubs

"I go to some of these bars, " he said, "and this is the family man in me, and I say to myself, these girls were sombody's daughter. Somebody put them to bed. Somebody kissed them and hugged them and gave them love and now they're in this pit."

"Or maybe someone didn't," I said.

"Yeah," he nodded. I've thought about that, too."

Goes on dates with women

You were the eager athlete, the brightly colored bird doing the dance, and she was the German judge begrudging you the nod.

I still talked too much with my hands, and sometimes I still applied my Chapstick with a girlish lip smack.

I found myself thinking about rejection and how small it made me feel, and how small most men must feel under the weight of what women expect from them. I was an actor playing a role, but these women had gotten to me nonetheless.

"Maybe some part of me knew," she said. "I don't know. You made so much eye contact. You listened so well. You weren't hairy. I'm not sure."

Stays at a monestery

. . . where she's suspected of being gay by some of the other monks. And she makes the mistake of calling an elderly monk "cute." "He's not cute. You don't call other men cute."

And this is as far as I've gotten in the book. It's funny & sad & thought-provoking. Thanks, Jerry for turning me on to the book! :-) H.

P.S. Jerry now has a blog! Go see.